The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL - Prospects to Pros: How teams prepare for the NFL Combine

Episode Date: February 22, 2023

The countdown to the combine is on! Andy Staples, Dane Brugler and NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein get you ready by discussing how team’s prepare for the important week scouting prospects. They talk about the questions team’s are looking to have answered, the medicals and much more.Follow Andy on Twitter: @Andy_StaplesFollow Dane on Twitter: @dpbruglerFollow Lance on Twitter: @LanceZierleinSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTube1:15 Should the Bears trade Justin Fields and draft Bryce Young?5:35 Potential QB movement this offseason & impact on the draft13:31 What are teams doing the week before the combine?25:27 Medical checks at the combineToday's show is brought to you by...Atlassian: For projects impossible alone, visit www.atlassian.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the athletic football show. Welcome to Prospects to Pros. The show that talks about the guys that just got drafted in the NFL. The guys are about to get drafted in the NFL. Everything in between. This is the athletic football show feed. You're used to a very relaxing intro. Especially when it's a Robert Mays show, it's a very kind of smooth jazz deal.

But we're going to ratchet up the intensity today. We are going morning debate show. on prospects to pros because I've been doing a little market research. So every day I go into the gym and they have ESPN on the TV with the sound off, of course. And we're listening to at GZ. Lance, we've been listening to a lot of Houston stuff, a lot of slim thug, a lot of a millionaire. And so we don't know what anybody's actually saying. But I see the questions that they're asking on the debate shows.

And the last two days, the question has been this. Should the Bears trade Justin Fields and drafts Bryce Young? Same question. Both days. Both days. It's brilliant. It is the ultimate red meat. So let's do it.

Let's get into it. Should the Bears trade Justin Fields and draft Bryce Young, Dane Bruehler? Go. You got 20 seconds. 20 seconds to make my case here. If Ryan Poles is at least, if he's not examining the possibility that he's not doing his job. Ding. That's what you should.

should be doing. You should be looking at every avenue and, you know, he didn't draft Justin Fields. We know, we talked about this before. So what, and you have to believe he's getting calls. You have to believe other teams are, he doesn't need to put chum in the water. Other teams are looking at the situation. They know they have the number one pick. If I'm Atlanta Falcons, I'm making a call. I'm saying, okay, you know, what would it take to get Justin Fields? How interested are you? So that's what the, a lot of the conversations are being, you know, they're starting right now where, you know, Lamar Jackson, obviously Derek Carr, he's been visiting different teams, but some of the quarterbacks that are under contract, including

Justin Fields, teams are, you know, they're at least making that call to find out. And now it's up to Ryan Poles to figure out, okay, how seriously do you want to consider it? Is there a quarterback in this draft that we consider a clear upgrade? You know, it's, it's not, And we, the moment the Bears had the number one overall pick, the next day, Andy, we taped the prospects of pros, and we talked about this, how you have to at least examine that possibility. So in the end, at the end of the day, I don't think it happens. Justin Fields stays in Chicago, in my opinion. But it's, you know, at least something that people are talking about.

And, you know, you can understand why. Lance Zerlind, you do a daily show in Houston. This is all the Texans' fault. Explain yourself. It's true. It's true. If it hadn't happened, I don't think. But, you know, I still think it should have been a conversation.

You do your team a disservice. I remember talking to Dennis Lindsay once, who was general manager and president of the Utah Jazz. And he was with the Rockets at that time. And this is, man, late 90s, early 2000s doing a radio show. and there was a newspaper report that the Rockets were considering trading Akeem Olajuwon. Well, I mean, it was met with a lot of negativity by the audience. And, you know, Dennis checked in and said, hey, what was it like this morning?

And I told them, I was like 80, 20 negative. And it was, I don't know if it was a plant by the organization to gauge the public's thought. They decided not to do the trade then. They waited a year later and got much less for the trade. for Elajuwon. But the point is, you have always got to be listening and kicking around ideas, hey, what would it look like if we traded this player here or this player there? Dane just named really good reasons why you would consider it. Number one, you restart the rookie clock back at zero, which is huge. Number two, it was not Ryan Poles' quarterback,

and Ryan may covet something else with a quarterback. I think from a passing standpoint, Bryce Young is a more mature passer, but he's much smaller than Justin Fields. He's, not as an explosive a runner. So there's nothing wrong with going, you know, people get so upset by this. But behind closed doors, you have to explore and just, you know, hey, what's, we're doing hypotheticals. It's so funny because everything is a hypothetical on TV and yet fans get really upset. But in offices and buildings, Andy, I think you need to be having these hypothetical conversations.

