The NFL Scouting Combine is an important part of the pre-draft process, and a good number of area athletes have earned invitations to the annual event held in Indianapolis.

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis from March 2nd through March 5th this year.

A total of 21 players with ties to South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, or Iowa have been invited to the event.

KXRB logo
Get our free mobile app

While attendance is not a 'must' to be drafted into the league, it certainly doesn't hurt to show out with so many scouts and executives in attendance.

The player most close to home that earned an invite is certainly not a surprise. South Dakota State Tight End Tucker Kraft has earned an invite and is expected to be a mid-to-early draft pick this year.

Players Invited to the NFL Scouting Combine With Local Connections:

Mohamed Ibrahim - RB - Minnesota

Minnesota v Michigan State
Getty Images
loading...

Hunter Luepke - RB/FB - North Dakota State

Xavier Hutchinson - WR - Iowa State

West Virginia v Iowa State
Getty Images
loading...

Trey Palmer - WR - Nebraska

Noah Gindorff - TE - North Dakota State

Tucker Kraft - TE - South Dakota State

Sam LaPorta - TE - Iowa

Travis Vokolek - TE - Nebraska

Brent Laing - OL - Minnesota-Duluth

Cody Mauch - OL - North Dakota State

Illinois State v North Dakota State
Getty Images
loading...

John Michael Schmitz - OL - Minnesota

MJ Anderson - DL - Iowa State

Will McDonald IV - DL - Iowa State

Lukas Van Ness - DL - Iowa

Jack Campbell - LB - Iowa

Michigan v Iowa
Getty Images
loading...

Ochaun Mathis - LB - Nebraska

Jordan Howden - DB - Minnesota

Anthony Johnson - DB - Iowa State

Kaevon Merriweather - DB - Iowa

Riley Moss - DB - Iowa

Iowa v Ohio State
Getty Images
loading...

Terell Smith - DB - Minnesota

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine will be held in Indianapolis from March 2nd through March 5th this year.

Source: NFL.com

11 Super Bowl 57 Players Who Played College Ball In South Dakota, Iowa, or Nebraska

Super Bowl 57 is coming our way on Sunday. Both the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs are looking for their second Super Bowl titles in recent memory, and both have rosters featuring lots of Midwestern talent.

An obvious South Dakota connection on the Eagles is South Dakota State's Dallas Goedert. Goedert was drafted by the Eagles in the year immediately following their Super Bowl win after the 2017 season.

South Dakota Born NFL Players of this Century

While not a traditional powerhouse Nation Football League feeder, South Dakota has produces a fair number of football players that went on to the big time in the NFL.

Here are some that have played on various teams over the last couple of decades.

More From KXRB