Along with NFL.com’s crack staff of writers and reporters, hundreds of top draft prospects will be descending on Indianapolis this week for the NFL Scouting Combine. Of course, they won’t all have the same itinerary. They should, but they won’t.

That’s because not all prospects will be participating in all the workouts. The top two quarterbacks in the draft provide the ultimate contrast. While Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton of Auburn has said he will perform all the combine drills and workouts, Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert has reportedly told people he will not be throwing in Indy.

How that will impact his draft status is questionable, but at the very least it’s annoyed some people. Like former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon.

“It’s almost as if you’re trying to hide something,” Gannon said Tuesday morning on Sirius NFL Radio. “This is a great opportunity for Gabbert to show what he can do.”

Gannon admitted he understands that the combine performance isn’t the be-all, end-all, and that obviously players like Gabbert are focused more on their individual and pro day workouts. But he added that “they don’t have a lot to lose” by throwing at the combine, which is why it’s frustrating when they opt against it.

Ironically, Gannon added later in the show that he believes Gabbert will be the first QB taken off the board in the draft. It remains to be seen if the personnel men from various NFL teams feel the same way. Clearly, that decision won’t be made based on the combine.

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