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What Does It Mean When You Bring a Draft Prospect In for a Visit...........
What does it mean when you bring a prospect in for a visit?
There are different reasons why teams host players. Greg Gabriel
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Print This March 29, 2012, 01:15 PM EST
There has been a lot of news recently about draft-eligible players making visits to certain clubs. So what does it all mean?
First off, each team can bring in a maximum of 30 players each year for visits prior to the draft. As part of the process, each player making a visit has to undergo some sort of medical evaluation. You cannot bring in a player just for an interview. A club also cannot work out the player at their facilities unless that player either resides in the metropolitan area of the club or goes to a college in that same area.
The 30-player limit does not count toward players who reside or go to school in the metropolitan area of the club. In that case a club can bring in an unlimited amount of players who fit into that category. Because of this, many clubs that are in a large metropolitan area may have a “local” workout for the players who fit into those criteria.
Often the question is asked if the players a club brings in for a visit are players that the club is definitely interested in drafting. In some cases yes, but it also can serve as a smokescreen. In other words, bring in and publicize that you are bringing in certain players only to make other clubs think that you may be interested. Remember, we are in the heart of the “lying season” and anything that a club can do to throw off other clubs on what they really want to do can be advantageous.
Another thing to remember is many of the players that clubs bring in are players that they have an interest in but were not at the Combine. Every year, there are about 40 players who weren’t at the combine who get drafted and some of those players will get drafted as high as the second round. You need to get a medical on these players before you draft them. Another large group of players brought in are players that you may have no interest in drafting but are very interested in signing as an undrafted free agent after the draft. By getting the medical done you know if the player is healthy and all right to sign. It also gives the coaches and scouts an opportunity to “recruit” these players when they are in for the visit. If you can build a relationship with a prospect during his visit and let him know exactly how he will be able to compete for a job, the better the chance of signing him after the draft. A comfort level always helps. In cases like this I would never lie to the player. I would tell him that while I hope that he gets drafted, we were not interested in drafting him but were very interested in signing him as a free agent. The player may not want to hear that you have no intention of drafting him but he appreciates the honesty and that can go a long ways towards getting him to sign after the draft.
Because many of the in-house visits are publicized, a club may choose not to bring in a player that they have a strong interest in but rather go visit the player at either his school or home. It’s easier to keep these visits quiet unless you bring an “entourage” with you for the visit. Either way, the more you can find out about a player and begin to build a relationship with him, the easier it is to pull the trigger and select him come draft day.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. 
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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Now that's some good insight
Wish he would have gave us some smoke screen examples when he was with the bears lol
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What all counts as a college "in the same area"? I'm assuming Northwestern counts, but what about U of I?
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Some interesting info by Greg Gabriel on the pre-draft visits players make. This should be sub-titled "the games people (teams) play". So bringing in a player like WVU's Bruce Irvin may or may not mean we have any interest in the guy.
And dining with players like Stephen Hill and Kendall Wright may just be an inexpensive way to throw competitors for the pass rushers off the track. Lovie had to eat anyway didn't he? Might as well invite some company, LOL.
I love the way all the teams do there little "gaslight" routines from now until the draft. Articles quoting Lovie and Emery about how content they are with the Oline when they'd kill for the chance to take David DeCastro. Maybe interviewing Bruce Irvin when they wouldn't touch him a ten foot pole just to get teams to look at him rather than Mercilus and whatever else goes along with a smokescreen.......or not. haha
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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Originally Posted by
Bear-allax 
What all counts as a college "in the same area"? I'm assuming Northwestern counts, but what about U of I?
He says unless the reside of go to a school in the metropolitan area. My guess is that NU would count but not Champaign. If you're a Chicagoan I don't think Champaign is even consider a part of Illinois, 
. Just kidding guys.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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Originally Posted by
soulman He says unless the reside of go to a school in the
metropolitan area. My guess is that NU would count but not Champaign. If you're a Chicagoan I don't think Champaign is even consider a part of Illinois,
. Just kidding guys.
Being a lifelong resident of Downstate Illinois, I would have to agree completely with your assessment. The only think I MIGHT change is that if your a Chicagoan, you may not consider YOURSELF a part of Illinois.
The Greatest form of revenge is MASSIVE success.
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Originally Posted by
4DaBERS Being a lifelong resident of Downstate Illinois, I would have to agree completely with your assessment. The only think I MIGHT change is that if your a Chicagoan, you may not consider YOURSELF a part of Illinois.
True story lol. What a lot of people call "Chicago" is actually the Greater Chicagoland Area - which includes like 30 other towns and townships and villages.
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I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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Originally Posted by
soulman That apology was for you my brother. I no longer have a horse in that race but I can still remember the way it was all those many years ago. It was like Springfield, why did they go and put the capital way the hell down there. That almost in Kentucky isn't it?
To a Chicagoan the State of Illinois stops at Kankakee. After that we assumed that the world was flat and we'd fall off into the abyss. When the Bears moved camp to Bourbonais a few hearty souls ventured out that way but they're sure they don't want to chance going any farther than that.
ROFLMAO !
This reminds me of the time I spent in N.J.
I met a lot of people who thought "Out West" was Philadelphia and most didn't even know where Illinois or Wisconsin were located on the map !
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Originally Posted by
omc1969 ROFLMAO !
This reminds me of the time I spent in N.J.
I met a lot of people who thought "Out West" was Philadelphia and most didn't even know where Illinois or Wisconsin were located on the map !
LOL, uh huh do you remember that New Yorkers map of the US where Manhattan takes up about 90% of the map and the rest of the country 10%. I think that's the way it is in Chicago vs the rest of the state or at least it seemed that way when I lived there. I do believe the downtowners think Peoria is located somewhere in Central Iowa. LOL.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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