The scouting combine used to be THE main attraction for a player to showcase their skill set and abilities!
But, with expansion of pro team scouting departments within the past 20 years--along with innovative advancments in technology--pro teams have all the tools needed to evaluate players before the combine even takes place!
I remember reading a story about NFL scouts in the 1980's preparing for the combine, where they would sit and watch college games in person or evaluate film for upwards of 15 hours on an old projector in some hotel room. They talked about lugging the projector around, because most rooms did not have VHS or Betamax...and they would pull the sheets off the bed and tack them to the wall!
Fast forward almost 20+ years and scouting a college player is almost limitless!
Today, the combine is still key in the decision process of where a player will be placed on team draft boards!
True, it is not what it used to be, but I still think it benefits teams in evaluation. One thing I'd like to point out is the advancement in the mental aspect of the game, I want to say teams utilize the combine more for intangibles than in the past!