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The following is a product of Dallas.
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Cowboys.com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. How about this Cowboys.
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This is the.
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DallasCowboys.com draft show your war room for insider news and draft analysis from deep within the confines of Cowboys headquarters at the Star and Frisco. Now your hosts, Vach Lombardi, Nick Harris, Bobby Belt, Tommy Yarish and Kyle Yeomans. Today is Thursday, January 29, 2026 and we are 84 days away from the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Welcome in to the Draft show presented by Miller Light once again live here from Mobile, Alabama and the site of the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl. Back alongside Tommy Jarish and Nick Harris, I'm Kyle Yeomans. We've got a loaded show for you today. We had a lot of interviews yesterday because of media day. Today we're going to get a lot of sit down opportunities, including one with Charles Deming's corner from Stephen F. Austin. You don't want to miss this interview coming up in the second segment. And then Drew Fabianic, the executive director of the Senior bowl will join us in the third segment as we wrap up our day three here at the Senior Bowl. Now, days one and two really were different in in a couple of different ways. One of them was kind of that introduction where you were learning the playbook and getting your scheme down and trying to work your work with new teammates for the first time. That was day one. Day two yesterday, I think we got a chance to really see what some of these guys can do and got to really evaluate a lot of these high level NFL draft prospects.
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C
Yeah, I think, you know, the first day there was definitely some feeling out and everybody just kind of getting comfortable playing alongside one another. These guys are all new to being with each other. Right. So there is going to be that general feeling out period. But just talking to people around here, it seems like everybody's pleased with how physical yesterday was and they feel like these guys are really going at one another. And I think that's been exemplified through some of the reps that we've seen and I'm sure there's so many clips out there of the physicality and the competition level between these two teams and these players. You can tell that there's a greater sense of urgency now going into the second day and I'm sure that'll be the case again on day three.
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D
Yeah, it's really been cool to see some of these big names go up against some of the smaller names and find that stout competition. And Drew Fabian will talk about it later how he doesn't feel like there's a guy that's out of place here. And I'd agree with him there might not be as much top end talent at the Senior bowl this year. That's no knock to his crew though because I think when you look at it, you know, bar for bar, all these guys that are in this game, he's right. There's not a, there's not a cat that's out of place. We're going to talk about a lot of guys, I'm sure here in this segment, but it's been really fun to see everyone shine here on this stage.
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B
And I think we've, we've now gotten a chance to really pinpoint who has put together and stacked good days. You hear that a lot of times in training camp and in the lead up to a season. How do you stack good days? How do you put together back to back practices? We've seen a couple of those guys through the first two practices so far. Let's talk about Josh Cameron as one of those names. Baylor wide receiver. I mentioned him yesterday on the show. We saw it again yesterday as well in practice. I mean he's really become a standout wide receiver in this event.
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D
Yeah, for sure. And got the opportunity to talk to Josh yesterday like you said. But every time I see him on the field, he just continues to go up another round for me. As far as grade goes, I think this is one of the more safer bets you could find on day three. If you're looking for a guy who, you know, needs to provide special teams value on day one and then eventually can bring you receiving value. And he is, he has shown that here in Mobile, going up against any size corner, any type of corner, he's, he's found his way.
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C
I think some of the bigger names too that, you know, you come in thinking, okay, you expect these guys because they are so highly thought of and because they're so high on everybody's boards or whatever it is at this time of year, can they back it up? And I think some of them had. TJ Parker is the one for me that I think has really shown a lot. Two really consistent days. Nobody can guard him. I don't think. I think he's beaten everybody. And you know, we talked about earlier in the week that these offensive tackles and this offensive line group maybe isn't the best, but that's an opportunity for the to stand out. When TJ Parker's playing, nobody's really stood out. He's a lot Bigger in person than I thought he was on film. Just watching him, I was like, ah, okay, maybe it seems like he's on the smaller side. No, he came in at 6 3, 263 pounds and he looks every bit of it. So I've been really impressed with TJ Parker. My thought on him has changed. Same goes for Lee Hunter in the middle of that Texas Tech defense. Defensive tackle. I was not high on him coming into here at all. And you see him getting blocked one on ones and nobody can hold him either. He's just way too strong. His upper body is incredible and, and he just pushes guys back. Pushes guys back. You talked about on day one how they had to start double teaming it because they just didn't have an answer.
