| Opening Statement: “Good to see everybody. Good to be back up here in front of you guys again. It’s been a very, very good process. It’s been a fun process, got a lot of work done. Everybody’s been working extremely hard. I’ve gotten a lot of support, especially from the very, very top. Sheila (Ford Hamp) and the Ford family have been nothing but supportive. Rod Wood has been an excellent resource. Dan (Campbell) – can’t say enough about what he’s done within our process, and the rest of the coaching staff has all been phenomenal in preparation for the process. Chris Spielman has been an amazing asset and resource in the preparation period. Mike Disner has been very, very helpful as well. “Just can’t say enough about our personnel department, everything that they’ve added, all the value that they brought. Ray Agnew, coming on from when we were both together in L.A., he’s just been an extraordinary resource and asset. He’s brought tremendous value to our process, helping me get everybody up to speed. “All of the scouts have been amazing. They’ve done a heck of a job providing the right information, providing very accurate, detailed information and just being very, very collaborative. John Dorsey’s been excellent with his experience that he’s brought to the table. I can go on and on. Lance Newmark has been outstanding, all of the experience that he has, Dave Sears, everybody. It’s been a very collaborative effort. I’d even go down to – I think back to the scouting assistants in terms of what they’ve done. There’s been meetings that have gone on, there’s been some long Saturday’s where we’ve just grinded all day. So, what they’ve done from an operational standpoint in the meetings has been outstanding. Dakota (Duncan) and Ademi (Smith) and Jordan (Martin), all those guys, I just can’t tip my hat off to them nearly enough. The analytics department has been awesome. I couldn’t be more thrilled about the process, where we’re at right now, and I feel like we’re in great shape right now.” On what he’s found difficult or advantageous about the COVID-19 realities on the pre-draft process: “I’ll start with the advantageous part first because I’ve always been a proponent of – my old GM with the Rams, Les Snead, used to say it all the time – but often the answers are on the film. Not having a portion of the workout process and you do have to rely on your film evaluations even more. I do think that that’s been actually an advantageous part of the process, and that’s just the scout in me, it’s just, ‘Let’s just take football players.’ But I will say a difficulty that it posed is the amount of exposure that you can get on the players in a live setting as opposed to not being able to have all the scouts and the coaches and the staff see the players up close at the Combine. We had to be pretty strategic in terms of pro day workouts in terms of who was going to attend which workout because there were obviously restrictions because of the protocols that we all had to follow. That was the one part that was probably a little bit more difficult, which it will be good to – hopefully next year, it can get back so we can get more eyes on the players live and up close. But we used all the resources that we had and were able to make the most of it.” On his assessment of the No. 7 pick and if he’s had conversations about moving down: “Well, I will say the value, it’s of extreme value, I would say. Even whenever you’re picking in the top-10, obviously it’s an extremely valued pick. It’s very exciting to be looking at this crop of players that would be worthy of selecting. Where I just came from, I wasn’t really used to picking in the first round that much, being up in the top 10. But at No. 7, we do have a cluster of players that we’re comfortable with picking. At the same time, we will be very prepared and also to move in either direction., We’re still open in those regards, but there are a cluster of players that we’d be comfortable with.” On if he’s had talks with other teams about trading down: “There have been discussions with other teams. I will keep those in-house, but yeah, there have been discussions.” On if the offense or defense needs more help after looking at the roster after free agency: “I still think that depth on both sides of the ball is of the utmost importance. I know you can probably take that as a fence answer, but I just can’t be more authentic with that. I look at both sides of the ball, and I just don’t think there’s ever enough depth in certain spots that you can field. I know you’d probably like for me to say we need more defense or more offense, but just looking at our depth chart every day, I do see that there are some areas to address on both sides, for sure.” On how confident he is that he’ll come out of the Draft with substantial help for the team: “I mean the players that we would be comfortable with, we all feel like they’re players that are worthy of a selection. More so, it’s not even like how worthy they are, but it’s really if they’re the right players for the Detroit Lions. It’s not, ‘Oh, well we need an offensive guy. We’d like to have a defensive guy or this position.’ There’s a cluster of multiple positions that we’d be comfortable with, but the No. 1 thing is that is it the right fit for the Detroit Lions? Do they meet the standards of what we’re looking for from an intangible standpoint? Make sure that they meet those standards, but I do feel comfortable that they also bring tremendous value.” On if there’s pressure with holding the No. 7 pick: “That’s a very valid question. I think the preparation process leading up to the point does alleviate a lot of that pressure. A lot of the decisions are already made well before Draft day, so I do think the process has been in place – and we started from the very beginning. I felt very prepared before I got into this role in terms of the college draft scope, so then going through all of March and then going through the process (and) obviously, this entire process. Even in February, we had our first scope. Talking about all the meetings in February, all of them in March, all of them in April, and then the collaborative effort where it wasn’t just the preparation, the process with just scouts, but it’s the scouts and the coaches. So, with all the process and all the extra looks and all the research that we’ve done, it does alleviate a lot of the pressure and it just goes back to you can just surrender the results to the process. That’s what we feel strongly about right now.” On if he looks at former draft picks within an organization and factors that into his process: “Absolutely. (I’m) very mindful of the former picks that we’ve had at all positions, starting with wide receiver. I know that there’s been a history of wide receivers that have been selected very high. You do take a look at that. At tight end, we have a high pick as a tight end right now. Yeah, you definitely look at all those options.” On if a team having a history of highly drafted wide receivers and tight ends dissuades him from taking those positions early on: “No, not at all. I wasn’t even saying that in a negative sense of past picks, I was just saying that there have been past picks that have been high picks at (those) positions. But no, it does not. I think you’ve got to approach every single player in its own silo and then the same thing with every single position. So, if it’s a corner that we really, really like, that’s just the corner that we really, really like and think is a great fit. It’s not to compare him to Jeff Okudah, or it’s not to do anything like that if there’s any other position that we’re really, really high on. It’s just that we’re really excited. To have part of our franchise, we don’t kind of look at it and say, ‘Well, we already have this player and how this player has had success or not have had success.’ We take it all case by case, but I think that’s good drafting, to make sure the players can kind of paint their own picture.” On the most important things he’s learned from past GMs he’s worked for: “I will say, and I’ve probably alluded to the main one, from Les (Snead), is just that you definitely surrender the results to the process. Just through all of the hard work and then having a very thorough, diligent process and being about as thorough as you can be, it can often maybe feel exhaustive. The importance of it kind of alleviates that a little bit, but I would definitely say Les is always kind of taught me in terms of surrendering the results to the process and I will say on top of that, just make sure that when you’re looking at the players, especially when you get this close, it’s always an all things considered approach to it. Those are the things, and even going back to Charley Armey, I still think of – when I’m talking to our younger scouts about the evaluation process, I also think about the core things he taught me in terms of athletic ability, competitiveness, instincts, getting those critical factors right an then it kind of gives you a little bit of a baseline. Yeah, I definitely still think about all of those and I don’t think that they’ll ever leave me.” On his appetite for risk early in round one: “You always want to hit a home run, but I will say when you talk about risk on the first pick, I always kind of go back to when you’re turning that pick in, you don’t want to feel nervous. I know you asked me about previous GMs, so I’ll even give the credit to Billy Devaney on that one, one that he used to always bring up, is that you want to be confident and you want to feel really, really good when you make that selection. Not a nervousness of, ‘I hope this works.’ I’m not saying that all selections don’t have any warts, because everybody’s got a hole or something that they can improve on, but at the end of the day, do we have buy-in and do we all feel good about the pick?” On if there’s a floor on how willing he’d be to move back in the Draft: “No, I wouldn’t say that there’s a floor. I think that that would probably be pigeonholing yourself. I’m very, very leery of anchors, I would say. I try to avoid as many anchors as possible. You always want to kind of go into it through having a sound process of doing all the work and kind of knowing, ‘OK, well if you did slide back here, then you’re looking at this subset of players potentially, so how do we feel about these players? If you moved up, you might be looking at this player if you stayed.’ So, I think that just goes back to the preparation period and not having to anchor yourself with a certain floor there.” On what Head Coach Dan Campbell has brought to the pre-draft process: “I will say this; Dan has made me better in a lot of different areas. He’s just that kind of unique individual. I will say, just from a process standpoint, highly, highly respected just his involvement of – remember I brought up a Saturday meeting where we’re just grinding all day on a Saturday and he’s got so much other stuff on his plate where his willingness of just actually wanting to be down there in the bunker grinding tape with the entire group and just his insight that he’s brought. And he has shared things that they used to do in New Orleans that have been some good ideas that we have incorporated. There’s certain kind of DNA from different people, different places. If you get that good DNA, that can kind of help out in the process. You never really want to turn that down.” On the hiring of Jill Costanza as Director of Sports Science: “Really, I believe that Mike Clark (Director of Sports Performance) would be the more appropriate person to answer that question, but Jill has been great since Day 1, since even throughout the interview process when I had first met her. It’s more of a question for Mike Clark, but I do think the element of sports science in terms of athletic performance is extremely important, so we’re happy to have Jill aboard.” On how you go about building consensus on a prospect and if it is more challenging in his first season as Executive Vice President and General Manager: “I would say it’s hard because I do respect the difference of opinions, and ultimately it’s going to be my decision and actually make the right choice and kind of put the right value on the player, but I would not be able to put the right value on the player without everybody’s input and everybody’s collaboration. I always say the beauty of scouting is that you can have 10 people in a dark room looking at the same exact film and you get 10 different people’s opinion. I mean, that’s just the artistic beauty of scouting. So, whenever I hear, you know, all these different varying opinions I actually get intrigued and what it does it actually ignites you and actually motivates you to dig even deeper because you know, if it’s all everybody’s the same, well you want to say like, ‘Oh, well that seems easy,’ because everybody thinks the same about the player, but often when it is the same then you also have to think about, ‘OK, is there something that we don’t know or is there something that we did not take into consideration?’ But it is a good question, but I don’t think it really poses a challenge, it actually is kind of more motivating and encouraging.” On if he has gotten advice on how to trust his instincts with the final decisions on draft day: “Yeah, and I mean, ultimately that’s what it comes down to at the end of the day is what is in your gut. But what is in your gut does come from all of the input, not only just your own, I guess you could call it your own inside view is what you would call it, but making sure that you’ve already kind of gathered everything from the outside view and then once you gather all of that information, then you can kind of revert back to your inside view and then make the right decision and feel good about it.” On if he has gotten an invite to the Los Angeles Rams’ beach house for the NFL Draft: “I tell you what, great story. I was actually on the phone with Les (Snead) just the other day and actually had to put him on Facetime because we had snow coming down in Detroit. So, I had to let him know, I was like, ‘Look that beach house looks really great, but this is our draft setup,’ and I kind of put the phone out to the window so he could see all the snow falling. He was just laughing at me, but it looks like a cool setup. I hope those guys get everything they need out of that setup.” On how long it takes him to be comfortable with a player without paying too much attention to measurables and data numbers: “That’s a good question and it probably goes back to a little bit of not having the Combine – is that you actually kind of feel that into your gut probably fairly, fairly early in the process as you’re watching players like, ‘This dude’s a football player.” And so now when you talk about the workout numbers and all of that, well, the process – there was workouts that were going on in April that you did and we were already in meetings kind of trying to finalize, you know, opinions on these players and you really did have to go off of what your evaluation was. You didn’t have the – I don’t even want to call it the luxury, but that external information of you thought the guy was fast and then he didn’t run the time, and then now you start questioning the speed. We didn’t have to go through that this year, so actually, I thought that was the beauty of it. But going back to your original question, I do think you can figure out if the guy’s a football player fairly early in the process and it kind of goes back to those critical factor traits I was speaking with that Charley (Armey) taught me a long time ago.” On if it was more challenging evaluating college prospects who opted out of the 2020 season: “It wasn’t that (challenging), you just knew that you had to deal with the hand that you were dealt, and you just had to just go back to the tape of the last time that they had played. Now you probably watched a lot of those games multiple times in different settings, but you know, you’re going to have to go back further than that. And then also, it kind of makes you have to lean onto your sources at those schools that you really, really trust and rely on that information. You know, I always talk about the scouts are the experts on all these players. All of our area scouts and national scouts, they know these players better than anybody else. They watch more film than anybody else within the building, so relying on them and relying on the