Starting on February 17, more than 300 young men are about to be thrust into a direction, one way or another, that will play a vital role in shaping the rest of their lives.

For these blossoming athletes, the NFL Scouting Combine is the biggest moment in their professional, post-collegiate careers up to this point. Essentially, they will participate in the biggest and most thorough job interview of their lives. Not only are millions of dollars at stake, but fame and glory as well. A life lavished in luxury is at the tip of each idealistic kid’s fingers.

The hope is that the players don’t get this close, just to let the ultimate dream slip away. Unfortunately, life can be just as cruel as it can be rewarding to those seeking their dreams.

The NFL is no place for fairytale endings—or beginnings, for that matter.

Over the years, the National Football League has evolved into an unsurpassed entertainment giant. This is in large part because of the quality of the product on the field—which has been fine-tuned for decades in order to find the most elite athletes and the strongest men in the world. The combine is a tool for NFL teams to better weed out or identify the players they want and/or don’t want to be a part of their organization.

NFL hopefuls are not starting on an equal playing field. Some have much more to lose than others at the combine for a variety of reasons.

These are just a few of the prospects who could suffer a major setback based on a poor showing in Indianapolis.