USA TODAY International Edition
Hunches, hedges in Indy
It was coincidence that just before heading to the NFL scouting combine, I began reading Blink, the Malcolm Gladwell best- seller that delves into instincts and the subconscious mind.
Scouting football players must be like that, too, to some degree.
There are 40- yard dash times, bench presses and all sorts of new- age analytics to go with the talent demonstrated or not on videotape. Yet at some point, an NFL decision- maker also will need to rely on his gut in assessing a prospect.
How much does it mean that Washington wide receiver John Ross broke the 40- yard dash record with a clocking of 4.22 seconds?
Or that Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster was sent home?
Listen to Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider, with one of the best track records in the business. Can he define his instincts? “I would say just praying on it,” Schneider said, “work ethic, just learning from your mistakes.”
That topic was something of a starting point for the blur of the NFL scouting combine, where teams, agents, media and more than 300 prospects looking for a job converge. Snippets from the scene:
GETTLEMAN: ‘ TRUST YOUR PROCESS’ Carolina Panthers GM Dave Gettleman recalled a player — whom he refused to name — who was taken off the board before a recent draft during an interview because of unconvincing responses to questions about an unflattering situation.
Gettleman got a strong hunch when the prospect wouldn’t look him in the eye.
After the player left the room, Gettleman said he told staff members, “He will never have a Carolina Panthers uniform … because he’s full of crap.”
The unnamed player is in the NFL, Gettleman said, but his team has had problems with him.
Lesson learned? “It makes you trust your process,” Gettleman said.
THE MIXON DEBATE When the GMs and coaches made the rounds in the media room, there was plenty of the expected, like Cleveland Browns GM Sashi Brown reiterating that with multiple first- round picks, including No. 1, they are open to trading.
The most unexpected comments came from Detroit Lions GM Bob Quinn. He blasted the NFL for barring a handful of players with convictions for violent crimes, most notably Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon, who broke bones in a woman’s face in 2014 with a punch captured on videotape.
“It’s really disappointing that Joe’s not here,” Quinn said. “You know, we come here to see the best college football players … and for him not being here because of those issues, personally I don’t think that’s real fair, because we have a lot of investigation that we want to do on him.”
Quinn was boldly expressing what some other decision- makers probably thought, too, despite the league’s increased sensitivity to domestic violence.
Mixon, considered a firstround talent, is still on the Lions’ board. A SHRUG LSU running back Leonard Fournette shrugged off concern about his size. Fournette weighed in at 240 pounds, 5 pounds more than he had hoped.
“I drank a lot of water before I weighed in,” he said. “It’s water weight.”
THE PLACE TO BE AT NIGHT Prime 47, a steakhouse a few blocks from Lucas Oil Stadium, is as usual packed as a hub of activity as the night progresses. The place is filled with coaches, scouts, agents and media.
In one corner, agent Bob Lamonte, who represents a who’swho of NFL coaches, is entertaining clients that include Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther and Josh McDaniels, the New England Patriots offensive coordinator.
McDaniels, beaming, surely has a Super Bowl glow.
On the other side of the restaurant, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton dines with staff members as word spreads that Foster was sent home after having a verbal altercation during a medical exam.
Payton, looking to upgrade his defense, mentions how he was looking forward to interviewing Foster, projected as a top- 10 pick.
Two trainers from AFC teams depart Lucas Oil Stadium with two different views of what Foster might present. One trainer suspects that the incident might signal that Foster could be difficult to deal with in the training room.
The other trainer said he’d welcome Foster because his team’s defense could use more bite.
THE BUZZ Meanwhile, the workouts of some skill- position players create a buzz.
Ross set a combine record with a 4.22 clocking in the 40- yard dash, breaking the mark of 4.24 set by Chris Johnson in 2008.
Then there was Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. Maybe it’s a stretch to call him the Michael Jordan of the draft as his college coach, Dabo Swinney, has alluded to, but during his Saturday workout Watson looked very much like the best thrower on the field.
Shortly after Watson finished, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid gushed, “Unbelievable. He had a great day. Every throw was on the money.”
Reid has the 27th pick in the first round.
Maybe it’s some kind of hunch to suggest that if Watson were still available when the Chiefs pick in the first round, Reid might envision him as the quarterback of his future.