In this episode, Les Spellman sits down with Scott Salwasser, Head NFL Combine Coach at EXOS, to break down what goes into preparing elite athletes for the NFL Combine.

From managing 50+ athletes at once, to profiling speed safely, to using force plates, and the 1080 Sprint to drive real performance.

Scott walks through EXOS’s intake process, how data impacts programming and how low-volume, high-intensity speed work wins in the long run. 

The Universal Speed Rating is seeking to partner with more elite training businesses nationwide through our Speed Lab initiative. If you are interested in systemizing your speed training and growing your business, click the link below to schedule a call with our team. 

https://universalspeedrating.com/learn-more-partner-with-universal-speed-rating-speed-lab-podcast

Episode Timestamps

00:00 – 02:30: Reconnecting, Sparta roots, and why the old-school stuff still matters

02:30 – 05:30: Scott’s path to EXOS and stepping into a leadership role

05:30 – 08:30: How EXOS manages 50+ combine athletes without chaos

08:30 – 12:15: Weekly speed structure: acceleration, max velocity, resisted sprinting

12:15 – 16:45: Intake process: PT evals, force plates, LVP testing, and profiling safely

16:45 – 20:30: How data actually changes training (and when it should)

20:30 – 24:30: Force plate insights, asymmetries, RSI, and individualizing plyos

24:30 – 28:30: Strength profiling, OPR, and why some athletes need to train fast — and others heavy

28:30 – 31:00: Kaiser squats, barbell work, and combine-specific realities

31:00 – End: 225 bench pacing, combine lessons learned, and coaching takeaways