You know what? I would consider. I'd say, you know what, let me just see what happens. What will a team offer for Justin Fields? What will they offer? because if I'm getting Bryce Young at one, and now Justin Fields turns into, justin Fields now turns,

let's say Justin Fields turns into the seventh pick with the Raiders, right? So Justin Fields turns into the seventh pick. Let's go down our list of board of who we like. And so Justin Fields turns into that guy, and he turns into another draft pick, and we'll make a projection on the board. You know, you have to at least say, how would that impact us versus not doing it?

So is the appetite for blockbusters bigger now in the NFL? Like, I can't imagine the Russell Wilson trade happening five years ago. And I'm wondering about that because, like, we're used to it in the NBA. Like, we just saw it at the trade deadline in the NBA. We saw Kyrie and Kevin Durant get moved. The NFL doesn't feel like that. It doesn't feel like it's a big blockbuster trade type league. But maybe it's becoming one.

Well, I think we've seen it before at wide receiver, you know, whether it's DeAndre Hopkins or Tyreek Hill last year, past rushers. Sometimes we see that. We don't usually see it a quarterback because if you have your quarterback, you don't lose, you don't let him leave. You know, like you don't move on from that guy. Now, sometimes there are, you know, the Russell Wilson situation where it's just time to cut ties or, you know, Peyton Manning where his time in Indianapolis was over, time to move on. but usually it's if you have a quarterback you don't let him leave the building but there are some interesting scenarios take lamar jackson for example where you know it's he wants he wants he wants to shan watson contract plus you know uh plus a kicker on top of that he doesn't want

just the deshawn watson contract he wants a little bit more than that and the ravens aren't going to give it to him he's his own agent you know his mom so how do you you know it's just there's a lot of things to pick through there to figure out how that situation's going to unfold. So it's not crazy to think about, okay, Lamar Jackson somewhere else. It's at least a little more realistic when you consider all the scenarios. And, you know, with Justin Fields, as promising as he is, he's still average under 150 passing yards a game last year. Like, I mean, there's still areas of his game that there are legit question marks.

Now, I think Justin Fields can be a star. There's no doubt. but it's not like he's this proven all-star at this point. So, you know, it really makes for some intriguing conversations, and the quarterback carousel, it just gets, I mean, I'm sure it's always been fascinating, but especially the last few years, you look around the league, there are some teams that are willing to maybe move on from some talented guys and some other teams that are really desperate, and you could really see them.

Like, Trey Lance, you know, you think about the Titans, you think about the Bucks. There are some teams that are really intriguing to go get a guy like Trey Lance who was a top three picked just two years ago. So we're going to see some quarterback movement this offseason in the lead up to the draft where we have four quarterbacks that could go top 10. So this offseason is going to be really fascinating for quarterback movement. Yeah, I mean, you know, Aaron Rogers is where he goes is a big deal. But what do you pay for a guy who may only at any point he could end up, you know, doing ayahuasca or what? whatever. He's on a road somewhere in Kansas and looking into the abyss of the planes and doesn't know where the world. I mean, at any point, he could shut it down, you know,

or at least be on a Pat McAfee show threatening to do it. So. But you know the Jets would give up the 13th pick for that? Yeah, they would because what it means is if Aaron Rogers finds his love for football, or maybe he still loves it or whatever, but if he's okay in the city of New York, I think that's the biggest question, Mark, will he love New York? For example. You mean the man spending four consecutive days in darkness and silence? Will he love New York? Yeah. I mean, and who loves Colorado, right?

