WR Coach Scottie Montgomery: “I saw Antonio Brown at the combine – followed him some before – watched his tape. I saw his game coming together. When we brought him in he told me he would work harder than anyone and be the best player in the NFL. So at the combine, he just smiled at me and said “I’m ready.” I didn’t even say a word to him. When we drafted him, Mike and Bruce were on me whenever he made an error. They would tell me it was my fault – they wanted to put us together to make sure he did well. We believed in each other.”
CB Dwayne Woodruff: “I wasn’t even invited to the combine. My roommate, Nathan Poole, was the only guy that was expected to be drafted from Louisville. He would get calls from teams asking him to work out with them and I went with him. That’s how scouts saw me.”
Scout Jesse Kaye: “The biggest thing was the precision in the way Dick Haley evaluated the athletic ability of players. He concentrated a lot on their flexibility. Their hips, knees, and ankles. Hank Bullough was a Green Bay coach at the time and he told me that Green Bay called the shuttle drill at the combine “The Steelers” because it was such a big part of the evaluation Dick used.”
WR Calvin Austin: “My agent told me the team you don’t expect will be the team that takes you. I did have a great talk with Coach Fris (Frisman Jackson) at the combine. “
WR Lyneal Alston: “My agent took my out of the draft that year so I could go to Pittsburgh. I was mocked to go to Pittsburgh in the middle rounds of the draft. After the combine I moved up a bit. But the Steelers took Charles Lockett in the third round then Joey Clinkscales in the fifth. I had no idea my agent took me out of the draft though – it was messed up. I assume Pittsburgh knew about it but I didn’t know anything about it at the time.”
DL Donald Evans: “I became a second-round pick because of the belief that NFL Area Scout Charles Bailey had in me. His influence to have an invite extended to participate in the 1987 NFL Scouting Combine gave me an opportunity to display my talent and athleticism to all 28 NFL teams.”
OT Marvel Smith: “I met with Cowher at the combine and he had me draw up two plays for them. But I never heard from them afterwards. It’s funny. When you leave the combine you get a duffel bag full of NFL apparel. I gave it all away but was left with one item – a Steelers t-shirt. I used it every game I played under my pads!“
DB Randy Fuller: “I remember before the draft I interviewed with the Steelers at the Senior Bowl and combine. It was my favorite team and after those interviews I just knew I’d be a Steeler. It was my childhood favorite team and I thought I’d get drafted by them. I thought that was going to be the case. Well, it wasn’t the case! Denver drafted me instead.”
Scout Bruce McNorton: “Too much emphasis on the combine. We give guys a grade on film – maybe a seventh round grade. Then they blow up the combine and their grade shoots up to a third round grade. But the NFL isn’t track. When they had their pads on and we watched film of them they were a seventh round player. But because of workout numbers now they are third-rounders?”
ST’s Coach George Stewart: “Well, after the ’98 season, we were at our staff meeting the week before signing day and Vinny Cerrato – the recruiting coordinator at Notre Dame then – said we should drive down to Indianapolis to sit in at the combine since our recruiting was really done for the year. We thought it would be nice to see Fazio, Stock and Schottenheimer – to have a burger with those guys or something there.
Well, we go, and I end up sitting in the stands with Foge to watch the combine. Foge says, “Let’s go get some coffee.” I told him I don’t drink coffee, but he told me there were donuts in the lounge as well. Well, I love donuts!
So, we go and Chuck Noll is standing there next to the table where the donuts were. Foge takes it upon himself to introduce us – he knew Chuck from when he Foge coached at Pitt. Then Foge tells him that I was interested in the special teams opening the Steelers had. I didn’t even know there was an opening!
S Thomas Everett: “Well, it was basically because I pulled my hamstring at the combine. I pulled up with about ten yards left I the 40. I still ran a 4.51 40, but I couldn’t do the rest of the workouts. And it was hurt bad enough that when the came down for me pro day I still couldn’t work out. The scouts said that would hurt me and drop me a couple of rounds.”
DL/OLB Aaron Jones: “I found out later teams were trying to hide me – according to my agent. I went later in to what they called the injury combine – where you go so teams could just check you out for health reasons. But word got out on me I guess.”
QB Anthony Wright: “What happened was I had a knee issue. In the offseason I had surgery on my knee to drain it. That’s why they ended up drafting Tee Martin who ended up having a good preseason. When I was in college I had surgery on my knee – I tore it up – and the college surgeon didn’t properly do the surgery. That’s why I didn’t get drafted. I did well in the drills at the combine but I didn’t pass the physical.”
DL Aaron Smith: “I was surprised the Steelers drafted me. But looking back on it they were at every workout. I had three interviews with them including Cowher at the combine. But my agent never mentioned Pittsburgh as having interest.”
RB Jaylen Samuels: “I never talked to them at the combine except on my way to the Buccaneers interview room. The Steelers’ room was right next to theirs and on my way in Tomlin said “Hey – I see you Jaylen Samuels – we’ll have to catch up with you down the road!”
TE Eric Green: “Not really. I had one helluva senior year in college. My statistics were overwhelming. My one-on-one workouts, they opened up some eyes. The combine, eyes really opened…the Hula Bowl opened up people’s eyes. It was a progression.”
Dir. of Personnel Doug Whaley: “You have to talk to coaches, academic advisors.. everyone they work with at the school. The combine is more for this too – sitting down with them to understand their mental and medicals. The Spring is key because of the face-to-face meetings.”
