INDIANAPOLIS — Some NFL coaches, such as Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, believe they can get more work done back at the office.
But many others find value in traveling annually to the NFL Scouting Combine, where 329 draft prospects are gathering this week for examinations, interviews and workouts.
Former 49ers assistant coaches Mike McDaniel and DeMeco Ryans now are NFL head coaches with the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans, respectively. Both believe their face-to-face meetings with draft eligible prospects are a key component in forming opinions of the players.
“The biggest value I get from being here is just being able to sit down across from the players, face to face, and being able to hear their stories, hear their background, their upbringing,” Ryans answered when NBC Sports Bay Area asked him about the value of the combine for a head coach.
“Also, just get to feel their energy, feel their passion and love for the game of football. It comes off in those 15-minute interviews. I can feel their energy very instantly.”
The medical information on the prospects is shared around the league. That generally is considered the most-important piece of the puzzle that sways a player's draft stock.
The measurements and on-field workouts have varying degrees of importance. But the interviews are what McDaniel and Ryans view as the reason this trip is worth making.
Each team is allowed to conduct formal 15-minute interviews with 60 attendees of the NFL Scouting Combine. Those interviews are recorded. Shahanan and 49ers assistant coaches back in Santa Clara can hook up via video call during those sessions.
The Los Angeles Rams' McVay was the first NFL head coach to opt to skip the combine. Shanahan has not attended in recent years, as the 49ers made deep postseason runs.
But the 49ers finished 6-11 and out of the postseason last year and hold a projected 10 draft picks, including the No. 11 overall selection.
General manager John Lynch and the 49ers' personnel department are in Indianapolis for the combine, which concludes Monday, March 3.
McDaniel enters his fourth season as Dolphins head coach after serving as 49ers’ offensive coordinator. He acknowledges that attending the combine might not be an effective use of time.
But he also believes it provides a valuable tool for him to build a complete picture of the prospects.
“I can’t replace that face-to-face energy and human element that is so important in this game,” McDaniel said. “It is for us a little inefficient in terms of time. There’s some down time in the middle of the day. But for me, I’m hard-pressed with how important the decisions are for the fabric of your team when it comes to the NFL Draft.
“Everybody can do it a different way. I need to see people in person to complete the whole picture of what I’m seeing on film.”
Coaches who do not travel to Indianapolis can get more work accomplished in looking at scheduled NFL free agents. The open-negotiating period begins on March 10, when free agents are allowed to sign with new teams on March 12.
The seven-round NFL draft is scheduled for April 24-26.
Ryans, who served as 49ers defensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022, has taken the Texans to the postseason in both of his first two seasons as head coach. He also played 10 seasons in the NFL as a linebacker with Houston and the Philadelphia Eagles.
He said he wants any player who submits to an interview with the Texans to be entering a safe space.
“I hope it comes off as very loose,” Ryans said. “We want to make sure we’re not trying to grill guys too much. I want to make them at ease because I remember being here at the combine where I had some of those meetings. They were very tense.
“Getting to know the person. That’s the main thing. We get to watch as much tape as we can on these guys. But to sit down, helmet off, and let’s know your background and let’s know why you love the game of football. What’s your why? Those are the things we ask our guys. We get a lot of insightful comments from guys from asking those questions.”
