With the 2025 season now in the rearview mirror, the focus naturally turns to the upcoming NFL Draft and the next wave of prospects. But before teams finalize boards and fans debate fits, the spotlight shifts to the NFL Combine, which is just days away. And with the event approaching, NFL Network has unveiled its coverage lineup, placing longtime insider Ian Rapoport squarely at the center of it.

“Ready for the NFL Scouting Combine!” Rapoport shared the news via his official Instagram handle.

Besides Rapoport, the coverage team also includes Rich Eisen and Daniel Jeremiah, along with Charles Davis, Stacey Dales, and Chris Rose. The event begins February 26 at 3 p.m. ET, opening with defensive linemen and linebackers. Day 2, February 27, keeps the same time slot and shifts to defensive backs and tight ends.

On February 28, coverage starts earlier at 1:00 p.m. ET, with quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs taking center stage. The final day, March 1, wraps with offensive linemen before attention fully pivots to the draft.

Rapoport’s prominent role, however, comes at an interesting moment. Earlier this month, reports confirmed the official ESPN–NFL Network merger. At the same time, Rapoport is nearing the expiration of his contract. However, speaking with Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, he acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding what comes next.

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“Just so we are clear, I don’t know what is coming,” Rapoport told Marchand. “No one has told me, ‘It’s going to be like this. It’s going to be like that.’ There are a lot of things I don’t know. A lot of people don’t know, but I’m excited because ESPN is very good at what it does. From my understanding, it is going to be more football, more coverage, investing in NFL Network and making it as best as it could possibly be.”

So while there’s some ambiguity about his long-term future amid the merger, Rapoport sounds optimistic. And if everything aligns, it could set up an interesting dynamic, potentially working alongside ESPN’s Adam Schefter, his predecessor at NFL Network.

Ian Rapoport says working with Adam Schefter would be awesome

Ian Rapoport has been with NFL Network since 2012. Now, with the network’s merger with ESPN official, he acknowledged that if he ends up under the ESPN umbrella, the chance to work alongside ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter would be a full-circle moment.

“Obviously, I’ve been watching Adam (Schefter) for a long time,” Rapoport told Marchand. “He’s the reason my job exists, just to be totally honest in the form it does. And I think that’s something that’s not lost on me. I wouldn’t have this job the way I do if he didn’t sort of create it. If we were to work together, I think that would be awesome. I have no idea if it is going to happen. But it would be like The Avengers.”

Schefter, notably, worked at NFL Network from 2004 before leaving for ESPN in 2009. Now, with the ESPN–NFL Network merger finalized, the possibility of the two insiders sharing the same platform feels more realistic, even as Rapoport’s own contract situation remains unresolved.

His comments surfaced shortly after the NFL and Disney officially closed their deal to merge ESPN and NFL Media, following approval from the United States government. As part of the agreement, the NFL now holds a 10 percent stake in ESPN, while ESPN assumes control of NFL Network programming.

The broadcast structure will shift as well. ESPN will televise 28 NFL games per season, but Monday Night Football doubleheaders on ESPN and ABC will no longer continue. Instead, those four doubleheader games move to NFL Network, now operated by ESPN.

At the same time, NFL Network will continue airing seven games per season, while the league has taken back the rights to four international games and will put them up for bid. And all of these changes are set to take effect beginning with the 2026 season in September.