LISTEN | Senior Bowl Review & Pre-Draft Evaluation Process (2/2)

Scouting John Carr. They all three of those guys were a part of the ten person contingency down in Mobile restricted rules throughout the course of the NFL throughout the course of the week in Mobile, Alabama, but still an extremely beneficial one and an important one in the draft process. So it seems e a Ethan, can I just start here by saying that it is Groundhog Day in the

Groundhog in fact see his shadow. So we got what six more weeks of winter, and it does feel like Groundhog Day here in Floria Park because we got blitzed with snow. I grew up in Buffalo, New York. I thought I was seeing Lake effects snow again coming a

couple of feet out here in Floria Parks. So the guys, the Jets contingent who went down to Mobile, Alabama last weekend, Uh, they came back and they had a lot of white stuff in store for yeah, and down in Mobile I we know from our experiences there that the weather is very unpredictable, like you could wake up it could be thirty degrees and then by the time practice comes around it could be And I believe it was Rex Hogan that said to you, like, hopefully it's a little warmer

when he comes back up. Well, sorry to say, Rex, it did not get warmer, and in fact got a lot colder and you got downs with snow. Yeah, it was very interesting, like we're living in odd times or very unique times, I should say. We interviewed Phil Savage and he took the interview from his car, whereas opposed to you've been going to Mobile, Alabama for us the

past couple of years. I know I started, I don't know, maybe a little bit after two thousand and ten, probably an eleven twelve range where we decided we were going to go down there, and it was a good opportunity to not only yeah, of course you want to speak to the prospects, but you want to speak to the Jets contingent and really dive in on the scouting process because the calendar changes right right around the time of the Super Bowl and between the conference championship games and

the Super Bowl. You have the Senior Bowl every year, and what was different this year is each NFL team was only allowed to bring ten representatives, and of course we weren't down there with our cameras and we weren't interviewing people, but we took advantage of the virtual space again, Uh, catching up with Phil Savage, Rex Hogan, John carr Um

and those guys were tremendous with their time. But like you said, UH, very interesting because in the past you'd always find out about in four normal interviews what teams were talking to prospects and you would see it out in front of you. Now everything was formal where I believe the Jets in every NFL team, and an opportunity to speak to a hundred thirty two prospects, you know, at least a hundred and thirty up to a hundred forty prospects, but it was in a formal setting. And

in between plexis plexiglass. You had four Jets representatives on one side, four on the other, and two prospects simultaneously. Then we're taking place at the same time. The layout of the interview space is crazy to me. And what's even crazier is that this could be. I think it might be the only time that NFL teams will be able to interview prospects face to face, because if you think about the combine, those rules have changed. Those interviews

will be virtual. Typically the combine is like speed dating, like for the course for the course of the week, where you're you're ripping in, players are coming in, you throw them on the board, you have you have a plan. Now this is all gonna be virtual. But I think the benefit in all this maybe not the benefit, but the positive news is that each NFL team has experienced doing this because of last season. Obviously there was a

combine last year and then things turned virtual. But at least now you can game plan for a virtual process and the only other in person exposure, it seems, will be pro days for the prospects. Yeah, well it really

changed was going back to the fall. You'd have scouts on the road, and the typical of fall, you would have scouts who leave their houses on maybe a Sunday night and and and then they go to various colleges and who whatever region they covered until maybe a Thursday, and then sometimes they'd stay for a game and go to a game on the week and well, there was no on site visits at the colleges and the universities

this year. The scouts got an opportunity to see some games, but as far as actually being in attendance for games, that was down. But on site visits during the week there was none of that this year, and that was an advantage I think of the Senior Bowl is that the guys had an opportunity to watch practice in front of them. Miami Dolphins and the Carolina Panthers staff handled that.

