2002 NFL Scouting Combine

Where the action is

Combine attracts more attention than ever — thanks to free-agent subplot

By Dan Arkush, Executive editor
Feb. 28, 2002

Buccaneers GM Rich McKay was looking no worse for the wear following his well-documented rift with the Glazer brothers.

Steelers head coach Bill Cowher was walking briskly, his jaw tighter than the 18^th fairway at Pebble Beach.

Amiable Packers GM Mark Hatley was chatting it up with a cluster of Chiefs personnel people.

Niners head coach Steve Mariucci was looking dapper in a leather jacket that looked more expensive than my ’94 Honda Civic.

All of them made their entrances within five minutes of one another, all of them gathered for a common cause — to thoroughly evaluate the 334 collegiate players who will provide the nucleus of the 2002 NFL draft.

The real fun was scheduled to begin early Friday morning, with this year’s potential draftees undergoing thorough medical evaluations and a wide range of skill-testing drills (40-yard dashes, bench presses, shuttle runs, vertical leaps) that will keep them more than a little busy for the next four days.

In addition, they will an endure an endless stream of team interview sessions well into each evening, with the most noteworthy players also being subjected to interviews with the national media, beginning at noon Friday with placekickers, offensive linemen and running backs.

As for the media coverage, it conceivably could reach record-breaking proportions, with the Combine starting its engine on the first official day of free agency — a double whammy that has turned most NFL execs into raging insomniacs.

It’s quite possible Saints GM Randy Mueller, for instance, will bounce back and forth between the Browns and the Chiefs, engaging in trade talks regarding RB Ricky Williams and OT Willie Roaf, respectively. And then still find time to break bread with the agents representing both the potential draftees and free agents in which the Saints have more than a passing interest.

In addition to the Combine’s usual intriguing questions — Which key players will refuse to work out and opt for their own personal workouts at a later date? … Which player will earn first-round status after emerging as this year’s workout warrior? … Which players will plummet in the ratings because of poor performances? — major NFL personnel moves will be taking shape at a rapid pace.

• Rumor has it TE Ken Dilger, a salary-cap casualty with the Colts, will be displaying his wares to a number of interested teams at an undisclosed site.
• Joe Linta, the agent for Bears QB Jim Miller, has threatened to lock himself in a room with Bears GM Jerry Angelo and not leave until a deal for Miller is consummated. Angelo, meanwhile, is still said to be very interested in Patriots $100 million backup QB Drew Bledsoe.
• Jim Solano, the agent for newly franchised Cardinals S Kwamie Lassiter, is champing at the bit to swing a long-term deal with Arizona before March 15 — a development that would enable the Cardinals to use their franchise tag on either QB Jake Plummer or WR David Boston next offseason.
• A number of contenders with checkbooks in hand are poised to make the first big free-agent splash. The Browns signing LB Earl Holmes? The Chiefs signing WR Az-Zahir Hakim? The Texans signing LB London Fletcher or DE Leonard Little?
• And it wouldn’t be a shock if Raiders owner Al Davis strikes a deal — in the dead of night, no doubt — with his new head coach, whose identity continues to remain a deep secret at this writing.

The NFL’s invasion of Indianapolis, circa 2002, is in its infant stages. But as the door of the Crowne Plaza at Union Station continues to swing open, the buzz seems bigger than ever. The league’s biggest movers and shakers are all here, stopwatches in one pocket, cell phones in the other.

It clearly looks like it’s time to get down to business.

On with the show.

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