Sometimes in life, you can just sense something in the air, like a feeling or an emotion that hits the scene with force and doesn’t seem to go away.

At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, the theme in the air was optimism.

Not unlike spring with its sentiment of rebirth, the combine features people affiliated with the league, from every aspect possible, in attendance, with the intention of adding another chapter to their story.

First there is the player hoping to showcase his skills in front of the pro scouts in order to gain that special chance at playing in the next and elite level of professional football.

Then there’s the agent who prays that his guy can get drafted high, thus earning a huge pay raise and a disgustingly large bonus.

Then there are the team personnel, obsessed with forgetting last season, well at least 31 of them anyway, and putting the team in a better position roster-wise to add a few more wins to the record next year.

It has been proven that with a good offseason, teams quickly can turn things around and even put themselves in postseason contention just a season after failing miserably and ending up at the top end of the draft.

Thus the draft has become as important as ever.

Everyone is looking for that franchise player who becomes a city icon and a Pro Bowl player year after year.

Just as important are the draft’s late-round sleepers, who get paid less but play just as well if not better than their higher paid teammates, who don’t have such a large chip on their shoulders.

These late-picked individuals take on Indianapolis like African animals to a stream during the rainy season.

They can be seen practically everywhere, wearing Under Armour clothing that includes a numbering system that states their position and what number they are in their position groupings for workouts.

The personnel work tirelessly, catching some Zs at around 2 a.m. and getting back up and in meetings maybe five hours later.

The combine itself is just a fraction of the evaluation process.

Just to get there, a player really must show his abilities as a talented player on the football field.

Whether it’s strength, athleticism or even intelligence, the combine determines how well an athlete translates into the NFL.