The coaching chores Donomobile Alabama this week, but then they had an opportunity to actually sit down with the young prospect and look in their rise and talk to them about different things and then about systems, about skill sets, about various maybe red flags that they've seen on reports and stuff like that. So it's always different, and you get that chance to talk to somebody in person, and then you're all together too. If you really think about it,

when's the last time the Jet scouting staff was together. Well, at least he had eight eight to ten guys down their Jets representatives who UH took in practice together, didn't interviews and then probably hit and UH that chance to catch up as well. I'm sure that this was Phil Savage said this in your interview. He said that this was the most prospects that he's interviewed in his course of being with the Jets, at the Senior Bowl, being with any team, and then of course he was the

executive director of the Senior Bowl. And what he said I found very fascinating that teams typically had about like fifteen to twenty guys that they in a typical year would be like, you know what, I don't need to interview them, They're not really on our radar. But because this could be the first and the only exposure in person, at least in an interview setting to the players, they say,

you know what, let bring them on down. Let's interview them all, just so we have a little something on each individual player, because this could be the first and the only time for certain scouts to evaluate players in person throughout the course of the college football season and the pre draft process. Which is crazy. What is the last practices in the last game of the college season.

The college season is now officially it has its period, and the next up for these guys is going to be pro days, because like you just mentioned, no combine and for us from a contact perspective, everything has been so different. Um. You know, like I mentioned before, I want you to paint the scene of what the primary hotel in Alabama, Mobile, Alabama looks like a Senior Bowl week. Yeah, it is the who's who of the NFL. You walk

into the Renaissance Hotel. There's an escalator directly to your left when you walk in, and then you go up. As you go up the escalator, you start to see what looks to be like a just like a meeting, like a huge meeting, And there's players, agents, media just walking around. You have your check in desk if you're if you want to get your credential or if you

want to get your Reese the Senior Bowl notepad. And um, I would guess probably somewhere between two to three hundred people at any given point are on that floor just conversing and you know, maybe maybe sharing rumors, sharing gossip, or trying to get to know each other, putting, planting the seed for different teams in their ears. I mean, it is really a fascinating site to see all the

different aspects of football congregate and operate. Yeah, and these guys this year we're talking to Rex, Phil and John about this. They were tested every day, so talk about a changing dynamic. You get a COVID test in the morning, you're wearing the masks and stuff like that. So there's no oh two d people around each other on the

floor anymore. It's that interview process. I think what they said in between around six at night and eleven thirty, where they would talk to those prospects and you would have the dual interview was going on at the same time. Um. But yeah, for us, this has totally changed because I don't know how many years in a row I've been going to the combine. While that certainly is changing this year and you know it. It just even in your time here, Ethan, it's changed so much. The media presence.

I mean, there are thousands of people who are typically credential for the Indianapolis Combine and now that will no longer be. I guess n c A tournaments taking taking place in Indianapolis this year, but I think, uh, the NFL is going to have various sites where you still can do the medical testing. Um, but the Combine as we know it for two thoe no longer. All right, Well, let's hear from Rex Hogan, Phil Savage, and John Carr about the Reese's Senior Bowl and what lives have had

for this scouting department. Rex. Just how different has the scouting process been this year? UM? From the combines, not even from the combined perspective or the Senior Bowl, but just moving through the whole aspect of the of the fall has been you know, significant challenge for all of us. UM without having access to the campus has been you know, some of the games are not able to attend. UM. You know, our scouts haven't been able to get on campuses and get in front of the coaching staffs and

support staff. So it's been a huge huge change for us. But our guys have done a really good job in terms of adapting to that. A lot of virtual calls for all of us that we have availability and each one of the schools and colleges and programs, so you know that that's been an opportunity for us to to really get more in depth information that way. UM, but you know we're definitely missing out and not being able to be on campus and seeing practices and getting that

much exposure compared to just what the games are. Yeah, that's that is typically all over the country throughout the year. How many of those visits were eliminated and how many games would you estimate that these guys were actually able to go out to and be there on site? Man, I can't give you the exact number off the top of my head, e A. But I know it's significantly

less than than what we've done in the past. Just because of the travel aspect, guys weren't is able to get on many flights and make the trip or make the commute to be able to go see the games. So you know, there was nothing in the week to really set it up where they could go to make a couple of school of visits and then go to see a game. So significant reduction in terms of that

