Big Red
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- Mar 16, 2019
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It was the end of February, and Steve Keim would normally be spending his Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium, either watching players work out on the turf below or interviewing potential draftees to see what they were like as a person.
Instead, the Cardinals' general manager was watching his son play a flag football game, with the annual Scouting combine turned into something else entirely thanks to COVID-19.
"This year, it is really odd given the obstacles that are created," Keim said. "But we are doing the best we can with the technology."
Instead of wrapping up the combine over the weekend, the Cardinals are just now starting to head out to college pro days, which become much more important because the top 400 or so players won't work out at one event in Indy. The Zoom interviews with those players – normally jammed into the few days at the Crowne Plaza – will be scheduled over the next few weeks.
The draft process will unfold this season much like it did last year, given the year anniversary of pandemic-related shutdowns drawing near. But the last big event for the NFL pre-COVID was the combine, so teams – and the Cardinals – have to figure out their first draft without it.
"I don't see as many guys face to face as I would usually," Keim said. "At the same time, when you have obstacles, with the technology, you do get time on your hands, so it can be advantageous for us because you can spend more time evaluating players. Time I'd spend traveling or in interviews, I can watch more film."
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