Who loves that's, like it doesn't feel like that's the kind of place. The guy who doesn't like the media to, I think, to push hard on him. It doesn't feel like a great fit, but from a football standpoint, it feels like he'd be fine on the field with, you know, with the team he has. And I think he can make the most out of wide receivers, but the wide receivers I have. But he's interesting. Lamar Jackson's a great question because this is what happens. To me, these are all different storylines, Andy, that we could do an entire podcast on. What do you do?

When is the money has gotten so high for wide for running or quarterbacks now that at some point a team and clearly the Ravens have said the Watson contract is not the market resetter. That's a bad contract given by a desperate team. That is not what we're going to do. And the Ravens have discipline as an organization. So as Dane said, I agree with them completely. they're disciplined. This is not going to turn into, well, we're just desperate.

We're going to do this. They'll move on and trust the evaluation process and move forward or maybe even trade for a guy. What I think would be, you know, what I think is interesting is, well, will there be a desperate team that says, okay, Lamar, we'll give you everything that you want? Because I think the answer is yes. There's always desperation in every sport. Andy, you follow lots of sports I know, and you know that it's always, especially in the NBA, the owners have to be protected against themselves, and that's why we have to get this

new CBA. Yeah, because desperate owners will do desperate things. And if Lamar does get that contract, then the quarterback market is officially reset then. Deshaun and Lamar then will reset that market, and it will be a reset. Even though teams around the NFL right now are saying, no, there is not a And it will send more teams looking for quarterbacks on rookie contracts. Yeah. And that's like the disparity between at some point. point you say, like I think with Daniel Jones, you have to be asking this question. Is Daniel Jones really going to be worth what we're going to pay him versus developing another younger quarterback who was at, you know, ground zero from a financial standpoint and football

standpoint? I don't think so. I mean, I like the improvement Daniel Jones made, but I'm not willing to give him over 30 some odd million dollars a year. They can just draft Will Levis, Kentucky Daniel Jones. You know, absolutely. I think there's any number of guys. And I trust Brian Dayball as a developer of quarterback.

So, yeah, I think that's a tough. I think that's a really tough call for me to, you know, for me to make that. I think there's a lot of guys. Like right now, the money that Lamar Jackson wants, man, two straight years of season-ending injuries. When the best thing that you do can lead to injuries, and look, to be fair, this last injury, he was in the pocket. You know, it was just bad luck. But the amount of money that's coming out there now, you're getting guys who are, I mean, truly the elite top of the level guys.

Everyone goes back to the MVP for Lamar Jackson. That was a few years back now. He has not played that like that for a while. The top three quarterbacks in the league, that money, everyone's getting paid that now. And which teams are going to stop? You know, Kirk Cousins has made a living out of doing that. When are teams going to say, you know what? I'm only going to pay the very, very best that amount of money.

Well, as long as the market continues to get reset and other teams are paying Kyler Murray that money, Kirk Cousins, that money. If Daniel Jones gets that money, these are guys that I would say, man, I have a hard time paying that money. You will? What's the alternative? So you're saying, you're saying go replacement value. Well, I'm saying when is that going to happen? Maybe that's CJ Stroud.

Who's going to do that? Who's going to be the first team to say the Ravens would strike me as the team that would do something like that? They may be the first team to do that. I don't care. You guys remember it happening? When's the last time you remember the Ravens overspending? They paid flacko, but, you know, I, think that that was something that coming off.

Didn't he just want a Super Bowl? Right, yeah. Like that was a tough situation and they, you know, they moved on fairly quickly into that contract. But yeah, I mean, I don't think they'd have any problem even rolling with a Tyler Huntley for a year. You know, I don't think they would, they'd be fine with them moving on for a year and then figuring out next offseason maybe what the long-term plan is. So I, there are certain teams that will not be held hostage by a quarterback and I think the Ravens are one of them. So that's pro bowler Tyler Huntley, by the way.

That's two touchdown passes Tyler Huntley too this year. So as we get prepared for the combine next week, and by the way, show note, we're going to have a bonus show that'll come out on Monday of next week where we preview the combine. We're all going to be together in Indianapolis. Shrimp cocktails will be consumed, I'm sure. But I wanted to ask you guys as people who truly understand how this process works to help those of us who are not as in the weeds,

understand where teams are right now. So we've seen all the head coaches get hired. We've now seen most of the coordinators are hired. The front offices are set. If you're an NFL team right now sitting a few days out from the combine, where is your draft board? Where is your head coach in terms of communication with your general manager and communication with your scouting department.