and exposure. And I know I'll probably use that word frequently, but there's you know, we've had a lot of reduced number of exposure to two players in terms of the practices and games, and then face to face interaction with coaching staffs. You have a close knit staff there at the Jets. How have the guys responded to all these changes in terms of the preparation leading up to what could be the second virtual draft in NFL history. Yeah,

they've they've been great. And we always talk about adapting, adjusting and improvising on the move. That's what we have to do in scouting and player personnel in general. You know, thinks things happen, we have to adjust to that and

make the best of the situation. And you know, our college scouts have done done a tremendous job with that and just being flexible and giving us, you know, the options to be able to make different or try to find different you know, routes, to be able to communicate with with coaches or people on on the staff on the staffs around the country. So, yeah, it's been it's

been good. Guys are great with that. The pro guys that have done a really good job in terms of being able to do advances um without you know a lot of exposure other than the tape from what they've seen. So all right, you might rex listen, you've been going to a lot of senior balls. How different was this

week compared to what you would previously previously experienced? The biggest change of all of them, this is number eighteen for me, and this is the most unique because of there's no opportunity to have informal interviews with players, So there's been minimal time we have the formal interviews or a whole new different you know, set up in system

and how things have been done previously. So though you know, the lack of face to face interaction with these guys and the ability to to talk to him and get to know him better has has been significantly reduced. Again, so um, we're adapting with it. We're just doing what we can in terms of the format of the week.

But you know, senior ROWL staff has done a great job of having everything logistically set up for us, um from from getting no swabs and COVID tested early in the morning here and just for the whole operation because anybody who's attended the game, yeah to attendant practices from the NFL has to get tested. So it's a huge ordeal and process. But you know, just the reduction in the in the number of informal interviews that you can

have has been significant. But every night we we go and we interview from six five until eleven thirty, and you'll get two players at the same time. You get thirty two guys throughout each night. Then you get coverage or of every guy he gets at least fifteen minutes face to face with them. So if you're interviewing thirty two guys each night, how many are you able to actually talk to throughout this week? And let me ask you too, well, what is that setting like, because we've

heard your interview and guys actually through plexi glass plexiglass. Yeah, it's exactly right, so you know they're there's thirty two like I said, and you get two guys at each time. So it's a forty ft area. That's two tables are spread out. There's two eight at tables with a three ft tall plexiglass that divides the table, so there there's four of us on on each side spread out, and then twenty ft away is another table that both these

guys these interviews are going simultaneously. So our group is split up four and four to interview each each one of the prospects simultaneously. So that that's unique because you've got some guys who who speak very loudly and some

guys who are extremely quiet. So I had to stand up and talk over the plexiglass a few times just to be able to hear guys, and had the challenges of having to wear the masks while it's going on, and it can be a little frustrated to because you can't hear guys and or can't even read lips and responses to impact you, guys, with some players opting out of the season and some teams unfortunately having your schedule greatly reduced because of well, I think for the players

that opted out, you know, during before the season or even during the season. You know, we we had graded them last summer ahead of the season anyway, for our spring grades, and so we had information on virtually every player that did opt out. For some of the opt outs to show up here in mobile and and practice. You know, we interviewed one young man whose entire season was canceled. He opted out and decided not to go back for one. But this event was the first time

he's had on full pads in thirteen months. So you know, you've got a temper a little bit what you see here, because these guys are just kind of working themselves back into football mode. And it's been a challenge for some of these players who did not play at all of this season, whether they opted out or their school canceled

their season or what have you. So that is a little bit of of something from a from a scout side that you've got to manage in terms of your expectations for a Tuesday practice when a when a player hadn't even been on the field, and over a year you you've really got to take that into account. This week is complete. What are the next steps in the college scouting process, because typically we'd be targeting the combine. Now it seems like the focus is going to shift

the produce. Yeah, I think Eric really in the in the immediacy after the Senior Bowl, of course, we'll go back and watch all the take from these practices and filling the blanks of things that you couldn't see live. And then of course, the the junior list is now available. We know who all the juniors are that are entering the draft, so that'll be uh some catch up on juniors that declared that maybe we didn't expect or don't have a grade on yet. So we'll be doing that

here over the next few weeks. And then of course we have our first major round of meetings in the month of February ahead of what will be a you know, a compromised combine in terms of evaluations. The on the field testing and all there will be medicals of some kind, which is always the most important aspect of the combine.

