GM Keim returning to his scouting roots for NFL combine
When Steve Keim became Cardinals general manager in 2013, he was forced to distance himself from scouting college players, his first true love in football, because there was an entire roster to build and maintain. That’s why he looks forward to the NFL’s scouting combine in late February to- day more than he did as a scout. Back then, he came to the combine in Indianapolis loaded with information about prospects.
“This is my first introduction,” he said, “aside from some games in the fall. It’s one thing to watch tape, and I enjoy the evaluation part, but the most important part of the (combine) process is getting to know these players as people.”
Around 330 players will go through the combine, which combine begins Tuesday and runs through Monday. They will be weighed, measured, poked, prodded and put through various drills.
They will meet formally and informally with teams, shuttling between hotel rooms to be asked questions about their private lives and their football acumen. Agents have prepared many of the players for the process, so there are dances to be done during the interviews. Some players try to stick to scripts, while coaches and team administrators try to ask questions that penetrate possible facades.
“You can tell which guys have been trained,” Keim said. “They are almost like robots the first couple of minutes. You try to break a guy down and get them to relax, or to get them out of the comfort zone.
“Certain questions are difficult, particularly for a guy who’s had issues. You can tell guys who are forthright and honest. And you can see guys who are excuse-makers. You have to make sure that in that limited window of time, that you’re getting through and getting that background tion.”
The Cardinals, who finished 13-3 and lost in the NFC Championship Game last season, have the 29th overall selection. Their greatest need is a pass rusher, but that doesn’t mean they will find that player in the first round, if they do it all.
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