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B
They did it a lot yesterday and.
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C
They had to do it a lot yesterday. And then, you know, a guy that you question the athletic ability, is it going to translate to the NFL With Jacob Rodriguez, linebacker from Texas Tech. The dude just gets turnovers like he is around the ball and he's so smart in the way he goes about it. You know, he posted a clip yesterday of that first forced fumble. He had two. And you can just see how he positions himself to be in the perfect spot to punch the ball free and he just always happens to be there. I think he had seven forced fumbles this past year for Texas Tech. So those are some of the guys to me that have put together some really strong days.
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D
Yeah, a couple more I want to throw out there. Nadame Tucker, the defensive lineman out of Western Michigan. He's been violent. I've liked what I've seen from him. I think, you know, when you talk about some of these smaller school guys, he's certainly been one that is, that has shined. And then also another small school guy, receiver Ted Hurst out of Georgia State. Man, he's really come out here and shown that he belongs. It's not only the ability, but it's the size. We, we kind of had an idea when he came in at 6 3, 207 pounds, you know, that he'd be able to be physical on the outside. And he has certainly shown that going up against just about any type of corner as well. And he's been able to shine. And then I've, I just continue to love Dalen Everett. That's, that's a first round pick for me. I think so too. I love Dalen Everett. I think he's sound. He, he's going to give you a high floor year one in the NFL. I think that's a guy if, if, you know, the cowboys trade back in the 20s and, you know, find themselves past pick 25, that it makes sense to, to pick a guy like that.
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B
I want you to, I want you to put it out there, though. Would you pick him at 20, staying put, and if he's there, you don't go corner at 12?
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D
No, I, I, I, I don't think I would just because I think there's still going to be really good defensive names there for you. And I, I like the Dylan Thieman idea a little bit more and if I like the Dylan Theemann idea a little bit more, then I, I could probably buy into a Keith Abney. You know, I, I have, like, him and Keith Abney like in the same part of my brain right now towards, like, both of those guys. I think they're going to give you a high floor year one. I think Dalen Everett may be a higher floor. I just think the ceiling is much higher with, with Dalen Everett than maybe Abney. So maybe I'll just answer the question for myself right there. Yeah, yeah, he's, he's a fantastic player. Would I, would I be like, oh, my God, it's an awful pick? No, I, but I, I, I just continue to love the kid.
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C
Kyle and I were watching yesterday and, you know, they were doing their individual drills just, you know, backpedal to con go, backpedal to go. He was the smoothest out of everybody. I mean, his, his stop and go ability to just change direction and get in and out of his breaks was in my opinion, the best of that American team bunch that we saw.
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B
I think one thing to keep in mind and they're on different teams, but two of the first round conversations at corner coming into the week was Dalen Everett out of Georgia and Colton Hood out of Tennessee and out of the two guys. And the comparisons that I've seen so far, I've been far more impressed with Everett than I have been with the consistency of Hood. I see the thought process behind Colton Hood. I see where that's a possibility as a first round pick because he has all the traits and the tools and he has some of the tape to back it up, too. But the consistency level against this level of competition against these all stars on the opposite side have has not been there for Hood the same way that I think it's been there forever. Does that kind of mirror what you guys are thinking or is it, am I alone in that regard?
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D
No, I, I see that. And the tape is probably more Consistent with Hood. Although I, I, again I, I think there's still a lot to like when it comes from a length perspective and how that has shown up on tape for Dalen Everett. But you know, coming from that Georgia defense and Christian Parker has worked with a lot of guys that have come from that Georgia defense. Dale never just continues to make sense. But sec ball is SEC ball. At the end of the day, a guy like Colton Hood is going to be coming in to the NFL, you know, with that experience, going up against these, he's battle test end of the day. And so I, again I, I, I still think it's rich at 12 for Colton Hood.
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B
Yeah.
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D
And I think if you're there and, and that D Daniel Jeremiah scenario, you hope there's a trade partner on the phone. But nevertheless I, I, I do think he's going to have a, a good NFL future.
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B
So you would take Hood at 20, but you would not take Everett at 20. Is he going to be stacked higher than Everett on your board?
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D
Ask me at combine.