And then really after that, I would say probably from March, for March one going forward, everyone will be building out the schedules for these pro days, and you know, we don't know yet if there's going to be some limitations in terms of which pro days we can go to.

Uh you know, how many NFL people can attend those pro days, So that's gonna be another work in progress over the month of March, and of course for for Joe Douglas and our coaching staff, trying to integrate them into, uh some of the college evaluations so that we can merge those two tracks between scouting and coaching by the time we really get to early April ahead of the draft. So there's a lot of work to be done. I think that our guys and our staff have done a

ton of work. I know it's been totally different working from home in many many respects, but at the same time, the volume of work has still been relatively the same because we've all continued to watch the tapes and do the zoom call and those sorts of things. We just haven't been able to do them on campus. What does it mean to you, Phil and the rest of the scouts when you see the coaching staff changes. Robert Sala taken over a new offensive coordinator, Mike la Fleur. He's

gonna implement a new system. Solis talked about uh handling uh handing the defense over to Jeff Albright, but uh more traditional four three fronts. So can you talk about the system changes that are on the horizon for this team and how it impacts the Scouty's death. Yeah, I would say that that all of us over the next few weeks ahead of those first meetings in the middle of February, we'll have to go back and maybe tweak

some of our evaluations from the fall. Now, because of the experience I've had and and being part of a three four team and a four three team, I've typically on the defensive side of things, tried to kind of talk about a player fitting either or system because, unfortunately the NFL, there are enough coaching changes that you know, this happens unfortunately on a regular basis. So I think you have to scout each individual defensive player for both schemes and in many ways, whether you start in a

three four or a four three. Ultimately everybody ends up in a in a four man front with two linebackers and five defensive backs, so that won't be as much of a change. I do think, though, that the definition of what Robert Sali and Jeff Albrick will bring to the table from a defensive standpoint will really help our scouting staff. I've always felt like it was an easier projection to make from college to pro when you are running a four three, because most of the schools in

college run four man fronts. They have a couple of off the line linebackers, and they have five defensive backs on the field. Because the college game is a spread game, that's the style of dfense that's being played, and so I think the transition is just a little bit. It's not as much of a guess as it is in the three four and the three four you almost have to project every single player. He is he a nose? Is he a defensive end? Is he an outside backer?

Is an off the line linebacker? Uh, it can get more complicated. I think I'm not gonna say it simplifies, but I think it gives us more of a clear vision of what we really need in this four three defense. So I'm I'm really looking forward to it. I think our scouts are gonna thrive and having some specific definitions in terms of what they're really looking for, uh in

players on the defensive side of the ball. And then you know, offensively, last year we had made somewhat of a shift to the wide zone run game, so I think everybody is comfortable with that, and then you know that the next step is, you know, running backs, wide receivers, what's the what's the flavor that this coaching staff is look and for because as we know, successful runners, successful receivers come in all shapes and sizes, sizes, it's just

a matter of you like chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, what's your flavor? And that's really what we're gonna have to figure out here over these next couple of months. You go into the two thousand twenty one season. Yeah, it was very tough for the scouts not being able to come to Flooring Park for training camp. That's extremely hard because a lot of guys their used to structure in their life and being able to set a schedule and now you have to change that. Where we couldn't see our team

in person. And then when you know, the college decided that, you know, when the NFL n C double A decide that we cannot take visits on the school, you know, it changes things because now that is when you have to you know, the world of Zoom and Team Microsoft calls became a part of our life and so you gather all the information with schools setting up Zoom calls where they have you know, either their pro liaison and support staff talk about the players and um, you know

