The official invite list for the 2014 NFL combine is out, and 36 Big Ten players will try to impress pro scouts during workouts in Indianapolis from Feb. 22-25. In case you were wondering, that's fourth most among conferences behind the SEC (71 invitees), the ACC (48) and the Pac-12 (45).
Here are the Big Ten players who were invited, broken down by position:
Quarterbacks (0)
Running backs (2)
Carlos Hyde, Ohio State
James White, Wisconsin
Wide receivers (8)
Jared Abbrederis, Wisconsin
Corey Brown, Ohio State
Kain Colter, Northwestern
Quincy Enunwa, Nebraska
Bennie Fowler, Michigan State
Jeremy Gallon, Michigan
Cody Latimer, Indiana
Allen Robinson, Penn State
Tight ends (2)
C.J. Fiedorowicz, Iowa
Jacob Pedersen, Wisconsin
Offensive linemen (8)
Conor Boffeli, Iowa
Ryan Groy, Wisconsin
Taylor Lewan, Michigan
Corey Linsley, Ohio State
Spencer Long, Nebraska
Jack Mewhort, Ohio State
Michael Schofield, Michigan
John Urschel, Penn State
Defensive linemen (2)
Ra'Shede Hageman (DT), Minnesota
DaQuan Jones (DT), Penn State
Linebackers (7)
Chris Borland, Wisconsin
Jonathan Brown, Illinois
Max Bullough, Michigan State
Anthony Hitchens, Iowa
Christian Kirksey, Iowa
James Morris, Iowa
Ryan Shazier, Ohio State
Defensive backs (7)
Ricardo Allen, Purdue
Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State
Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Nebraska
Isaiah Lewis, Michigan State
Bradley Roby, Ohio State
Dez Southward, Wisconsin
Brock Vereen, Minnesota
Specialists (0)
Breakdown
It's a strong list of players, but were there any snubs. Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez, Michigan State linebacker Denicos Allen and Iowa cornerback B.J. Lowery jump out right away as missing, though Martinez has injury (and position) concerns, while Allen's small frame means he'll have to prove to scouts he can play at the next level.
I'm also a bit surprised not to see Indiana's Ted Bolser on this list; he's not a traditional blocking tight end, but his receiving skills would seem to translate to the NFL. Only nine kickers and punters were invited to Indy, yet it's a little disappointing that Purdue's Cody Webster and Northwestern's Jeff Budzien weren't included in the specialists.
Others who could have gotten an invite include Purdue defensive tackle Bruce Gaston, Ohio State guard Andrew Norwell and Nebraska defensive back Ciante Evans.
That doesn't mean those guys won't play in the NFL. But their path to the league might be a little more winding.
