Joe Thomas went off last week about the NFL Combine and how ridiculous it is. Apparently the Dog or Cat question is a thing, and it can get even worse. There are lots of players who have detailed strange questions the teams have asked in order to get a read on a player. Last year Giants CB Eli Apple was asked by the Atlanta Falcons if he likes men. Deion Sanders recently revealed a story about how we went in to interview with the New York Giants and they threw a giant quiz in front of him. Deion promptly laughed in their face because they didn’t have a high pick and walked out, something that could never happen in today’s NFL. I have no idea if the Giants still do this quiz, but man, I hope not. What kid wants to play for a team that gives them a Meyers-Briggs just to see if they might be a fit? I’m sure things have been even worse and we’ll never know the deepest, darkest horrors.

I’ve touched on it before but the Combine is kind of disturbing when you look at it from a distance. A bunch of college kids (reminder that most of them are like, sophomores and juniors) put on athletic underwear and “perform” for judging eyes. Scouts salivate over players who exceed normal expectations (The level of wanking going on about Myles Garrett this weekend was gross). It’s really weird. I feel kind of awkward making this comparison, but it really feels similar to a slave auction. Here’s a bunch of young, strapping men on display for a bunch of rich owners who use the event to decide which ones they want. There is constant TV coverage of the entire thing as these players jump and run around. They can end up bidding with draft picks as currency. And all of this is before you get into the weird interview process. We’re all used to the Combine as a thing, but when you sit back and divorce yourself from the context the Combine is creepy as hell.