How many people are you considering for your first pick? Where does that look like right now? How broad is that question, Dane? Every team does it so differently. But I think in general terms, most teams, they go through the All-Star process with the All-Star Games. And then sometime after the Senior Bowl, they basically all go back to home base. You know, they bring all the area scouts in, set them up in a hotel for two weeks. And that's where they have their draft meetings to basically set the board, their preliminary board.

You know, the area scouts, they're on the road, all fall. And then once the end of the season happens, before bowl games, bowl season really doesn't matter for scouts. Right. They don't care that much. After the regular season, after championship Saturday, all grades are due. they turn in their grades, you know, to the scouting department. And then that's when cross-checking happens. So certain scouts for that department will cross-check, some do it by position.

So if I'm a southeast scout, maybe I have to go cross-check all the corners across the country. And then you do that the next few months through all-star season. And then during the preliminary draft meetings before the combine, that's where those two weeks, you sit down, you go through all these guys, you eliminate players based off of, you know, maybe they don't fit the scheme, the culture, whatever. So, you know, you're already crossing guys off and you're really, I think, honing in on guys that you think really fit what you want to do. And you start, and there will be debates. You know, if the Area Scout gives a player the equivalent to, you know, a mid-third round grade, but then the cross-checker sees, hey, this guy, you know, I think if we won them, we have to get him in the first round.

I think he gives that type of value, that type of talent. then that's where these debates happen. And so, you know, there's still open-ended questions before you go to the combine, but there's at least a base set. Now, again, this is not how every team operates, but, you know, I know several of the teams that I talk to, that's kind of the gist of how they prepare going into the combat. And remember, too, it's, you know, there's a lot of fluctuation with coaches and GMs this time of year, but scouts and directors, their contracts are through May, you know, or through the end of April. You know, there's really no fluctuation at that level below the GM.

And it is different from team to team. That's why, like, some GMs, a lot of GMs now are peaking at players during the year. They want to know they want to stay up on it. Some aren't as into it, at least historically. I think what I can give you one interesting one. Well, so some teams also, as there will be a computer version. And so the scout will put the area scout or the regional scout will put his grade in there. Then the guy who's

over the west or over the east may put a grade in. Then the cross-checker may put a grade in. And then the GM later in the process, sometimes even after the combine, we'll look at all the grades when it comes time to get into a player because the GM may put his grade in there, or

the scouting director, whoever. And then they take a look and like, hey, what the hell is this guy thinking about? And then you have to go watch tape together and argue your points. So the timing of that happens. It happens everywhere. The timing may be a little bit different, but a lot of times you just input your grade and it goes into a system and then the GM will see it later on. But it's already

in there, as Dane said. I mean, the GM can pull access to what the regional scout says, all the information about players. It's in their system and they see it going to the combine. I'll give you a heads up on from a coaching standpoint, what happens with coaches, which are part of the process. And you may find this interesting. So coaches used to always go to the senior bowl, all coaches, head coaches, assistant coaches. It was about, I don't know, about eight years ago maybe that I stopped seeing it and it started dwindling more and more. And in six years, and in like over the last four years, I'd say that they've had the combine,

you almost don't see any head coaches. Mike Tomlin's out there all the time. But you may see a few coaches, but it's really gone down. My dad, who coached in the league for years, said that the way it went for him is after the season was over, he has to focus on his free agents for his position. And then he gets a list of guys to look at. So he'll watch tape and write up reports on other free agent. He was an offensive line coach.

So other offensive linemen, he's doing that. And so he doesn't even get, by the time he gets to Combine, a week out from Combine, he's watching like 10 plays for a player writing some quick scribble down onto the next one, onto the next one, onto the next one. This is potentially the position coach who could have the player that you're drafting, and they're just seeing them now. They're just seeing them mid-February a lot of times. And remember now, the combine's pushed a week later

because the season's a week later. So usually it would have been about the 24th is when they'd be going about now. Right by now, yeah. Yeah. And so they're just getting to the players. So they don't really know a lot of them. And so I talk to different coaches on different staffs who, like it's Senior Bowl, I may be talking to, well, not Senior Bowl,

but if I see a coach, if I see a coach somewhere or talk on the phone to them, they may say, hey, what do you think of these guys? tell me some guys I need to be looking at. And I'll say, for what you guys do, here's some guys. Boom, boom, boom, boom. And you're right, Andy, they don't know them until the combine. Now, they're going to know them really well at some point. But right before the combine, they've just got cursory looks.

