Canceled NFL scouting combine a bummer but invite still a golden ticket

While players lamented the lost opportunity to gather in Indy to be poked, prodded, timed and tested — and to square off against their peers — an invitation was still a golden ticket. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File) While players lamented the lost opportunity to gather in Indy to be poked, prodded, timed and tested — and to square off against their peers — an invitation was still a golden ticket. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

By ARNIE STAPLETON / The Associated Press April 20, 2021 4 min read

Kansas State tight end Briley Moore, a graduate transfer from Northern Iowa, frantically scrolled through his waterproof phone.

“It was a dream of mine since I was a little kid to go to the combine,” Moore said. “So, once I had seen a couple on Twitter got the combine invite, I was taking a shower, checked my phone.”

Nothing.

His heart sank.

Then, it hit him.