Big Red
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- Mar 16, 2019
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Those things will still happen. But Keim raved about the FaceTime aspect spent with potential draftees, especially aiding the amount of time positional coaches could spend with players.
"In some cases you really have developed better relationships, a better understanding of what the player might be," Keim said.
That doesn't mean there are not parts of the equation where the Cardinals – and other teams – have lost out.
Allowed up to 30 players for facility visits post-Scouting combine, many of the Cards' visits are normally spent on players who were not at the combine, players who had not yet undergone any medical check. Those are lost. While a challenge, Keim said the team has tried to be resourceful, talking carefully to the schools to get background and medical information, and also reaching into the organization's own institutional knowledge when it comes to a player's durability, surgical history and missed time to try and develop a proper medical grade.
(Keim acknowledged if a drafted player later had medical issues, there was probably no recourse, but he added he was not concerned that would happen.)
Keim also was confident in the process for the "speed dating" world of signing undrafted rookies in the aftermath of the final round of the draft – something that in normal times featured scouts and other front-office workers all calling agents and players frequently to get them to sign.
If anything, Keim said, the necessary paring down of the draft evaluation process might even give the Cardinals less chance to overthink a player analysis, "to go out and be on the road and question yourself just because a guy ran a faster three-cone, or because he jumped higher."
"I have been able to watch more tape than any other year I have been a general manager," Keim added.
The GM wasn't tipping his hand with a pick, noting that he feels like there are "8 to 10" blue-chip players – convenient for a team choosing eighth overall, but perhaps also a sign if there is consideration of trading down. But his confidence in the process wasn't different than any year not impacted by COVID-19.
"Really, we have no excuses," Keim said. "I feel we will come away with several good players in this draft."
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