Chapter 10 Summary

Coach meetings to prepare for the actual player draft are held in what is known as the draft room. Player rankings with names are arranged on a magnet board. Short interviews with potential drafts are available at an event known as "the combine," which is held in Indianapolis, Indiana. The combine is a phenomenon unique to the NFL. Players are dressed in shorts; wearing assigned numbers. Teams are allowed to interview up to sixty players for a maximum of fifteen minutes each. It is up to the coaches, scouts, and general managers doing the interviews to get the information they want. The Patriots focus on character and intelligence. Facts and feelings are discussed as well as lies and truths. Some players exaggerate, while others acknowledge mistakes. All information is weighed and evaluated.

Later at the draft room, names are being read from the...