Speaker 1: We are with Sheldon White, very happy to be joined
Speaker 1: by this cheother's director of pro scouting. And before we
Speaker 1: launch into things I think for fans benefit, can you
Speaker 1: tell us what is the director of pro scouting? How
Speaker 1: does it differentiate between director of amateur scouting?
Speaker 2: For example, Okay, there's a there's a pro, a pro director,
Speaker 2: and a college director. The college director will be focused
Speaker 2: primarily on the college guys that are coming into the
Speaker 2: NFL draft. The Pro director's primary responsibility is all of
Speaker 2: the players in the National Football League. So we have
Speaker 2: to have a great feel for everyone that plays in
Speaker 2: the NFL as well as everyone that wants to play
Speaker 2: in the National Football League. So that includes the additional
Speaker 2: leagues like the Canadian leagues and the UFLS and some
Speaker 2: of those other leagues. We have to be on top
Speaker 2: of every player that wants to play in the National
Speaker 2: Football League as well as knowing the team the players
Speaker 2: that are in the NFL at the time.
Speaker 1: Oh, is that all? So that sounds like a lot.
Speaker 2: To spend a lot of time in the office.
Speaker 1: Yeah, there is. So you have a free agent crop
Speaker 1: coming up, and I'm sure you're evaluating players, but have
Speaker 1: to evaluate players that fit into the Steelers system. Correct,
Speaker 1: So how do you evaluate a class of free agents
Speaker 1: when you're knowing, okay, people are reporting, hey, this is
Speaker 1: a great class for wide receivers or whatever, but maybe
Speaker 1: a player isn't a particular fit for the organization.
Speaker 2: Before we even start that, we have to know our
Speaker 2: own football team. So like there's a complete evaluation and
Speaker 2: process of evaluating our entire football team. First, we have
Speaker 2: to know our players first before we go into what
Speaker 2: is available in free agency. Omar is big with saying
Speaker 2: who are Pittsburgh Steelers out of this group?
Speaker 1: And then part of knowing your own rosters probably knowing
Speaker 1: which players are on the rise. The students have always
Speaker 1: done a great job of having somebody sort of waiting
Speaker 1: in the wings at a certain position that maybe fans
Speaker 1: haven't seen on the field, but the staff and the
Speaker 1: evaluators of those players know is ready to take on
Speaker 1: a larger role.
Speaker 2: That is correct. And part of that process primarily is
Speaker 2: we will have a presence at practice, so you will
Speaker 2: see our staff around the pro staff, and we will
Speaker 2: be evaluating our players every day. After every game. We
Speaker 2: have watched every film of every game of every player
Speaker 2: that's played preseason, regular season, we've watched them, and then
Speaker 2: we grate them and evaluate them and meet on them
Speaker 2: to make sure that we know exactly who our players
Speaker 2: are before we head to that next process.
Speaker 1: I think it's fascinating to watch and Stieler's in the
Speaker 1: last couple of years have been aggressive out in free agency.
Speaker 1: Are you looking for a combination of bigger moves like
Speaker 1: that and knowing that the team can be aggressive and
Speaker 1: has some cap space, but also maybe strengthening a position
Speaker 1: sort of maybe towards the bottom of the roster, a
Speaker 1: better depth player at a certain position, all of the.
Speaker 2: Above, but primarily though, we're trying to find guys that
Speaker 2: fit within our structure of our salary cap on top
Speaker 2: of guys that fit within our locker room. So Deshaun
Speaker 2: Elliott was a great example of that. I mean, he
Speaker 2: was a great value for what we got him for
Speaker 2: and how he performed for us last year was phenomenal.
Speaker 1: Yes, yes he was. He was a terrific player to watch.
Speaker 1: So at the what are you and your staff and
Speaker 1: looking to accomplish, because there's the college staff obviously evaluating
Speaker 1: the players for the draft, what are you looking to
Speaker 1: get done here? What's important for you and your staff
Speaker 1: to accomplish in Indianapolis.
Speaker 2: For me, it's sitting in the interviews at night and
Speaker 2: listening to the players and learning the players. We have
Speaker 2: to start evalue our evaluation process right now because the
Speaker 2: majority of the guys that are here will be in
Speaker 2: the National Football League in some capacity, and we have
Speaker 2: to start that as soon as we can. College guys
Speaker 2: are out on the road doing their thing. They have
Speaker 2: a good feel for We sit down with them and
Speaker 2: catch up, play some catch up, go to senior bow
Speaker 2: and do those things, and try to just make sure
Speaker 2: that by the time we get down here we have
Speaker 2: a feel for who the players are. I'll personally sit
Speaker 2: in those interviews with our formal interviews to sit with
Speaker 2: our players and get to know them a little bit
Speaker 2: more and just start the process of learning who's gonna
Speaker 2: be playing because eventually they'll be pro guys, and when
Speaker 2: they're pro guys, we have to know them inside it out.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that's important for fans to understand that
Speaker 1: when a guy hits free agency, you're not scrambling around here,
Speaker 1: Hey who's this guy? Right? Have you got to a
Speaker 1: dossier on these players that you can fall back on
Speaker 1: while you continue the present evaluation process as well.
Speaker 2: That is correct, and and we'll start that process down here.
Speaker 2: By the time they get to the National Football League,
Speaker 2: we will evaluate our players like I mentioned, in the preseason,
Speaker 2: looking at them and practicing in the games, and then
Speaker 2: we'll send we'll we'll have guys out at preseason games
Speaker 2: to start the evaluation process there as well, and then
Speaker 2: once the season starts. We're evaluating these players every year.
Speaker 2: My scouts will have a team every you know, every year,
Speaker 2: and you're evaluating every player that's on the football team.
Speaker 2: And then by the time they get to free agency,
Speaker 2: you know him really well. And if you don't know
Speaker 2: him really well, someone on my staff does because I
Speaker 2: saw him year one, two, three, l he's a free agent.
Speaker 2: But it's not just like, oh my god, who's who's available.
Speaker 2: These guys have been broke down and vetted to the
Speaker 2: best that we can do, depending on a number of staff.
Speaker 1: And it has to be heartening to be able to
Speaker 1: find things that are gonna help the football team, whether
Speaker 1: it is at Patrick Queen and Isaac Ciamala, Deshaun Elliott,
Speaker 1: to help the team and move forward.
Speaker 2: No doubt, those players have been great for us. They
Speaker 2: were great signings. You had to get to know them
Speaker 2: first as well, make sure they fit. Are they Pittsburgh Steelers?
Speaker 2: As Omar were always acts, is that guy Pittsburgh Steeler?
Speaker 2: If nothing, keep it moving, because whether you're the strengths
Speaker 2: or weaknesses in our classes or why these free agent classes,
Speaker 2: it's a matter where they can fit with us, and
Speaker 2: they're gonna help us win and fit in our locker room.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Sheldon, thanks very much of the time. Really appreciate it. Yes,
Speaker 1: thank you.