INDIANAPOLIS -- The NFL combine enters its third day at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Thursday, and I'm here covering the event from a Cincinnati Bengals perspective.

This week we've looked three key areas the Bengals will want to address during this draft process. There are others, and that's why these next few days are so important to helping determine the direction the franchise goes. At the start of each day, we will provide a quick rundown of what to expect as the team starts examining players it wants on its big board as we get closer to this year's draft.

Here are three things I'll have my eye on during Day 2 of the combine:

1.State of the Bengals: Part of what separates the combine from other pre-draft events is that coaches and general managers from nearly every team are assembled in one place, and get to chat with reporters about the latest that's happening with their teams. Cincinnati's turn is Thursday. Coach Marvin Lewis will speak publicly for the first time since the Super Bowl.

2. Injury updates: With several players rehabbing injuries, we'll see if Lewis will have any updates. Linebacker Vontaze Burfict still is in the early weeks of his recovery from microfracture surgery, and receiver Marvin Jones continues to move past ankle and foot issues he had this past season. Tight end Tyler Eifert has apparently been doing so well in his recovery from shoulder and elbow surgery that he's been participating in hockey shootouts the past two weeks.

3. Cincy's free agency plans? Don't expect Lewis or any other Bengals representatives to share every secret about which direction the team goes in free agency. But also don't be surprised if we start getting a slightly better idea of what the organization might like to do with its current free agents now that the start of the free-agency period is a little closer.

4. Bench presses begin: We'll start seeing the first testing results of the combine as offensive linemen, tight ends and specialists participate in the bench press. The exercise is an important test in determining players' strength. Last year, North Carolina product Russell Bodine paced all combine participants in bench reps by lifting 225 pounds 42 times. The Bengals were impressed by that and drafted the center in the fourth round.

5. Who to watch? Quarterbacks, receivers, and running backs all arrived to Indianapolis late Wednesday. Those players will speak with media Thursday. In Cincinnati's case, it will be important to keep an eye on receivers. Devin Smith (Ohio State), Phillip Dorsett (Miami of Florida), Breshad Perriman (Central Florida), Rashad Greene (Florida State), and Nelson Agholor (USC) are possible early round options the Bengals could consider.