The NFL combine starts on Friday and prop betting is available

As nausea set in on Monday night watching The Bachelor agonizing over another rose elimination ceremony, I anxiously searched for my 2017 wall calendar. I counted 26 long, long weeks until Monday Night Football fills our true empty hearts again in America. Approximately 144 days until Patriots -7.5 over the Dolphins will help bettors find true love. Well, at least for a one-night stand.

Yes, we all miss football already and still have about three weeks to go until NCAA March Madness feeds our wagering passion. But if you search through the listings of preferred offshore sportsbooks you'll discover that football season is NOT over just yet. Huh? Didn't the Pats just pull off a historic comeback over the Falcons in Super Bowl XLI? Please, let me explain...

To satisfy the demand of football crazy USA, major offshore sportsbooks including BetOnline, Bovada and Diamond Sports have created "NFL Combine Wagering" this year. Certainly, exposure on the NFL Network plus ESPN has helped drive demand but no doubt this proves with the popularity of the NFL Draft that football and football wagering is now circling on a full 12-month calendar.
Hey, instead of betting your friends at the gym this weekend, why not take a shot at these 2017 NFL Combine props (courtesy of BetOnline). Official results will appear on www.nfl.com

STRENGTH

Fewest Reps at Bench Press
2017 Combine Fewest Reps at Bench Press NFL.com official results.

Over 6 Reps -115
Under 6 Reps -115

Most Reps at Bench Press
2017 Combine Most Reps at Bench Press NFL.com official results.

Over 39½ Reps -130
Under 39½ Reps +100

Player to Record Fewest Reps at Bench Press
2017 Combine Player to Record Fewest Reps at Bench Press NFL.com official results/positions.

Offensive Player +170
Defensive Player -215

Player to Record Most Reps at Bench Press
2017 Combine Player to Record Most Reps at Bench Press NFL.com official results/positions.

Offensive Player +100
Defensive Player -130

No handicapping advice here. I suppose kickers are competing in the O/U 6 rep category with about 250 lbs. piled on the bar. And I have no idea how they get to that number of 39.5. Not sure if someone is screaming at rookies or calling them "girly-man" to motivate them to 40. But according to the odds, I would "strongly" bet that defensive players can pump more iron here. Go with the -215 favorite.

SPEED

Fastest 40 Yard Dash Time
2017 Combine Fastest 40 Yard Dash Time NFL.com official results.

Over 4.28 Seconds -140
Under 4.28 Seconds +110

Slowest 40 Yard Dash Time
2017 Combine Slowest 40 Yard Dash Time NFL.com official results.

Over 5.66 Seconds +100
Under 5.66 Seconds -130

Slowest 40 Yard Dash Time by QB
2017 Combine Slowest 40 Yard Dash Time by QB NFL.com official results.

Over 5.12 Seconds -115
Under 5.12 Seconds -115

Fastest 20 Yard Shuttle Time
2017 Combine Fastest 20 Yard Shuttle Time NFL.com official results.

Over 3.85 Seconds -115
Under 3.85 Seconds -115

Fastest 3 Cone Drill Time
2017 Combine Fastest 3 Cone Drill Time NFL.com official results.

Over 6.5 Seconds -115
Under 6.5 Seconds -115

This is the most exciting category and the one most quoted later in the season. As in "Joe Blow" ran an incredible 4.2 at the NFL combine in Indianapolis this year and that's why he just blew by a safety for a 78-yard touchdown. My guess here is to bet Under 5.66 seconds at -130 being the slowest time. Logic is anything higher gets you "undrafted fast" at almost any position. As for the 3-cone drill, you're on your own. Do players really get drafted based on this stuff?

JUMPING

Over 42½ Inches -135
Under 42½ Inches +105

Longest Broad Jump
2017 Combine Longest Broad Jump NFL.com official results.

Over 135 Inches -125
Under 135 Inches -105

Player to Record Fastest 20 Yard Shuttle
2017 Combine Player to Record Fastest 20 Yard Shuttle NFL.com official results/positions.

Offensive Player +190
Defensive Player -240

Player to Record Fastest 3 Cone Drill Time
2017 Combine Player to Record Fastest 3 Cone Drill Time NFL.com official results/positions.

Offensive Player -105
Defensive Player -125

Player to Record Highest Vertical Jump
2017 Combine Player to Record Highest Vertical Jump NFL.com official results/positions.

Offensive Player -105
Defensive Player -125

Player to Record Longest Broad Jump
2017 Combine Player to Record Longest Broad Jump NFL.com official results/positions.

Offensive Player +150
Defensive Player -180

I know NFL scouts and GM's are not overlooking this category. Did you notice how many special teamer's leaping over the center to block kicks on special teams this past season. And if you're trying this at home, see if you can broad jump over 135 inches. That's almost 12 feet!! Now you know why you and I are betting on world-class athletes trying to accomplish this.

No doubt we'd rather be targeting the Over/Under on this Sunday's Redskins-Cowboys game. But the reality is this interesting option surely beats tossing a coin and falling asleep guessing on pre-season Grapefruit or Cactus League Major League Baseball. In case you're interested I will get back to you about Bachelor wagering for next Monday night. And I'm setting the O/U line for whether I can bench just 50 lbs. 40 times.

Glenn Greene covers the games from a betting angle every week exclusively at OSGA.com. For weekly betting insights, inlcuding previews and picks from Glenn, click here.