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B
Okay, that's fair. And it's still early, still very early. I know you're not stacking boards yet, but just based off of the conversation here, that's kind of what it seems like.
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D
No, not necessarily. I wouldn't take hood at 12 and so I, I, I don't know.
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B
Would you take him at 20?
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D
Sure.
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B
So then he would be stacked higher than ever. That's what I'm saying.
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D
The reason I, I kind of give give you phoniness on this is just because like we can, we can watch these guys on tape.
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B
Yeah.
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D
So much up until this point and I just got done talking to a scout literally about this exact same topic. When you see them here in person, you sit down and you talk to them. That's just as much a part of the onfield evaluation as it is, you know, everything else. And then seeing these guys in person and, and how they come in, how they test at the combine, heightened weight, you know, are they taking care of their body during the off season? That's as much of part of the process as anything else. And so that's why I say ask me at combine because we're able to get so much more context on these guys up until then. As of right now, we literally just have tape to work off of and, and tape, look, it tells, I think 65 to 70% of the story, but it's just one data point and there's so many other data points that are so very valuable in this process that you have to make sure and hit on.
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B
And I'm glad you bring that up because a lot of our viewership, of course, are film buffs. They watch their own film, they do their own research, and that's why we do these types of shows where there's a lot of interviews and we do a lot of shows where there's connection with players, because outside of the tape, you got to be able to get to know the guys as well. That's why all of the people walking behind us currently as we film this draft show here on a Thursday morning are going to NFL former interviews. And there's teams at the end of the hallway getting ready to sit down with each of these players and have conversations with a lot of the Senior bowl guys, which is valuable for the teams just as much as it's valuable for the players just to get to sit down with franchises back and forth. So it is a crucial part of this process, and we try and bring you a little taste of that through this week and then through the combine as a part of the draft show as opposed to just this film study and what we're hearing around the building as well. So I do think it's important. Plus, the guy that we're about to hear from in Charles Demings corner from sfa, he goes by Chuck D or Chucky D, just to be completely honest. We filmed this this morning. This is a prerecorded interview. It's one of the best that we've ever had. So I guarantee you, you want to stick around, you want to watch this and you talk about learning who the people are, learning who the prospect really is. This is going to be a great opportunity to do that when we come back with Charles Demings from SFA right after this with more of the draft show presented by Miller Lite. Life is a workout, and Smoothie King is here to help you power through. Whether you're maxing out overhead presses, pushing through chest flies, or being the hero your golden retriever needs to carry them over that scary bridge, Smoothie King has the fuel to help you go all out, build muscle and boost your recovery. With 45 grams of protein, 0 grams of added sugar, and delicious customizable ingredients in the Gladiator smoothie, available in chocolate, strawberry and vanilla only. At Smoothie King, I'm Dak Prescott, quarterback.
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B
This is the Dallas Cowboys.com draft show. Continuing on here in the draft show from mobile, Alabama, the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl. And we've got now one of the Texas prospects in this senior bowl class that I've been really intrigued by this week. Got Charles. Excuse me, Charles Demings here from Stephen F. Austin. And Charles, you go by Chuck D. That's why I stumbled a little bit there, Charles Demings. But Chuck D is what you want to go by. Where did that start? And who started Chuck instead of Charles.
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E
There, man, Tell you the truth, my grandpa, he always called me Chuck, man. And you know, he called me that since I, since I was young. But one day my junior year, you know, somebody yelled out Chuck D within our locker room. And you know, I heard it, I was like, you know, not too bad. But I actually, you know, we had a bonfire for homecoming that year and I was one of the captains. So I went up there and I spoke in front of the whole bonfire and my coach introduced me as Chucky D. And from that point on, the whole school started calling me Chuck D. It stuck and it's been with me for two years, man. It's just been Chuck D, Chucky D, whichever one people prefer. But, you know, it grew on me. And I love the name.
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B
Yeah, no doubt about it. And it's become a name of its own, one here in Mobile, but also just through NFL draft circles, I see that you're the first in Stephen F. Austin history to be named to the Senior Bowl. What does that mean to you to be able to represent this program from East Texas and be able to kind of show out the program that you played your. Your entire career at?
