A FORMER NFL executive has revealed how the NFL Draft was arguably the craziest period of the season.
Former New York Jets general manager and Miami Dolphins executive vice president of football operations, Mike Tannenbaum, detailed his experiences in an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun.
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The 54-year-old spoke about the draft process, why NFL star Laremy Tunsil's draft night fall in 2016 was "maybe the craziest single moment in the history of the draft," and what life is like in a front office once the clock starts ticking.
'IT'S GAME DAY'
Tannenbaum, who spent 24 years in the NFL in various roles, described Draft Day as "game day," after "11 months of preparation."
He explained: "We start in May, right? So you wanna be, as Abe Lincoln would say, 'if you have four hours, you wanna spend three hours sharpening your axe and one hour chopping that tree down.'"
This preparation involves grading and researching prospects nationwide, which is ultimately rounded off with the annual NFL Combine, Pro Days, and visits.
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And when it comes to landing on a final grade for players, there's a balance to be found between what the tape shows, and what the Combine adds.
Tannenbaum explained: "You don't wanna oversimplify things, but I would say that how they play football in the fall is oftentimes the most important aspect of their game.
"Now, using the Combine appropriately, their pro-day medical security. Those are all important aspects, but how they play football over a 10-year period when you closely study.
"That is gonna give you your best outcome.
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"Now, when players check every box, they have a great workout, a great Combine, a great Pro Day, and they play well.
"You know, that's when you sleep well as a GM.
"But as you get after the first round, and you have to start being much more subjective, how they play the game on tape is the most important thing."
DRAFT HISTORY
A prime example of trusting this extensive research when it comes to draft night came back in 2016, while with the Dolphins.
Tannenbaum said: "I was part of maybe the craziest single moment in the history of the draft, which was Laramy Tunsil.
"He was the number one guy on our board and he had a gas mask video, and we drafted him at 13.
"He was the best player in the draft. He's still at the top of the market as a left tackle and our preparation.
"We had 11 months of information on him. He was a great kid, great relationship with his mom, great teammate at Ole Miss.
"All those things were fantastic. So we use that preparation to take advantage of an opportunity that literally was unfolding in front of the entire nation. "
Tannenbaum and Co.'s decision to select the now three-time Pro Bowler 13th overall proved a masterstroke.
Not only did he become one of the league's best offensive tackles, but he also went on to net the Dolphins two first-round picks and a second-round pick as part of a monster trade with the Texans in 2019.
In fact, in a separate exclusive with NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, he also named the Tunsil fall as one of his standout moments in the draft.
He explained: "That was really fun, and that was one where one of the guys on our news desk who's now one of our, one of my favorite producers, this guy Andrew Groover, he texts me and he goes, 'Hey man, you gotta look at Laremy Tunsil's Twitter.'
"And I'm like, 'I don't follow Laremy Tunsil, but OK.'
"And then at that point, we thought he was going three to, I forget where, and it was him taking a hit out of a bong that was a gas mask.
"And I'm like, 'I don't know what this is, but this is going to be something.'
"Talked to my bosses, started talking to, you know, owners and general managers in the room. Talked to his agent, like here's how they're managing.
"And by the time the sixth pick came around, I was able to go on air and say like: 'Laremy Tunsil's falling. There was a video of him taking a bong out of a gas mask.'
"You know, reported very seriously, even though the whole thing is ridiculous.
"And that was, you know, one of the draft bombshells I'll never forget."
FRONT OFFICE CONFLICT
But not all decisions come as smoothly as that to pick Tunsil.
When asked if there's ever conflict between coaches and executives come draft night, Tannenbaum said: "It happens all the time."
He continued: "You just wanna be the point guard of information.
"Like: 'Hey, we're gonna give him a fourth-round pick here, which could be valuable, but here's David Harris.
"We think he could start, he's a three-down player. Great against the run, and here's all the things he could do for us. So it's not ideal, but here's why we think we should do it.'
"And you have a partnership there and you work really hard to talk things."
HITS AND MISSES
Ultimately, every draft will see both hits and misses.
In terms of his bigger successes, Tannenbaum mentioned Tunsil, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Darrell Revis, and Minkah Fitzpatrick - hardly a list to turn your nose up at.
One miss, however, was defensive end Vernon Gholston.
Tannenbaum explained: "That was disappointing.
"He was a great person, but we asked him to do things he didn't do in college in the pro level, and that unfortunately didn't work out, and that was a good lesson."
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Looking ahead, the countdown to this year's NFL Draft is reaching its end.
Hundreds of dreams will be realized this week, kicking off on April 27 in Kansas City, Missouri.
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