The NFL Scouting Combine is a great time for fans to watch their favorite NFL prospects test and measure. It helps draft boards take shape and puts college media guides to task. For as enlightening as the testing and drills can be for fans and media, their impact for most NFL teams like the Cowboys can be a little overblown.
Dallas will undoubtedly use player measurements to determine if prospects will meet their minimum thresholds, but the most important part of the combine is what’s happening behind the scenes.
Medical checks and team interviews are arguably the high-priority elements of the combine for most teams. Many of the players participating have already proven they have the athletic ability to compete at the highest levels. What teams want to know is if their body and their mind are up to the task.
Attitude and intelligence go a long way in determining success. A great interview can do wonders for a player’s stock just like a bad interview can remove someone from a team’s draft board entirely.
Thanks to the diligent tracking efforts by several in and around the combine, Cowboys Wire has been able to keep a running tally of the Cowboys’ interviews. With only 45 total official meetings allowed, each interview is important and each provides insight into Dallas’ plans for the draft.
Understandably, the Cowboys are interviewing more players at certain positions and less players at others. Dallas notoriously fills holes with the draft (as opposed to free agency) so many of the holes today will be the same holes on April 27 when the draft kicks off.