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E
Man, it's definitely God empowering because, you know, I let prayer be my steering wheel, man, throughout this whole process and throughout, you know, my collegiate career. You know, it came with hardships, it came with highs and lows, but I stayed true to the course. You know, I never gave up. And the thing or the question that resonated in my mind before all this began was, what's on the other side of a committed. Yes. And now I'm living proof of what is on the other side of a committed yes. When you commit yourself to something that you want, not something that you believe in, because when you believe, you leave room for doubt. So I knew I wanted it. I knew I could make it happen. And now I'm sitting here.
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C
You know, over the last couple years, that SFA program has gotten better and better. And, yeah, it's. It's. It's what you would if the greater college football world would call a smaller school. Right? And now you're here, and there's teams like Alabama, Tennessee, all kinds of teams represented.
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B
What are you.
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C
What are you hoping to show NFL scouts? Hey, I can hang with some of the guys from these bigger schools, too. With college football being so much more Power four, with the transfer portal and Nil and all that.
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E
Yeah, man, you know, take off the names on our jersey and take off the logo on our helmets and then tell me the difference there, you know, and that's what I'm looking to show the scouts, the GMs, the owners of these NFL teams here. There it is. No difference. Yeah, I went to a small school, but my ability isn't small. My range isn't small, my mindset definitely isn't small. You know, it's matched up with the elite of the elite and the best of the best. And, you know, it's not just me. I'm a reflection of every FCS prospect out there, you know, hoping to get their dreams out there, you know, hoping to get their name out there and just haven't got the chance yet. But I am, I am the example of when a small school guy gets his chance and gets his shot and how he's going to take it and approach it.
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D
I want to learn more about your journey. Coming out of Mesquite horn in the Dallas area. Was there ever a moment where doubt did creep in and you talk about committing to that? Yes. When do you remember committing to that?
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E
Yes, I remember committing to it. April 14, 2022, man, my sophomore year of college.
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D
Why that day?
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E
It's because that's the day I surrendered my life to Christ, man.
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B
Wow.
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E
You know that it was a big moment for me. You know, it was a lot of questions that I would ask myself and a lot of whys. And that's the day that I vividly remember switching that why to a why not, you know, letting God be. Be my vehicle, letting God steer the wheel while I'm in the passenger seat and me using prayer as a steering wheel instead of an emergency tire that I pull out. And you know, situations of emergency and situations of need. And you know what? Why not? Why not that be my daily routine? Why not I lean on that for strength, you know, why not I let that build me and walk with that with every breath I take, you know, and that transformed my heart that. That literally my purpose is to hear God and express his heartbeat. You know, I plan to make a bigger purpose in my shoes and around this hotel and with these guys creating those relationships than I do on the field. You know, if I. If I don't be lead on the field and take every rep, all I can go 100, then that'll be me doing a disservice to God, the ability that he give me. But if I'm able to explain, expand his glory, expand his kingdom on a platform that he gives me in every way and love the next man as I love myself. Oh, man, there's no limits. Don't tell me. The sky the limit. When his footprints on the moon.
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D
You know, I think you expanded his glory I think you expanded his glory in a great way this last season. Four interceptions. You had a hell of a year. What do you credit that to, man, it's awesome. Obviously your development and you also had opportunities to hit the transfer portal. Why was now the time to go ahead and hop in the draft instead?
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E
Well, my production is solely predicated to the other 10 guys I was on the field with. Not those other ten guys. My other. My offense, my special teams. We literally play the greatest team sport on earth. If I didn't have those Other guys doing the things they do. I wouldn't be in position to make the plays I was supposed to make, you know, and the transfer portal, you know, I'm not a. I'm not an nil guy. I'm not a guy who looks for a dollar sign, not a guy who looks for the next bag, you know, my goal wasn't to just make it to the league, but it was to stick. SFA gave me all the tools. It gave me all the developmental skills, turned, transformed me into the player I could be, but not only that, into the person, you know, it gave me a bridge to God. We may not have the best resources or the best locker room, but we got the best people in it, man. Those guys stay true to the core. And not only that, they're selfless. You have guys who choose faith over fear, hope over despair, and service over selflessness, man. And things like that is where I wanted to leave a legacy at, you know, turning down maybe $400,000, could be 100 million in the future, you know, So I was able to see the forest from the trees in that moment. And I'm glad I did, because with every decision came with prayer, and that came with a lot of discernment, man. And it took a lot of meat of me being still in those moments and realizing that my purpose is bigger than, you know, nil bag or going somewhere for a check, man. And it was bigger than in between those white lines. It's what I could do in that locker room. And I realized that, you know, at a young age, at the age of 18. And so I was able to commit myself to. To those guys in the locker room, not. Not to me and my production on the field. Production was going to come as long as I did everything I was supposed to do and played in the confines of my defense. I was going to make all the plays I was supposed to make.
