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 Draft boards still changing
Posted: Wednesday April 14, 1999 12:35 PM
Their college careers are over, the bowl games are over, and the combine is over. So why is the draft outlook still in flux, and why will it continue that way right up to the draft itself? First, each team's draft board is originally prepared by personnel people because the coaches are busy with coaching right through January. By now, the coordinators and position coaches have had time to study all the game tapes and coaches tend to see things a bit differently than scouts.
Second, the coaches and the personnel people have now met the prospects many times, at bowl games, the combine and at the all-important private workouts on campus. Personality, alertness, and a player's ability to convince the decision makers that football is the most important thing in that player's life get put in the mix. For example, scouts tell me that West Virginia running back Amos Zereoue had a great interview recently which helped move him up the draft charts. He moved up again when he ran a 4.35 40. One coach told me Zereoue now has a good hold on being the third-best running back in the draft. On the other hand, a poor workout or significant weight gain can change a player's rating overnight. Before last season, UCLA's Kris Farris was rated by some as the top offensive tackle in the country. However, scouts said the 6'9", 300-pounder lacked strength at his workout. Another tackle with a high preseason rating was Florida's Zach Pillar. But after his workout, one coach told me he thought Pillar was stiff and had more "weight-room strength." And finally, the position coaches' private workout creates a chemistry -- good or bad -- between the player and the coach, then the coach stacks his position board accordingly. It's no different than any other job interview. People want to work with someone they're comfortable with. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years in the NFL as a coach and scout, is an NFL analyst for CNN/SI.
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