They're still learning those guys. And that's why it's important for them to trust their scouts that they've done the necessary. Even if you don't think the scout in your, you know, knows your position that well, you want to know what kind of personality a player has. Is he intelligent, depending on the position? Football IQ, has he been an issue in the past? Is he a competitive guy? You want all that stuff to be dug up by the area scouts

who many times are private investigators, to be honest with you. That's the amazing thing is watching those guys ask them questions at the senior bowl. You're like, how did you find this stuff out? Well, that's like the Combine, same thing, where for the Combine, that's for a lot of these coaches, their first impression of these players. And that's where, yeah, the area scouts already dug up a lot of these things. So they have the questions ready to go. And look, these meetings at the Combine, I know, have psychologists in those meetings.

They'll have, you know, a lot of different people that help interpret what they're asking and what the answers are. So, you know, I think that the Combine meetings, more times teams will eliminate guys than, like, you know, really impress them. I mean, that's, I know that's how a lot of teams operate. It's just a way to really figure out what makes them tick, just their football intelligence, things like that. So for the coaches, that first impression is really important. Let me tell you, let me share a story real quick with you, because this is pretty rare.

I don't know of anyone, and I didn't really appreciate it fully at the time. It probably was about 2003, is my guess, at the combine, maybe 2004. I was there with a guy named Danny Arnold, who is a local trainer who, he was one of the athlete trainers before the big exos took off and, you know, the mega facilities. I watched him train Julius Peppers here in Houston, Charles Woodson, Peanut Tillman, Helodinata, Derek Johnson, Casey. I didn't get a CEM training, but he did Casey, what's his name, from the Steelers, Casey Hampton, Sean Rogers.

These are mega stars, like mega talent. and they were all right here in Houston at his small facility. And so we were at the Combine. I went there myself the first time. It was like, like I said, I think it was 2004. And Danny was able to get me in with him into the Texans psychological testing at the Combine. So I don't know how I got in. But I mean, I'm a radio host in Houston.

So they couldn't have known that I was a radio host in Houston. They never would have let me in. But Danny knew the organization. He was a trainer, you know, gives him insight in a player. So I go in there, and this is what Houston was doing at the time with their psychological team. They had a, you had to do a basic puzzle, but like just pieces and colors and shapes. So you did that. Then they made you flip it around and you had to put it together upside down.

Then they would, you had to look straight ahead and they would drop something off of the side of a table. And you had to catch that with your peripheral vision. so you had to use peripheral vision. Then they put goggles on you. So they made you throw, they made you throw, I think it was a beanbag into a trash can. Then they put a certain type of goggle on you

that distorted your vision and you had five chances, either three or five chances, to throw the same trash bag in there. So you had to, and I was thinking, what in the hell does this have to do with football? Like, this is crazy.

But what they wanted to check was your ability, your ability to process and make changes. How quickly could you process and make the change? Okay, I'm going to make a correction to this trash can throw, this beanbag throw based on my spatial relationship. And so it was all there for a reason. These tests that they had were to test how quickly you could process, make changes, and distort your thinking.

If you need, it distorts not the right word. But I just thought it was fascinating because at the time I thought this is the most ridiculous thing I've seen. And now I actually have a little better appreciation for it. It is amazing what they're, because they have so much time and so many opportunities to figure out how these people tick. Because it's not just, you know, you've had the All-Star games, you've got the Combine, you'll have the Pro Days, and then you have private workouts and all those other things. So you have all these opportunities. Why not test everything? I mean, I do wonder how much of that is guys eliminating themselves versus how well you did in the beanbag toss making them watch you.