then and then allowing us to go to the games was huge because now we can at least, you know, go to as many games if if you feel comfortable, and that was something we gave our scouts. If you feel comfortable attending the game, then go to the game

to get the body types on the players. But but you really have to rely on the years that you've spent in the scouting world as far as developing relationships within schools where you can call certain people to get critical information that you know, Joe and uh Robert's gonna need as we make the decision on the type of player we're gonna draft, do you sense more of an urgency from the group of players who are down there this year knowing that there is no formal combine this year,

it will be a little bit different. And then all they have remaining after this is really Pro days. Yeah, absolutely, I mean these young men, they will say that practices were very competitive. Guys got after it because they know that, yeah, there won't be a buying And then you also have to wonder if the pro days will go through. Uh there's there's you know, depending on the states, you know, they might not allow them to have a Pro Day.

And so yes, this was critical for a lot of young men that were here, not only at this All Star Game, but the the other three All Star games of Tropical Bowl, College Greadiron Showcase, and the Hula Bow that took place this week as well. Uh, this is very critical for them to go out and and and you know, get verified measurements, get a chance to speak with the other teams in the league, and and um, you know, also show what they can do on the

football field. You got a new head coach and Robert Sala and a couple of new coordinators that means new systems. Jeff All defensive signal caller for the Jets coming up,

and Mike Lafleur comes over from San Francisco. What does that mean to you guys as scouts, as you get acclimated with the new staff and the systems they run, well, the most important thing is that you know the vision that Joe Douglas has for us is the type of players that we're looking for as far as you know, tough athletic guys that love the game, that will impose their will on you each and every week. We're still looking for those type of guys that that are smart,

that that are willing they want to win. We're gonna look for those critical factors that we we rate each and every week that we we go through each school that we visit again through Zoom or Team Microsoft. So that's that's important. But at the same time, as as we go through this process, we'll get a chance to meet with the coaching staff and from a player description standpoint, you know what they're looking for, what style of defense they're going to run, what style of offense they're going

to run. Uh, we'll have that time to meet with them, especially with there being no combine, We'll have plenty of time maybe in February or in March to visit once Robert completes his coaching staff as to you know, the type of players that they're looking for. What's the next stup for you guys after you leave Mobile Alabama Because talking to Phil Savage and Rex talking about it, you will have meetings again like you typically would, but again it will be in the virtual reality. Yes that's true.

So right now that this next step is, you know, scouts now are allowed to to make phone calls to especially underclassmen, and so right now what the scouts are doing is they're they're getting on the phones with some of these young men to uh do further interviews on these guys. If it's through the phone call or if we set it up through a zoom call. We obviously have to make sure that we're reporting this to the to the league office and to what we're doing because

there are restrictions there. But we're doing that now. And then mid February we will have the scouts set up a team Microsoft where we'll just kind of really start introducing the draft class to to Joe. I mean, I know he's been really heavy into the pro side right now, and uh now he's gonna start hearing about the college Slayers.

I'm curious to know maybe after the process, and you know, without giving away state secrets, is how do you evaluate properly certain players and do you have to determine like this guy is a little more of a projection than this guy and therefore, you know, with with the Jets draft capital, we either feel comfortable taking a guy like this or on the other side, it's like, well, we know who this guy is because he played, we saw

the progression. Therefore we'd like to take that player. So I think it's gonna be interesting to see what happens between now early February and late April and the NFL Draft, and we'll have you covered throughout the off season. And of course free agency splits the difference here, so we'll be covering free agency. We'll be covering everything here on the official Jets Pot real quickly. Free agency schedules start

a March seventeen Stychastrics Day. Um, I wanted you to talk briefly about the raft coverage we started here and that you're working on with Damee Brugler the Athletics. Dane Brugler wonderfully talented dude who happens to be a great guy, by the way, and also, um, what's coming up on the site this week because we're talking process right now, but what happens to the Senior Bowl this week? That caught Dane's I give us a couple of crumbs, and then we'll go to New York Jets dot com and

