NFL scouts spend months judging draft prospects, but their fate could come down to a few moments with a head coach.
Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule thought of his own experience on Tuesday with a prospect where he said last year that it would only take an elevator ride to decide it would not be a ‘pass’.
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“There was a player last year, and I would not say who, but had to be fairly set up,” he told the Panthers website. “And I climbed into the elevator with him at the Combine, and at the end of the elevator ride I was like, ‘There can be no way the man will fit us.’
Rhule said the pandemic this year will make it even more difficult to get acquainted with draft prospects due to the new restrictions being put in place – making the work of scouts so much more difficult.
“It would be a year when everyone in the NFL knows less about players than any other year,” he said. “We think we know these guys, and our scouts do an excellent job, but that’s just third-party information. It’s a chance for players to speak for themselves and say, ‘This is who I am. “That’s what my makeup is.”
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“If you coach them, are in meetings, just be with them in an elevator, you get a feel for the guys.”
The features that Rhule is looking for in a prospect are pretty straightforward.
“We are looking for who is tough, hardworking and competitive, who is smart, who loves the game. And who is a good person. We spend six months a year together, so we want to be with people we wants and suits us. ‘
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The Panthers finished the regular season 5-11 and scored the overall draft concert 8th. Rhule said he wants to promote the team’s offense and mix some youthful players.
The last time Carolina picked up No. 8, they set a star for Christian McCaffery in 2017.