Newest ‘Cardinals Flight Plan’ gives fans inside look at NFL Combine

The newest installment of “Cardinals Flight Plan” dropped on Thursday, and it gave viewers an in-depth look into the Cardinals’ presence at the NFL Combine that took place two weeks ago.

The episode opened with general manager Steve Keim addressing the Cardinals’ staff during a pre-combine meeting. In his speech, Keim discussed the team’s strategy in evaluating players at the combine, and what exactly they would be looking for while there.

“As we get enamored with these players over the next couple weeks and we see them jump high, run fast or do the three-cone in a low time, we just have to remind ourselves that at one o’clock on Sunday, we don’t run the three-cone,” Keim said.

“Having the first pick in every round is obviously going to put a premium on our team, but the one thing that I want to make sure is that when they get through that Cardinal filter that we talked about before, they have to love the game,” Keim added. “Those are the types of players we win with, and if they don’t love it, we’ll leave them over on the other board. Let’s just make sure that the guys that we have that are fighting with us in this room love the game and give us every opportunity to succeed.”

The episode then transitioned to media day at the combine, where it showed head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s many different interviews with outlets such as ESPN, NFL Network and NFL Radio. Keim’s media availability was also shown, and he echoed a lot of the same sentiments that were mentioned in his speech earlier in the episode.

Interviews with director of pro personnel Quentin Harris and west area scout Josh Scobey were shown next, where they both shared their experiences with the combine as former players who went through it themselves.

“I was nervous, because there was a bit of an unknown to what exactly the process was,” Harris said about his time at the 2002 combine. “You knew the drills and you knew what you were going to be doing, but you didn’t know the interview part of it, you didn’t know the psychological testing part of it, and you just didn’t know what was next. It was very high-paced and confusing at times.”

“It was kind of intimidating coming up on stage, based on the people that were in the audience,” Scobey said.

The middle portion of the episode was filled with comments from potential No. 1 picks to the media. Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa and Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams were all shown talking about what being the No. 1 pick would mean to them.

“I’m a competitor, and I love the game,” Murray said. “To be the No. 1 pick, that’s a kid’s dream come true. If my name was called No. 1, I’d be ready to go for sure.”

The episode covered the storyline surrounding Murray and the Cardinals, showing clips of speculation on whether or not he will be the choice for the Cardinals at the top spot.

Things concluded with a breakdown of the interview portion of the combine, where director of college scouting Dru Grigson explained the ins and outs of that part of the process.

“In some cases, this might be the only chance that Steve or Kliff or [President] Michael [Bidwell] get to actually sit with a kid, because you’re so limited by how many players you can talk to and how many interactions you can have with them, especially in the fall,” Grigson said. “There are times where an interview makes you say, ‘I want this guy to be a Cardinal,’ and there are many that make you say, ‘I do not want this guy to be a Cardinal.'”

The next installment will air on March 28. That episode will be all about free agency, including the recent signing of Terrell Suggs.