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B
Steven F. Austin corner Charles Demings here on the draft show, AKA Chuck D. I got to get. Make sure and get that in there a little bit here. Sorry to cut you off there. I just wanted to reset things.
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C
Oh, you're fine. Okay, Great segue. No, what I was going to ask was, what's the highlight of this week been for you? Obviously, I know it's a lot. Some of these guys are coming off 16, 17 game seasons. And what have you really enjoyed about this? Is there a moment in practice that maybe stands out to you of whether it be just having fun or knowing that you made a play?
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E
Man, it's definitely Being out there, you know, as I talk about all this, you know, what we doing throughout the hotel, the bond we're creating, the relationships we're creating, man, going onto that field with those other guys and you know, you see SEC helmets, you see ACC helmets, you see all these different conferences, and then you go out there and see a Steven F. Austin Jacks helmet, man, that feels amazing. You know, not only do I get to talk about an impact, but I literally get the chance to make one each day that God gives me with the allowance he gives me, man. And so when I go out there, I do my usual routine of praying before I step on the field, then I get to go on the field. And then now I'm in a mix with those guys. It don't feel like I'm out of place. It feel like we're all on the same team. Tell you the truth, I barely could see the difference in helmets, if you ask me. And so it feels amazing being out there with those guys, man, going through that and you know, just absorbing their knowledge and what they know because, you know, they have better resources, so they kind of, they may have better way to take care of their body. They may have a different approach than I do to the game. And so there's no hate in that, man. I definitely want to absorb those guys, absorb what they know, man, and, you know, use it to my advantage.
- [22:48]
D
During training camp last year we got to cover one of your former teammates, Bruce Harmon. He ended up with the Cowboys. How has he been able to help you just over the course of your career and then during this process as well?
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E
Man, that was a guy who I came in and he modeled a pro on and off the field, you know, very early when he didn't have to, when he didn't know if he was going to the NFL, you know, and he didn't even look that far. I was a freshman and he was a sophomore, man. And when I came in, he was a third string cornerback. Playing like a first string, acting as if he was the starter. And that he showed me a lot about proper preparation prevents poor performance. You know, you act like the starter before you are the starter. That's how you become the starter, man. That's how you approach a day as if you already won. You don't wait till you win, man. And that guy right there, man, he gave me endless lessons, man, he just gave me, and not even just me, all the other younger guys, he gave us so much advice, he gave us so much direction and he wasn't that's a guy right there who chose service over selflessness because he could have. You know, he would always tell me, man, you're so athletic, man. You got the ability. You got everything. And he's trying to get me to put it together, man. And not once did he leave my side until he left college. And so that was amazing. That was an amazing guy right there. That was an amazing role model, you know, and he's a blessing that I don't think I ever told him that he was. He can. So he can definitely continue being the guy he is, and he's going to affect people around the world.
- [24:18]
D
And just like him, what would it mean to end up in Dallas?
- [24:23]
E
You know, that's the home, man, I got it tatted on me, man. To play for the city. That'd be an amazing thing. Tell you the truth, like, I couldn't even tell you the emotion, you know? And as I sit here and think I would, you know, I could say, picking up every hat is gonna be the same emotion. But I feel like when you pick up that hat for your hometown, oh, man, that. That not only gives joy to you, but the people around you, the. The people you grew up with, the. The faculty and staff members that help you get there, oh, man, they're going to be astound, man, because not only did they help a young man transform into a man, you know, from a boy to a man, but now he gets to represent his city in the biggest way by playing for them. So, man, that. That. That'll mean a lot, bro. It'll be a blessing.
- [25:15]
B
Not to get too far into it, but what do you have tatted from Dallas on? What do you got? Is it. Is it a star? Is it a Dallas?
