INDIANAPOLIS -- Before Sunday, you had to be an extreme draftnik to know who Florida State wide receiver De'Cody Fagg was. He was projected to be a late-round pick, at best.

But after Fagg suffered what appeared to be a catastrophic left knee injury -- one scout used the term "career-ending," and one NFC running backs coach called it "one of the worst injuries I've ever seen" -- during the quarterback-wide receiver drills Sunday inside the RCA Dome, Fagg became a cautionary tale and a reminder of what players have at stake during the NFL scouting combine.

Unlike in past years, when it was common for most of the top prospects to come to the combine only for interviews and medical evaluations -- choosing to work out only once for scouts, at their on-campus pro day -- participation in the combine workouts has steadily increased of late, largely because NFL coaches and personnel evaluators have stressed to players and their agents the value of participating.

Although some high-profile players did not participate -- Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, for example, didn't throw Sunday -- many others did, including Arkansas halfback Darren McFadden, who ran a blistering 4.33-second 40-yard dash.

But Fagg's injury could change that. Combine director Jeff Foster said all 333 players at this year's combine receive a primary health insurance policy that covers the costs of surgery and other medical costs if they suffer an injury at the combine, although those policies don't cover the potential lost wages of being drafted later (or not at all) because of an injury. Many other draft-eligible players take out a separate personal insurance policy for that.

On the move

With the Indianapolis Colts moving to the new Lucas Oil Stadium next season, this is the final combine at the RCA Dome, which is scheduled for demolition this summer. The combine will move to the new stadium next year, but the league's contract with Indianapolis expires after 2010.

"The idea is in 2009, we get a real feel for the new venue and then in 2010 we can hopefully perfect and tweak any operational issues we have," Foster said.

Foster said he doesn't expect the event to move out of Indianapolis after 2010, in part because the new stadium is bigger and has more meeting space, so "the goal with Lucas Oil Stadium is to use the facility for all phases of the event." Right now, medical exams and some meetings take place inside the Indiana Convention Center, although a new convention center is set to open in 2011.

Colts coach Tony Dungy said the Dome would be missed.

"This will be kind of bittersweet," Dungy said. "We'll shed a tear as we blow the Dome up. This is probably the last football-related event that's here. It's nostalgic in a way."

James 'on track,' sort of

Former University of Wisconsin defensive end Erasmus James, one of the Minnesota Vikings' two 2005 first-round draft picks, is on the mend after having his first two NFL seasons ruined by knee problems, but Vikings coach Brad Childress did not sound optimistic about James contributing significantly next season.

"It's been one bad turn after another for Erasmus," said Childress, whose team has put its other 2005 first-rounder, wide receiver Troy Williamson, on the trading block. "He was a holdout (and missed most of camp) as a rookie, and then got hurt immediately in the second game of the year. Had a bad surgery, came back and had to have the knee repaired again. So he's on track, but he's got a long road to hoe here rehab-wise (to get) back on the football field."