College pro days

[HarleyDog]

What is the main purpose of coaches visiting college pro days? Is it to interview certain guys you might be interested in drafting to see if their attitudes fit your direction? The draft is the draft and any player you meet with might be gone when it’s your pick. Just wondering what’s the main focus here. Are pro days like mini combines to show off talent? If so, I thought that’s what the original combine was intended to do?

Just asking cause I’m unsure.

[Au165]

(03-31-2019, 03:13 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: What is the main purpose of coaches visiting college pro days? Is it to interview certain guys you might be interested in drafting to see if their attitudes fit your direction? The draft is the draft and any player you meet with might be gone when it’s your pick. Just wondering what’s the main focus here. Are pro days like mini combines to show off talent? If so, I thought that’s what the original combine was intended to do?

Just asking cause I’m unsure.

Lots of time they talk to other people on campus while there. Janitors, equipment people, low level interns basically they like to hear from people who have less reason to lie about a guys character or how hard a worker they were. They do still watch drills and use it as a reason to interact with prospects. Sometimes they find guys that weren’t really on their radar but they get interested in.

[jfkbengals]

(03-31-2019, 08:45 PM)Au165 Wrote: Lots of time they talk to other people on campus while there. Janitors, equipment people, low level interns basically they like to hear from people who have less reason to lie about a guys character or how hard a worker they were. They do still watch drills and use it as a reason to interact with prospects. Sometimes they find guys that weren’t really on their radar but they get interested in.

Those are the two main reasons they go.

As for interviewing non-staff personnel, it often gives a better insight as you get to learn how the prospect treats other human beings.  Do you want a guy who talks down to everyone because he is good at football, or the guy who shows respect to the groundskeepers for providing great field conditions for him to show off his skills?  Things like that get rooted out at those events.

And the second point is just as important as not every player is invited to the combine, so that is when you get to evaluate them in person and have the chance to meet with them.

[HarleyDog]

(03-31-2019, 08:45 PM)Au165 Wrote: Lots of time they talk to other people on campus while there. Janitors, equipment people, low level interns basically they like to hear from people who have less reason to lie about a guys character or how hard a worker they were. They do still watch drills and use it as a reason to interact with prospects. Sometimes they find guys that weren’t really on their radar but they get interested in.

(03-31-2019, 10:19 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: Those are the two main reasons they go.

As for interviewing non-staff personnel, it often gives a better insight as you get to learn how the prospect treats other human beings.  Do you want a guy who talks down to everyone because he is good at football, or the guy who shows respect to the groundskeepers for providing great field conditions for him to show off his skills?  Things like that get rooted out at those events.

And the second point is just as important as not every player is invited to the combine, so that is when you get to evaluate them in person and have the chance to meet with them.

Great explanations.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(03-31-2019, 10:19 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: Those are the two main reasons they go.

As for interviewing non-staff personnel, it often gives a better insight as you get to learn how the prospect treats other human beings.  Do you want a guy who talks down to everyone because he is good at football, or the guy who shows respect to the groundskeepers for providing great field conditions for him to show off his skills?  Things like that get rooted out at those events.

And the second point is just as important as not every player is invited to the combine, so that is when you get to evaluate them in person and have the chance to meet with them.

This, you get to know the players better and you might find a diamond in the rough that wasn't invited to the Combine.

[HarleyDog]

(04-01-2019, 02:28 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: This, you get to know the players better and you might find a diamond in the rough that wasn't invited to the Combine.

See, this is a first for me knowing this. I didn't know you had to get invited to the combine. I check out certain players highlight reels on youtube sometimes and may look them up when I see someone post their interested in this or that guy, but that's about it. I hardly ever get to watch the combine because just too damn busy. Anymore, I have to fight for time to watch the Bengals games in on Sundays. But that's a time when I make it very clear to all, The Dog is busy on Sunday.

[SunsetBengal]

(04-01-2019, 02:28 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: This, you get to know the players better and you might find a diamond in the rough that wasn't invited to the Combine.

I agree with this.  I'm going to say that most coaches are already familiar with all of the top prospects heading to the draft, but what about finding guys for mid to late round picks?  Numbers on a piece of paper, a picture on a screen, or even a brief "highlight" video can only show or tell so much about a person.  Having an athlete that you hadn't previously considered catch your eye, as well as the ability to speak with him directly has to be a valuable tool for teams.

[*Synric*]

The Pro Day tour seems like the perfect opportunity for a young head coach to network with other franchises.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(04-01-2019, 03:06 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: See, this is a first for me knowing this. I didn't know you had to get invited to the combine. I check out certain players highlight reels on youtube sometimes and may look them up when I see someone post their interested in this or that guy, but that's about it. I hardly ever get to watch the combine because just too damn busy. Anymore, I have to fight for time to watch the Bengals games in on Sundays. But that's a time when I make it very clear to all, The Dog is busy on Sunday.

Yeah, too many players to invite all of them, lots of great players get left out every year.

I getcha on being too busy to watch the Combine. I always have to just go back and watch the highlights of it.

The 3 cone drill might be the best way to judge a players athleticism, quickness, hips and such. So i watch this drill a lot afterwards.

(04-01-2019, 03:45 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I agree with this.  I'm going to say that most coaches are already familiar with all of the top prospects heading to the draft, but what about finding guys for mid to late round picks?  Numbers on a piece of paper, a picture on a screen, or even a brief "highlight" video can only show or tell so much about a person.  Having an athlete that you hadn't previously considered catch your eye, as well as the ability to speak with him directly has to be a valuable tool for teams.

For sure Sunset, plus some players suck it up at the Combine for whatever reason and make up for it at their Pro Day.

I believe you can judge a player better on the field in games but you have to be able to count on them and you get to know the individual much better at their Pro Days. Also great players like Burfict go Undrafted at times cause of a bad Combine so you cannot put too much stock in the Combine, have to take it as a whole and know as much as you can.