and a separate podcast for the big meal. So to your point, each week on New York Jets dot com between now and the draft, there's a about a six minute video piece where Dane Brugler of the Athletic breaks down this week it's a Senior Bowl. And then you know, we'll go position by position, and there's a couple of different things like whenever he puts out a mock draft, will go into detail on why he picked who he picked,

and you know, we'll take Twitter questions as well. And then there's a podcast form of it, which is a longer form of just the video piece, so it covers a little bit more depth than what you would just

see on New York Jets dot com. And then for the Senior Bowl in particular, I mean the one big guy that I think and I'm saying big because that's a that's kind of foreshadowing here Wisconsin Whitewater guard slash center Quinn Miners, and what Dane said, and you can read the article that he put on The Athletic and he talks about it on the podcast, is that for Quinn Miners was originally not someone that was going to

be a part of the Senior Bowl. Then Landon Dickerson, the Alabama center who used to play at Florida State towards a c L and that opened the door for Quinn Miners. And we've talked about this in the past. Players use or can use the Senior Bowl as a launching pad for their draft stock, and that's exactly what Miners did. We think about a small school guy Wisconsin Whitewater.

Last year, Dane said that he had about a grade somewhere between a six round pick a seven brown pick, and some teams had him as priority free agents undrafted free agents. And then after that we saw Quinn Miners dominate this year or this week in the Senior Bowl. And now Dane said he's potentially a top one pick. So he basically took advantage of the opportunity and now he's gone. He's made himself some money, no doubt about it. And that's just one of the guys that really showed

out in Mobile. So yeah, well I'm excited for the podcast and also read about Dane's winners from the week, and you mentioned Alabama before I heard the quarterback from Alabama had a pretty good week as well. So Mac Jones is Dane didn't talk about Mac Jones on the podcast, but Mac Jones I think was Dane was saying that or writing about how Mac Jones was interested to see what he looks like without having his weapons on the outside.

Davante Smith. DeVante Smith wasn't Mobile, but he didn't participate in practice or the game, so without him, without Jalen Waddle, and what would he look like? And I think all signs showed that, you know, it looks like a pretty good quarterback. So I mean today, before we started recording, I saw a Twitter clip where Matt Jones was on Good Morning Football and he was asked about potentially what his thoughts were going fift over all of the Patriots

because Nick Saban and Bill Belichick are friends. So I'm not saying that's gonna happen, but I think there's some some steam there. I know Jim Naggy, the executive director was saying to Mac Jones, like, this is your opportunity to put yourself in the conversation or at least leap frog some of the guys after Trevor Lawrence, because none of those guys are seniors. So this is your opportunity to perform live in front of scouts. And I think that he all all signs showed that he did a

good job. Well, yeah, for plenty more on that, get over to Ethan the Dame. But yeah, I just get back. I love it that the player of the week in Mobile, Alabama is a kid from Wisconsin, Whitewater, and he's a center, an interior player with a crop top two. You see you see the crop top photos. Oh yeah, it takes me back a few years ago too. Not that much of a small school because Pittsburgh is an a C C school, But Aaron Donald. There was some buzz about

Aaron Donald and Mobile Alabama. I don't know if anybody could have predicted that he'd become the most dominant defensive player in football. But sometimes, yeah, yeah, sometimes that that the smoke really starts coming out in Mobile and you find out more about the players. There's just one step in the process. Dane did compare Quinn Miners to a current NFL center. Small school guy went to the Senior Bowl and then since was a mid to late round pick.

Since turned into one of the NFL's best centers. And if you want to hear the answer, you gotta tune back in on Thursday. And that's all we happened. Yeah, a little plug, A little plug, that's all we have here on this edition of the Official Jets Podcast powered by Amazon Web Services. We'll be back next week. Like we said, e A and I break down all things off season for the Jets, and of course this week we heard from Rex Hogan, John Carr, and Phil Savage from Mobile