experts and then just really just relying on the film that’s available to you.” On if the trade scenarios with teams are already arranged ahead of time going into the Draft: “Well, for other teams I can’t speak for other teams, but you do have maybe an idea of possibly if a certain player gets to a certain pick, then if that team may have a need that they have, then they might want to move up. That’s just knowing the whole scope of the Draft and also having an incredible pro (personnel) department. And I will say just from a team needs standpoint, you know, Rob Lohman, and Joe Kelleher, and Chuck (Brensinger), and Ray (Agnew Jr.), they’ve done an outstanding job from the team needs standpoint, but you have an idea. But then when you’re speaking just from our own franchise, usually if you’re going to kind of make that move, especially trading up, usually there’s definitely a player in mind that you want to make sure that you can get that you targeted.” On if hypothetical trade scenarios are prearranged with other clubs prior to the Draft: “It has been in the past. It has been and it has been you don’t know until you’re on the clock. I mean, I’ve seen it both ways.” On if he is referring to schematic fit or cultural fit in regards to prospects: “More so from a culture fit, regardless of scheme, and obviously scheme does play a part, but at the end of the day, if the player has certain standards of toughness, passion, if a player has grit, that doesn’t have anything to do with if a guy is a press corner or an off-zone quarters corner, or if a guy is a 3-4 rush backer. Does a guy play hard or he does not? Does he have a high motor or does he (not)? Does he take plays off, does he not? Does he love football, does he not? So, those are the standards that we look for, but having that grit, passion for football that’s at an elite level, those are pretty much the standards that are the fits, more so of if the guy is just a scheme fit.” On how much influence Lions Senior Personnel Executive John Dorsey will have on final decisions: “John Dorsey has played an equal part in the process just like everyone else has been in the process, especially from a collaborative approach. Just as John Dorsey has a big affect on how decisions are made, everybody else does because everybody has played an equal part in terms of the decision making, and what they’ve brought too in terms of the process.” On how many people will be in the Draft room and how it compares pre-pandemic years with the Los Angeles Rams: “That’s a great question, I say that because I’ve been in the Draft rooms in kind of both fashions. I’ve been in the Draft rooms where it was a packed house in there, and I’ve been in the Draft room where it was kind of more thinned out and that was pre-pandemic where it was just less people in the room. And I think there’s pluses and minuses to both, when there’s more people in the room you might have a little bit quicker access if you need more intel, you need to ask some questions, it might make the process a little more efficient. But I’ve also seen it the other side where you may be able to manage some things a little bit better when it’s more of a thinned-out room. But we will have no more than 10 people in our Draft (room).” On how he makes it known that he is open to all trade offers with the No. 7 overall Draft selection if he is open to all offers: “Well, a lot of it is you have dialogue with other teams, you have dialogue with others GMs in terms of what your willingness is to move ahead or back within the Draft. I guess, that’s probably – and even talking to you guys now, like I’m not sure if that actually plants the for sale sign on it, but just saying that, although we do have a cluster of players that we’d be comfortable with, we are still willing and open to moving either direction.” On if it is incumbent that he must convince other teams that he may possibly draft a quarterback with the No. 7 overall Draft selection: “I wouldn’t say that I would have to convince anybody of that.” On quarterback typically being the position that teams trade up for: “I can see where that could be a case, but I would say that again, talking about the anchors of that, I wouldn’t say that’s the end all be all in terms of what it has to be. There might be another player that a team may covet that’s not a quarterback, but I can’t really speak for the other teams.” On how he defines a blue-chip player in the Draft and how many he believes are in this draft: “Well, first of all to define it I will say it’s probably, you want to think that it’s a sound investment I would say, in terms of if he’s a blue-chip player. You really don’t have any doubts. Like what I was talking about earlier in terms of your confidence that you have in the selection of the player, you know, obviously there’s not your whole draft of blue-chip players, but there is a handful of blue-chip players that are in this draft.” On what he would quantify as a handful of players: “I thought I said handfuls, not handful. Could be two handfuls, could be three. Obviously, it’s not the whole, entire draft. Probably not even the whole first round that you would kind of put that blue-chip. I’m not really exactly sure everything that goes into what your description of blue-chip is, but I think I’ve got an idea. I guess you’re talking about just the very elite players within this draft, but if that’s along the lines of blue-chip I would say that there’s a good cluster of them I would say.” |