I mean, we're getting more into virtual reality. Teams are really dive into that in terms of understanding reflexes and just the vision and understanding, processing what you're seeing. So, I mean, it's only going to be more and more advanced every single year. The Combine is going to change. It's going to evolve. Teams, what was it, the Rams, they don't even send their front office to the Combine anymore, you know, things like that. So, you know. They don't like draft picks anyway.

Yeah, right. That's true. So, you know, it's something that's going to continue to evolve as we move forward. It is going to be fascinating to watch. Now, the other big part of the game. the combine and we talk about this now because we're going to get into more individual players and what they need to do when we talk for the Monday show, but the medical checks. That feels like, I mean, that's really why the thing was created to have a standardized

medical checking process. And that's where if you've had some injuries in college or, you know, like, I'll give you guys an example. I'm curious about this. Bryce Young, he's only had the one injury, he had the shoulder sprain. But the concern is, that he's so small, will he be able to stand up to the hits? What can the medical checks tell you about that? Or can they tell you anything? I think that just understanding body composition, and scouts are trained to do this.

They don't need a medical professional. But understanding, you know, just the body composition and growth potential, especially for a guy like Bryce Young, how much bigger can you realistically get while still being the athlete that he is? but sometimes there are injuries that we just don't even know about. You know, and there have been injuries that have saved lives or medicals that have saved lives at the, you know, Maurice Hurst and, you know, a couple of these other guys where they found a heart condition or things like that.

So it's not always, oh, we had a knee as a sophomore, he had an ankle as a junior. It's not always the things we know about. It's some of the underlying conditions that maybe the player doesn't even know about. DeMora Smith, you know, the executive director of them, NFLPA is, you know, he has trashed the combine, said it needs to go away and all this. And I know the 40-yard dash and all that. That's what gets the headlines. But, Andy, you're exactly right.

It's the whole reason for the combine is a central place for the medicals. And that's why the combine is not going anywhere. Teams aren't going to draft players without medical information. And you're not going to, you know, bring all these players, all these different cities to get medical checks when you can do it at one central location. So it's the central reason for the combine. And, you know, every team does it a little bit differently. Most teams, at least the teams that I've talked with, do a number system, one through four or one through five, where, you know, if it's a one,

then you're feeling good about the player. If it's a little higher, then that's, you know, you're not going to draft them. So, you know, just understanding the injuries they've had and then any other issues that might pop up in the future, that's something that, you know, we can't see on the tape. That's something that really can alter how a team views a player and where they're ultimately drafted. Yeah. I mean, that's why the combine started was for the medicals. That's why it's still most important.

32 teams could look at the same player for the same stuff. I mean, it's – and what I think is interesting, Andy, is that – and Dane is that, you know, one team's medical staff will flag a guy and pull them off the board and the other one will pass them for the same thing. narrowing the spinal columns, another one that they find that can be a big, you know, a really big deal for a player to find it, even though it is, you know, can be disappointing to find out. It's also can be life-saving or change the way that you look at how you can move forward, atrial fibrillation. There's the heart stuff, as he mentioned. I had a good friend of mine who's an agent who was representing his brother and his brother had a heart thing that they found at the combine and had to, you know, get to take. care of at the Mayo Clinic.

But I think that the medicals are really, really important for a couple of reasons. Number one, it can find underlying. Number two, it gives the teams an idea of where you likely, you know, what's going to happen to you in the future. But it also is worth saying that teams have different opinions. They read things differently. That's why there's a second opinion for doctors. And I thought an interesting story. I talked to Brett Vich in the offseason, and he told me about Trace Smith.

And no, it actually wasn't Brett Beach. It was I talked with, it was Ryan Poles when he was with Kansas City. Gray Smith, Guard for the Chiefs who played at Tennessee, who had a pretty dangerous condition at Tennessee that had to sit out for a while. The blood clots and all that. And so it changed his practice stuff. And I remember when Poles was with the Chiefs,

I found this out after the draft. And then I asked Brett Veach about it. this year, this summer. And here's what happened. They got the same, you know, it was just, Trey, Trey Smith had a legitimate issue at Tennessee, legitimate issue. And it kept them out for a long time,

and then it changed the way they practiced with them. And it was assumed that this was going to be a defect that he was just going to have to deal with. And it was a major red flag for a lot of teams. And he gained weight, and he didn't play well as last year. And what the chiefs found is the chiefs had a medical guy who said, said, you know what, I've done research on this and talked to specialists. I don't think this is an issue moving forward.