Jamain Stephens: “I only spoke with the Steelers once during the combine. And that was brief. I didn’t have any other contact with them.”
S Kameron Kelly: “At the combine the Steelers were actually the only team that interviewed me. There were 12 other guys in the room sitting in rows of chairs, but it was really a one-on-one interview with Coach T. He had questions about my game and how I played. When we played Army in the bowl game I got a personal foul for smack talk and he asked me about that. I wanted to answer the right way but the film doesn’t lie. I play with passion. He told me that there was little room for that in the NFL. I appreciated that and told him that I play with a lot of heart and passion.”
LB Jerrol Williams: “I left college after my senior season and got into a bad car accident with a buddy of mine. I couldn’t work out at the combine – I just took the physical. “
QB Tee Martin: “Being drafted was a big deal. I can’t say what happened after Tennessee. My numbers at the combine were better than everyone else’s. I can’t say what happened…”
OT Trai Essex: “At the combine I was interviewed by a number of teams and I thought either Kansas City or Buffalo would draft me. I didn’t even visit Pittsburgh. Come draft day I had no clue the Steelers were intereste”
RB Benny Snell: “To be honest I met with every team at the combine and had a specific meeting with the Steelers. The vibe was great and I think they loved me as a player. I met Coach Tomlin, the running back coach, offensive coordinator, the weight room coach…We talked football and watched film – it was a great coaching staff. So when I got the call, I was surprised, but I felt comfortable and happy getting drafted by them.”
DB DeAuntae Brown: “I wasn’t invited to the combine so my agent drove me there and got me interviews with all 32 teams! So being from a smaller school had it’s disadvantages, but we overcame them. I credit my agent who thought outside the box.”
RB Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala: “I knew through my time at the combine that my chances of getting drafted were slim to none. In my interviews with the coaches of all the teams, I was just listening to them talk about why I left early. Teams do their homework and my coach just destroyed me.”
CB Richard Shelton: “I went to the combine for a couple of years and left my information with general managers and other people. That’s how I finally got my interview with Tom in Philadelphia. Bill Cowher also tried to help me and set up an internship for me in Kansas City, but I couldn’t do it due to other things going on in my life at the time.”
WR Yancey Thigpen: “Coming out of college I impressed a Steelers scout – Charles Bailey. We had familiar backgrounds – he grew up in the same area I went to school. I played at a small school and was under most people’s radar, though I did get invited to the combine.”
TE Weslye Sanders: “After the season, I decided not to apply for reinstatement – many felt I was the number one tight end and I thought I could prove that at the combine. I had to show teams I wasn’t a character issue. But I broke my foot and couldn’t showcase my athletic ability.”
CB Deon Figures: “They showed no interest in me before. I ran a slow 40 at the combine – hell, I didn’t even want to run. But whatever – I just wanted to get into the league and show what I could do.”
CB Alan Haller: “I made a few plays and from there got invited to the combine. I had a good performance there and a few teams afterwards worked me out. I went from off the radar to being drafted in two months.”
DB Coach Ray Horton:“Troy Polomalu – I met him at the combine before I went to Pittsburgh. He’d answer everything “yes sir. No sir.” I told him to stop calling me sir, and he said “Yes sir.”
Trainer John Norwig: “We do work with scouts and present them with concerns on combine players and fail athletes with medical issues. Sometimes we’ll have longer discussions on whether a player scouts love can last in the NFL or not.”
OT Tony Hills: “I had one meeting with the Steelers at the combine. It was fun. We talked football and family. Some nickname jokes. But I thought I was going to be drafted by the Chargers, to be honest.”
Scout Joe Bushofsky: “Almost all of the teams used a similar approach because of the combines but the Steelers, the Giants and the Dallas cowboys had their own approaches. The Steelers lived by the drafts for years and with great success because they took into account the best players regardless of position.”
OT Mike Adams: “I had no idea the Steelers were interested in me or would draft me. Going into the draft I think four teams were most interested in me – Tampa Bay, Washington, the Chiefs and one other team. I never even met with the Steelers at the combine.”
OL Tom Newberry: “ John Rienstra was my roommate at the combine. He was a super nice guy – he told me his father had a business so he wanted to play football for a bit, but wouldn’t mind then going into his father’s business.”
TE Xavier Grimble: “I actually talked to them at the combine. James Daniel and their head scout said they were interested in me. We ran a pro style offense in college and that’s what they were looking for.”
RB Todd Spencer: “That’s the other side of this story. I got caught with marijuana in my system at the combine. And drugs derailed my career. When you smoke, it makes you suck wind. “
P John Goodson: “I didn’t know what grade anyone may have had on me – I wasn’t invited to the combine as a punter. I had no idea where I was rated on anyone’s board.”
S Ryan Mundy: “I was brought in for a visit by the Steelers and they had me take the Wonderlic Test. I didn’t attend the combine so didn’t take the test before, so I took it there. I got all of the answers right – a 29 out of 29. The scout walked in and said “Are you some kind of genius?” I didn’t know what he was talking about but then he told me I got every answer correct.”
LB Donta’ Jones: “At the combine my first meeting was with the Steelers. Cowher was there along with a lot of the personnel It was overwhelming – then I went there and got my Steelers gear!”
RB Richard Bell: “I wasn’t surprised – I was just disappointed. I’ll tell you why. Pittsburgh was one of my favorite teams growing up – I used to pretend to be Franco and Lynn Swann growing up. But I wanted to be drafted higher. I screwed that up for myself by doing poorly in the 40 at the combine”
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
