Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell Isn't Into The NFL Combine 'Spectacle'

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The NFL Combine, also known as 'the underwear Olympics' to some, has grown in popularity year after year. Some coaches and fans view the combine as some sort of spectacle, but Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is not one of those people.

Campbell, being a more old-school, gritty coach not being all-in on the NFL Combine shouldn't come across as a surprise.

The one thing he does take away from the week is getting to sit down and get to know players he and the Lions have circled as potential NFL Draft picks.

“I guess there is somewhat of a spectacle,” Campbell told Pro Football Talk. “To me it’s more, at this point, just to be able to sit with these guys. They get the medical during the week, but for us to be able to do these interviews is to me the biggest part of all this.

"It’s not even the working out portion. To me, you grade them off the tape, you don’t grade off somebody out here in pajamas, running the 40 with no defender around.”

Dan Campbell is not the biggest fan of the NFL Combine. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

While plenty of players will move up and down the big boards of certain teams based on their performance at the combine, it's tough to argue with Campbell's outlook.

At the end of the day, prospects are competing against air at the combine. Getting specific measurables and 40 times are valuable, but the 'competition' side of the combine doesn't really exist.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.