Stephenson worked through the pillars outlined by Sholiton and shared that, beyond instincts and tackling, Metellus’ physicality was apparent, granted he was surer in tighter quarters than space. Also, Metellus impressed with his vocalness — his proficiency and willingness to transmit defensive checks.
These types of above-the-neck qualities are usually discovered through deep dives conducted by scouts.
For instance, rather than film exposure, trusted sources and face-to-face interactions provide the clearest lenses to identify if a player has “glue guy” potential and can upgrade a team beyond the field.
Depending on the amount of access that scouts receive on college visits, data, including anecdotes are attainable via a plethora of channels — academic counselors, position coaches, support staffers, athletic trainers, strength coaches, nutritionists, graduate assistants. They are people “in the neighborhood” of the player, Sholiton said, and “oftentimes there’s a strong signal that comes out” of those conversations.
The trickiness to it is calibrating the information and estimating how authenticity may cultivate pro success; the truth is that the millions of details matter, but they must be counted with a grain of salt.
Ideally, by the end of the process Vikings scouts are armed with an amalgamation of knowledge about football and character attributes so they’re able to “present the player in his best, most favorable light,” Sholiton said. “Our job isn’t to go in there (college programs) and get them to say things that are negative about the player. It’s to try to get [sources] to present an accurate portrayal of the player and be able to be trustworthy, first, by not weaponizing that information” and shredding a prospect’s portfolio.
Sholiton shared a comment specific to Michigan sources that’s helped categorize leadership skills while simultaneously verifying the “rare air” of one of Minnesota’s captains: “He’s on the Josh Metellus level.”
“When they’re talking about somebody that they really like and feel can upgrade your team in the building, in the community — a lot of times they’re using, ‘He’s a future Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. He’s [in the mold of] an AFCA Good Works Team [honoree]. … Even when he’s not playing, he’s traveling with the team. He’s injured, but he’s using one of our 60 travel spots because he has this type of impact,’ ” Sholiton commented. “Those are nice signals that we can use to [vet a prospect]. The film is what it is; we’re never going to take a player that can’t play to the level of somebody that can. But if [someone’s impact as a leader] can be a minimum or add value in other places, that’s something that we’ll definitely covet — and I think all teams covet. Championship teams are built with guys like that.”
Avid, adaptable learners. Leaders who preach the right message. Draft diamonds just like Metellus.