- [25:22]
E
What do you got, man? It's the Dallas skyline inside the state of Texas, and it says Texas made on the top of it. My right chest.
- [25:29]
B
Very nice. That's awesome. Now, final one, before we let you go, we have a lot of smart viewers and listeners. They do their own film study. They break down players, they break down prospects. And even though they may not have seen you quite yet, what can they expect? Whenever they turn on the film of Chuck D and turn on some of.
- [25:49]
E
That SFA tape, man, you're going to see a guy of great poise, a guy of great resilience, a guy with dry erase memory. A bad play could come. That bad play is going to stay in that moment. I will move on to the next moment. Not only that, you're going to see my commitment in every play you're going to see that hustle and that grit and you're going to be able to tell my mentality because when I line up against a receiver, I'm okay with that being the last thing I ever do on this earth, man. I'm okay with being in Cleese and being a helmet. That's my last wardrobe choice because that's where God put me. That's the allowance God let me have was doing that rep of football. So when I say I leave it all out there, I literally leave it all out there, man, on every rep and every step I take, man. I'm okay with doing that because my foundation is his love. So when people turn on the tape, that's what they will see.
- [26:37]
B
That's incredible.
- [26:38]
D
I'm ready to run through a day. It's 6:30 in the morning.
- [26:45]
B
I, I've asked that question a couple times on this show before and I'm just really pulling back the curtain here. I don't know if I've ever heard a better answer in my life. And, and we've been doing this, I've been doing this show for seven years. So I'm cheering for you, man. I really am. I, I think you, you've got the right mindset. Got some really good tape out there as well. And you got a long way to go because like you said, you're not just trying to make it to the NFL, you're trying to stick. And so I wish you nothing but the best. Can't wait to see you out there later today and then throughout the week and into the draft process as well. Congratulations on everything up to this point.
- [27:19]
E
Thank you, man. What a privilege it is, man.
- [27:21]
B
No doubt about it. Charles Demings, AKA Chuck D. Remember the name from Stephen F. Austin, cornerback here from the Senior bowl when we come back with the draft show. More from Radio Row and and the Mobile Convention center right after this.
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D
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D
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B
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C
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- [29:02]
E
I'm Dak Prescott, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
- [29:05]
B
And they snap at the Prescott who looks right, it's not there. He escapes left. He'll run for a first down.
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E
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B
Prescott's going to run this himself. Run it up the middle and he scores.
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E
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- [29:30]
B
Get started@blockchain.com this is the Dallas Cowboys.com draft show. Welcome back into the draft show presented by Miller Lite, the only beer of the Dallas Cowboys with Tommy Yarish and Nick Harris. I'm Kyle Yeomans from radio row with the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl. And we are now joined by the executive director of the Senior Bowl, Drew Fabianich in his first year here with the Senior bowl crew and leading the Senior bowl crew. And I will say it's a year of change for the Senior bowl, but it's a change in the positive direction. We've had nothing but incredible things to say over the last two days of practice going into day three today. And we've seen a lot of your work throughout the calendar year to get to this point. So first off, congratulations. Getting to this point, what's this last year been like for you, taking over and trying to continue the momentum that the Senior bowl has built?
- [30:22]
A
You know, it hadn't been a year. It's only been about eight months. The, you know, the great thing was you Know, Jim set up a very good system. I mean, it's built just like an NFL scouting department. And, you know, we have area scouts that are, you know, sprinkled all over the country. You know, we have, you know, two scouting assistants. You know, Jack Gilmore hasn't got to do a lot of tape because, you know, the operations piece, but he can evaluate. I can evaluate. We got 14 people, you know, that evaluate tape. And we split it up early. You know, we split it up by conference. We start breaking, you know, down team by team. First we got to figure out where the transfers are going first.
- [30:54]
E
True.
- [30:54]
A
You know, that's the biggest thing, because then you got to go backwards on that. Okay, wait a minute. He was here. Let's watch tape. You know, and I walked in and there was 230 guys on the board already when I walked when I got here in May.
- [31:04]
B
Wow.