I don't believe this is a red flag. And they said, do more work on this because we love his potential. Right. And they did their own work. Awesome. Yeah, they did. Exactly. They did their own work.

And what they came back with was, you know what? This doctor said, I'm telling you, I've talked to specialists. I do not believe this is an issue. I do not believe we should flag him at all. And where other teams had just decided we're going to flag him. The Chiefs want to step deeper. And what they did was they stole a Pro Bowl caliber guard in the fifth round. And a guy who, you know, to be, I think Duke Mannyweather did a great job of getting his body type where it needed to be.

Trey did a great job of working at it. And now the guy who I saw on tape in the fifth round with medical concerns and flags and what are you going to do with them, it's a, it's not the same guy. It's a guy would not. He doesn't have the medical concerns and flags. Kansas City did their homework and hit one out of the park. And I give them a lot of credit for that. And that's another example of how medicals can vary from team to team as well. Yeah.

It's a great example of just the extent of the homework they do. And it's also an example of, well, you know, just all the, why the, you know, I think geographically is a big reason why the combine's in Indianapolis, but also just the access to medical equipment. That's why it's when you, you know, we talk about going to the combine moving to L.A. or Vegas or all these, just the pure access to, you know, they have over 300 MRIs getting done. It's blood work. These guys, you know, there's a bunch of hospitals right in that area. And it's all right. It's centralized. It's not just, okay, you know, you hop up on the table,

a doctor looks at you for five minutes and you move on. There's blood work. There's a lot of joint flexibility test. There's, you know, there's all these things. And yeah, and Lance is exactly right. each team's going to look at it a little bit differently with, you know, their appetite for risk, you know, and that's why, you know, I mentioned that numbering system. That's why a two for one team, which is, you know, you're a little bit worried, but, you know, you should be okay. Might be a four for another team and a four likely makes them a box player. It means you don't draft them. So it's really an interesting part of the process that we don't see from the outside looking in. We only go based off what we hear.

How do I know there are so many medical facilities? downtown in Indianapolis because maybe I was covering, I can't remember as they're covering a combine or covering the final four. And some of us got together to play basketball at IUPUI. We knew, I think Pete Thamble who works at ESPN now had a hookup, got us in the gym there. And as we were shooting around beforehand,

uh, there's a, I'm grabbing a rebound. Uh, a ball hits the ball. I'm about the catch, pushes it into my finger. I just locate my finger.

And I remember Googling emergency rooms and it was like, there are four within two miles. He's like, okay, sweet. And so got my finger popped back into place and on we went. But yes, so it is a lot right centralized. And that is a big reason why the combine isn't indie. It's not just the shrimp cocktail. If you need to know where the emergency room is for Mobile, Alabama,

I can tell you about that one from when I had a Liz Frank from tripping over a, I said I was chasing a purse snatcher. I said that for the radio. No one believes it. I may have just tripped over a curb and tried to kill. catch myself before I fell down and had a grade two list, Frank. So I know where you can get a walking boot. And they asked me, sir, would you like a knee scooter? I'm like, shit.

No, I don't want a knee scooter in front of all these scouts. Are you kidding me? Well, I didn't, I didn't read the reviews of all the hospitals. I just went to the closest one. And the emergency room doc comes up to me and goes, you have insurance. What are you doing here? Oh, that's not a great. Can you please just pot my finger back into place?

You saw the name Mercy right here. in our hospital. I'm not scouting hard enough, apparently, because I have not been to a hospital or ER on one of my scouting trips yet. We're going to knock on wood here. But, yeah, so that is your combine education as we get ready for the combine. When we come back, when you hear us again on Monday, we're going to be talking about specific players, what they can do the week of the combine in Indianapolis to help raise

their stock, who everybody's really going to be paying attention to, who's going to work out, how many milkshakes Bryce Young is drinking to make sure that he weighs over 200 pounds, all of it. We'll talk about it when we preview the combine on Monday. This was the athletic football show.