The air at Lucas Oil Stadium will be full of footballs on Saturday as the quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends take the field at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

NFL Network will televise the workouts from the annual event from noon to 7 p.m. CST Saturday.

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The players will have the opportunity to participate in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill, shuttle run and position skill drills.

There are 15 quarterbacks, 50 wide receivers and 20 tight ends at the combine this year.

Among the players in the Saturday group are six with Alabama football roots:

· Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham (Park Crossing)

· Charlotte wide receiver Grant DuBose (Park Crossing)

· Louisiana wide receiver Michael Jefferson (Murphy), who played at Alabama State from 2018 through 2020.

· Alabama tight end Cameron Latu

· South Alabama wide receiver Jalen Wayne (Spanish Fort)

· Alabama quarterback Bryce Young

Young is among the players who doesn’t plan on participating in the on-the-field aspect of the combine but will engage in those activities at pro day.

Other SEC players in Saturday’s group include:

· Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett

· LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte

· Arkansas wide receiver Jadon Haselwood

· Ole Miss wide receiver Malik Heath

· Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker

· Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt

· Georgia wide receiver Kearis Jackson

· LSU wide receiver Jaray Jenkins

· Arkansas wide receiver Matt Landers

· Kentucky quarterback Will Levis

· Ole Miss wide receiver Jonathan Mingo

· Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson

· Florida wide receiver Justin Shorter

· Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman

· Georgia tight end Darnell Washington

· Alabama quarterback Bryce Young

First-rounders on the field

Projections vary, of course, but among the players thought to be possible first-round picks when the NFL Draft starts on April 27 in Kansas City, Missouri, who are in Saturday’s group are quarterbacks Will Levis of Kentucky, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State, Anthony Richardson of Florida and Bryce Young of Alabama, wide receivers Josh Downs of North Carolina, Zay Flowers of Boston College, Jalin Hyatt of Tennessee, Quentin Johnson of TCU and Jaxon Smith-Njigba of Ohio State and tight ends Dalton Kincaid of Utah, Michael Mayer of Notre Dame.

In the books

The best performances so far at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine include the 4.26-second 40-yard dash by Michigan cornerback DJ Turner II, 44-inch vertical jump by Illinois safety Jartavius Martin, 138-inch broad jump by Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents, 6.63-second three-cone drill by Brents and 4.05-second shuttle run by Brents.

Off the field on Saturday

The defensive backs are scheduled to participate in the bench press and conduct media interviews.

The quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends will have their physical measurements taken before hitting the field.

The offensive linemen and running backs will undergo orthopedic exams, conduct media interviews and interview with NFL team representatives.

Who’s next?

The offensive linemen and running backs get their chance on the field on Sunday.

The Sunday group includes offensive linemen Emil Ekiyor Jr. and Tyler Steen of Alabama, Tashawn Manning (Auburn) of Kentucky and Jake Andrews (Stanhope Elmore) of Troy and running backs Jahmyr Gibbs of Alabama, Camerun Peoples (Clay Central) of Appalachian State, Tank Bigsby of Auburn and DeWayne McBride of UAB.

Combine bests

The NFL has been holding a league-inclusive combine since 1985, but the records are sketchy for the 20th century events. Profootballreference.com has results since 2000, and these are the top performances in each of the combine drills since then:

· 40-yard dash: 4.22 seconds by Washington wide receiver John Ross in 2017 and Tennessee wide receiver Donte Stallworth in 2002.

· Vertical jump: 46 inches by North Carolina safety Gerald Sensabaugh in 2005.

· Bench press: 49 repetitions of 225 pounds by Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea in 2011.

· Broad jump: 147 inches by Connecticut cornerback Byron Jones in 2015.

· Three-cone drill: 6.28 seconds by Oklahoma defensive back Jordan Thomas in 2018.

· Shuttle run: 3.73 seconds by Iowa wide receiver Kevin Kasper in 2001.

The three-cone drill is meant to measure a player’s ability to change directions while the shuttle run tests a player’s lateral quickness.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.