Other than the Super Bowl, the NFL Scouting Combine, a showcase of draft prospects taking place in Indianapolis, Indiana this week, is the league’s most covered and scrutinized event, and second in fan popularity. It embodies the adage that hope springs eternal, as avid supporters of the league’s 32 teams envision having some of the likely transformational players that will become cornerstones of a championship contender.
Two players who have those qualities are a pair of Ohio State Buckeyes. Safety Caleb Downs and wide receiver Carnell Tate are ostensibly high on every team’s draft board and would make an immediate impact on the Jets and Giants.
The legions of Jets and Giants fans have a vested interest in thoroughly evaluating players as their teams hold the No. 2 and No. 5 picks respectively in the first round. The Jets also have the No. 16 pick. They finished 3-14 last season, resulting in them missing the playoffs for an NFL record 15th straight season. The Giants weren’t much better and were the first team officially eliminated from postseason contention after a 34-27 overtime loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 12 (November 23). Two weeks before that defeat, team co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch fired head coach Brian Daboll.
The Giants ultimately ended the campaign with a 4-13 record. Since winning the Super Bowl in the 2011 season, they have just two playoff appearances (2016 and 2022 seasons). Enter John Harbaugh, hired as the new head coach in January after 18 seasons at the helm of the Baltimore Ravens. Meeting with the media on Tuesday at the Combine, Harbaugh profiled the type of player the Giants are seeking to create a winning culture.
“You want a bunch of people that understand that that’s what we’re here for and that can fit the type of team we want to play, the values that we’re looking for,” he said. “We want good, tough, hard-nosed players that want to play hard, that are team-first type people, that like every part of football, meetings, weight lifting, practice, the preparation, like being around the guys and the gals who are involved in it, that want to go out there on Sunday and let it rip. That’s what we’re looking for.”
The Jets’ Aaron Glenn, in contrast to Harbaugh, was a rookie head coach last season. He is a former defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions and next season will assume playcalling responsibilities for a team ranked 31st in points allowed (29.6) last year.
“To me, playcalling is my superpower, really,” Glenn said at the Combine. “Doing it for four years in Detroit and man, just look at the maturation of those four years of how we improved every year and how I improved as a play-caller. I really miss doing that. I think it’s a huge part of helping us become the team that I see us becoming.”