The road to the 2025 NFL Draft opens this week in the Circle City.

Why it matters: This will be Indy's 38th year hosting the NFL Scouting Combine, but the city's future as the home of the high-stakes scouting camp is uncertain after next year.

Driving the news: Indy will host the combine again in 2026, but the NFL is accepting bids from other cities interested in hosting the event in 2027 and beyond.

• The city has already submitted an expression of interest to keep the event.

What they're saying: "We've been working so hard and fighting so hard to keep it that we haven't really talked about the 'what if,'" Indiana Sports Corp. president Patrick Talty told Front Office Sports this week.

Flashback: Indianapolis has been fending off challengers looking to snatch the combine crown since 2021 when the NFL first opened it up for bidding.

• With an estimated economic impact of $10 million, bidding has previously attracted pitches from cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas and Detroit.

How it works: Over four days, 329 college football players will undergo physical and mental evaluations in front of NFL coaches, general managers and scouts for a chance to be included in the NFL Draft.

Zoom in: There are several standout players across conferences, including Colorado's Travis Hunter, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.

• Top Indiana prospects who will be in the house include Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, IU quarterback Kurtis Rourke, IU defensive tackle CJ West and Purdue offensive lineman Marcus Mbow.

How to watch — on TV or IRL

While Indianapolis didn't host the first NFL Combine, the event's home has always been in Circle City.

Driving the (old) news: Also known as the National Invitational Camp, the NFL Scouting Combine held its first event in Tampa, Florida in 1982.

• It was organized by the Indianapolis-based National Football Scouting Inc. which brought 163 players to that first camp.
• After subsequent events in Phoenix and New Orleans, the NFL decided to move the combine to Indy in 1987.

Flashback: The 1987 NFL Combine at the Hoosier Dome was very different from the party being thrown this week in Indianapolis.

• More than 300 players took part, but the public was unable to watch, and most of the reporters weren't allowed inside.
• Former players and GMs also described early combines as far more cutthroat with teams vying after the same prospect resorting to spying and time-stalling tactics to secure meetings.

What they're saying: "There were more than a few occasions where people got a little testy," Hall of Fame Colts executive Bill Polian told the NFL.

Keep reading

⚽️ Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber's presence at Monday night's Pacers game has reignited speculation that an MLS team is coming to Indy.

• The city and its partners have been quietly securing parcels of land around the site Mayor Joe Hogsett identified for a new soccer-specific stadium.
• And Pacers Sports and Entertainment has confirmed the city's worst kept secret — that the Simon family is, indeed, part of the secretive group of funders working to bring a team to town. (WTHR)

🤝 Gov. Mike Braun is on board, too. He said the state would "regret" not pursuing an MLS team. (IBJ)

🫣 A South Carolina man has been sentenced to two years in prison after stripping naked at a TSA checkpoint in the Indianapolis International Airport in 2023. (FOX59)

Spring is in the air and, even if it's a fake out, it has us thinking about spring produce.

Why it matters: This is the time to sign up for a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program.

The big picture: The idea behind CSAs is simple. You pay a set price, either weekly or ahead of a growing season, and collect your locally grown, farm-fresh produce on a schedule.

• It allows you to support local farmers by sharing in the bounty and risk of farming.

Zoom in: Here are five local CSAs you can sign up for now.

🥒 Soulfood Project Indy

An urban food initiative with two farms in the city, Soulfood Project Indy offers a weekly veggie box with pickup on Thursdays at Soulfood's Sheldon Street or Irvington farm.

How it works: You can pay in full or by the week and prices are based on income level, from $200 to $300 for the season or $10-$20/week.

• Boxes contain between 6-10 items and usually contain a leafy green, root crop, herbs and other seasonal veggies.

🍅 Teter Organic Farm

Teter Organic Farm is an outreach mission of Noblesville First United Methodist Church1, offering an eight- or 16-week CSA for pickup in Noblesville beginning in June.

How it works: There are three sizes and prices start at $320 for eight full-size bi-weekly deliveries or 16 small weekly deliveries.

• You can also pay by the week for an extra $2/box.

Three more CSAs

A new restaurant is coming to the Mass Ave area this summer.

Why it matters: Harrison's Restaurant is repurposing a closed Region's Bank branch at North and Delaware streets and will be a casual, affordable "neighborhood haunt," according to its owners.

What they're saying: "The concept is inspired by one of our favorite local gone-but-not-forgotten restaurants — Marco's," said Bill Pritt, the restaurateur who is also behind Mass Ave sushi spot Forty Five Degrees.

• Marco's Restaurant and Lounge closed in 2021 after nearly 40 years as a beloved neighborhood spot near the intersection of 54th and Keystone. With a vibe out of a different era, it had weeknight filet specials for under $15, heaping plates of pasta and rotating soups like ham and split pea.

What's next: Harrison's is set to open this summer.