The quest for determining the no. 1 pick in the NFL Draft begins today, the first day of the Indianapolis Combine. In actuality, it began months, even years ago, but it starts in earnest today as all 32 teams have gathered to go through a battery of medical tests, workouts, interviews, and evaluations of more than 300 draft prospects of all shapes and sizes.

The Miami Dolphins choose first overall, and though a trade is a possibility, they most likely will be stuck with that first choice. There is no standout, sure-thing prospect in this crop of players, and asking another team to forfeit a wealth of draft picks, possibly veteran players, and put up signing bonus of about $30 million, well, that’s asking a lot.

Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan appears the front-runner for the top pick, but don’t rule out Virginia defensive end Chris Long, Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long (no relation), or LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey for the first pick. The New Dolphins boss, Bill Parcells, and general manager, Jeff Ireland, need a quarterback, but they also badly need to rebuild the offensive and defensive lines and could become enamored with the character and talent of Chris Long, who might be the surest thing in the draft class.

What the Dolphins do at one directly affects the Jets, owners of the sixth pick, and the Patriots, who own the seventh choice, courtesy of a trade last year with the 49ers. The Jets are said to be big Chris Long fans, and if he’s not picked at one, he could slide to them at six. The Rams, who pick second, need defensive line help but might be shy about drafting at that position, considering their past failures.

This is the first time that Long, Long, Ryan, and Dorsey have worked out in front of scouts since the ends of their seasons. They’ll do so in various drills, such as the much-hyped 40-yard dash and, for the big guys, the 225-pound bench press. Chris Long told The New York Sun in late January that he planned to do all the workouts in Indy — rare for a top prospect, as he likely can only hurt himself — wanting to prove that he’s an elite athlete.

“I think I will shock people with how well I move,” the 6-foot-3-inch, 274-pound USC nose tackle, Sedrick Ellis, said. “I am excited to show what I can do.”

Even if the Jets don’t get Long, they are in a unique position to trump the Patriots, who are said not to want to pay high bonuses to unproven rookies and are far more likely to try to trade down from the seventh pick than to get ahead of the Jets. Both teams run similar 3–4 defensive schemes and are looking for help on that side of the ball.

The apple of both teams’ eyes could be Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston, who would project to rush linebacker in both teams’ defensive schemes. He’s raw and young, at 21 years old, and perhaps has the most untapped talent, an impossibly athletic build, and 15-sack potential. Gholston is sure to be one of the stars of the week at the moment he walks the runway and weighs in for the assembled scouts.

But little of what’s gleaned at the combine is about flash. Sure, every year there are half a dozen prospects who are overdrafted because of their workout numbers on the RCA Dome surface. The most famous case might be Boston College defensive end Mike Mamula, who went from a possible second-round pick up to the seventh choice overall in 1995, but more recent cases include Vikings receiver Troy Williamson, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, and Jaguars receiver Matt Jones.

Most of what teams are looking for is medical clearance from their doctors and character clearance from the team’s brass. The doctors investigate every injury and every body part ad nauseum. One NFL player remembers a team’s doctor once asking him about an ailment he suffered in the seventh grade. And the interview portion can make or break some players. Those with character questions or those deemed as too milquetoast for the NFL will be scrutinized. Months-worth of scouts’ digging for dirt will come out in the 15-minute interview sessions the teams conduct with 60 players each, and nothing is sacred.

By next Tuesday, when the combine wraps up, the Jets should have a good idea of their top six players, if not in some kind of working order. Other possibilities include Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, whose character questions will be brought up this week, and Ellis. McFadden, though, is rumored to be wavering over whether to run the 40-yard dash this week or later at Arkansas’s Pro Day on campus. His stock is as volatile as any of the top prospects. Ellis, meanwhile, has firmed his place as a top-10 prospect following a standout week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Scouts now tend to believe he could fit in a 3–4 scheme as a nose tackle, which only boosts his stock with the three 3–4 clubs picking in the top seven.

The Giants, meanwhile, could be as busy at the combine taking care of in-house matters as they will be scouting players. They are reportedly not close to re-signing safety Gibril Wilson but could continue to negotiate with him all week, up until the start of free agency at midnight on February 23.

The team will have difficulty repeating last year’s stellar draft class, which was general manager Jerry Reese’s first. Seven of the eight picks made significant contributions, from their first pick, cornerback Aaron Ross, down to their final seventh rounder, running back/kick returner Ahmad Bradshaw. Cornerback once again will be an area the Giants will focus on at the combine and beyond, along with linebacker, safety, and wide receiver.

The draft might be 65 days away, but this week’s worth of workouts, interviews, and evaluations will go a long way toward allowing teams to shape their draft board, eliminate players from their draft lists, and concentrate their focus for the offseason.

Mr. Edholm, a senior editor at Pro Football Weekly, can be reached at eedholm@pfwmedia.