- [31:04]
A
You know, so I was like, there we go. You know, so what happens is that, you know, once we start breaking them down, we put together the list for the area scouts in August, then we shoot it to them, right? They grade the guys on tape. They'll also call the schools because we can't afford to send them to do school visits. Now, we can send them to games, but we can't afford to do that piece. So they valley of tape, and then we have an October meetings with them, just like we do in the league. Well, and then I cross check them, you know, so they're cross checking us, and then we're cross checking them. Maybe 600 to 700 players evaluated. Wow. Right in there. Narrowed it down to like a top 300. I think you guys saw what we did right off the bat, you know, and again, did all those guys from the top 300 make it in the game?
- [31:47]
C
No.
- [31:48]
A
You know, but there was also some guys that played up into it.
- [31:51]
E
Yeah.
- [31:52]
A
So, you know, we found those guys, too. And I mean, and it's. It's a team effort. I mean, this isn't about me. But what I can tell you is that I've watched every single damn players on this roster, and it's been really.
- [32:03]
B
Fun to see how they've come together as well. But I do want to go into your background a bit here. Just because, one, you were once in the building with the Dallas Cowboys as well. Spent how many years?
- [32:14]
A
15 years? 18.
- [32:15]
B
18 years. Got to give you credit for those extra three years. 18 years with the Dallas Cowboys. And then you've had some other stops along the way before taking over as the executive director of the senior Bowl Auburn as the general manager. You were on the West Virginia staff under Neil Brown up in Morgantown. I mean, why was this an enticing job for you after the path that you had to take here?
- [32:36]
A
Well, you know, I think every piece of my career has. Is kind of set my skill set for a position just like this because I coach for 17 years, too. So it's like I can talk to these coaches a lot differently than most people can, and I can explain to them, you know, the whys. And a lot of them have actually asked me, come in on, like, in August and tell their players what the NFL is looking for. But it also gives me a little time to kind of plug the Senior Bowl a little bit and say, you know, this is why this is, you know, important. You know, I mean, everything from, you know, like the coaching, I mean, public speaking piece. Right. Presenting, teaching. Right. The GM side, fundraising, you know, roster management. You know, I mean, I'm not worrying about the money now, I mean, because I got a CO to do that. But, you know, every little piece, I mean, the scouting side, I mean, I'm trying to. I'm trying to think the best term to say it, but it's like I can scratch my itch because every single piece of my skill set fits here. You know, I've got to do a lot of civic pieces here. I mean, I kid around with people around here. Said I didn't. You didn't tell me I was going to be the unofficial Mari mobile because I'm doing like three a week, you know, throughout the year. I mean, whether it's a Rotary Club or a sheriff's luncheon or, you know, a chamber event. I mean, you know, I'm engaged with the community because the community loves this damn game. And they should, I mean, because it brings so much to them. But where else can you go, you know, I mean, where. Whether our All Star game sells out, I mean, bottom line, I mean, that tells you how important this is.
- [34:06]
C
Going back to your time with the Cowboys, obviously, this is an event that they always roll pretty deep to, that they bring a lot of people out to. When you were on that staff and when you were in Dallas, what did you enjoy about coming here in this game and this process that obviously drafted a lot of players from here when you were there as well.
- [34:23]
A
Yeah, I mean, put it this way, there was a scout that was with the Cowboys, Walter Julef always used to, you know, comment, you know, well, hell, they're at the Senior bowl, they're going to get drafted it's true. I mean, it's the best against the best. And you know what I enjoyed about it was getting together as a group plus, you know, we split it up by position and everything else and then flipped it, you know, and we talk about those guys at the end of the week, you know, this brought guys value here, you know, and perfect example was DeMarcus Ware. Perfect. I mean, and I'm not bashing who he played, but in his senior year he played nobody. I mean, nobody. And then he comes down here and I could still remember Coach Parcell's walking down from the incone seats by the one of the one on ones and he goes, he goes, Tomasulo, he kind of brings him over, he says, he says, stand him up, widen him out, let's go. Right. And you know, he started just beating living tar out of people that week, you know, and the discussion was, I mean, and I think you guys heard it. I mean, it was him or Sean Merriman. Yeah, right. And I think this put him over the edge, you know, because Sean Merriman was, you know, good at Maryland. Right. But we saw this guy going like he's, he's killing people at that level and he's killing people at this level. So that's what I enjoy the most is because again, who are you lining up against? And I tell the kids this, you know, when I actually do talk to them because I don't talk to many of them and I don't recruit them because I don't have to. Yeah, but I tell them, they go, what, what should I expect? I said, it's really simple and I'm not bashing any company on this one either. I tell them, look, I said, whoever you lined up against, SEC, Big 12, whatever, Big 10, I'm not dogging out anybody. I said, but some of the guys you lined up against are working at UPS next week. I said, these guys are going to play on Sunday with you, so be prepared for ratcheted up competition. And it is. You've seen it. I mean, yeah, it's. It's rolling right now.
- [36:15]
D
Hey, I want to ask you about the process behind the scenes and your time working with the Cowboys. Obviously, a lot of our listeners view from a Cowboys lens. How, how does this team differ from any around the league when it comes to the scouting aspects of things or specifically this time in the draft process. Was there any that stood out during your time with the Cowboys?
- [36:34]
A
I mean, we, I thought we were really good at what we did.
- [36:37]
B
Yeah.
- [36:37]
A
I mean, and correct. If I'm wrong. I mean, because I had. I kind of looked it up because, you know, when I was a gm, because I used it as a tool. I mean, we drafted 67 Pro bowl appearances while I was there. I mean, from 03 to 22. I mean, that's pretty damn impressive.
- [36:51]
B
Yeah.
- [36:51]
A
You know. You know, again, did I get a ring? No. Would I like to have one? Yep. You know, but I mean, just, you know, you know, I mean, this is a tough game. It's hard to win a Super Bowl. I mean, people think it's easy to go to playoffs. People think it's easy to go to Super Bowl. It's not. It's not. But I mean, I thought we did a really, really good job. And I think. I thought we put together some really good rosters during my time. And that's what I'm proud of when.
- [37:13]
B
It comes to looking around the league now and how much it has changed, even over the last four years, especially in the scouting element, because of the evolution of college football. Nil. The transfer portal, even from that 2022 season that you've talked about. How much has it changed and evolved over the last four years now in the preparation process for the Senior Bowl?
- [37:34]
A
Well, I mean, put it this way, we've used some analytic tools. I mean, put it this way, we have telemetry, you know, and I use it all the time because again, that's game speed. And I kind of know what all these guys are going to run even before they go to combine. Yeah. I mean, to me, it's like, I don't need to watch. I don't need you guys to tell me. I'm. He's running 21 right there. He's running 18 5. I mean, I know what those equate to, and it's. It's great tool, but I think that's where, you know. And again, here's the other one. Pff. I mean, it's great because I don't go to games. Yeah, I don't. Because it is a waste of 14 hours. And everybody says, oh, the game. No, it's not. Because you got to be there early. You got to miss traffic. You know, you can't. Again, I go multi view all day Saturday.
- [38:19]
B
Yeah.
- [38:20]
A
Probably 16 games. Right. Taking notes. There's a flash there like that. Right. Coming Sunday. Put it on. Pff. Guess what game's already loaded.
- [38:28]
D
Yeah, it's beautiful.
- [38:29]
A
Yeah, it is. And I'm going like, you know, before we used to have to wait three weeks, you know, to get it Sent to the dub Center. The dub center sends it to Cowboys, you know, then he'd put it on a heart. I mean, put it on a drive for me and then, you know, send it me. I mean, by the time I get there, it's like four weeks away from the game that was played.
- [38:46]
D
You got to meet a guy under the tunnel under 635, you got.
- [38:50]
A
I mean, it was. It's so easy now to get ahead of this, you know, and, you know, I mean, like, you know, Caleb was. Or. Right. I mean, he progressed throughout the year, but I saw him, like week two. I mean, great blitzer. I was going, like, kind of reminds me of Brady James a little bit, you know, And I'm going like. I mean, just little things like that. When I see it, I go, okay, take notes on it. And then I go and actually watch the tape. And I go, is it real or not? And some of them are real and some of them aren't. I mean, because, you know, again, a flash of flash, you know, but can they repeat it and can they play? So, yeah, it's made it a lot easier for us, and it's made it really good for the scouts on the road, too, because, you know, now they can get to that tape, you know, just like that, and they don't have to wait. So they're ready for October. That's what the good thing is.
- [39:32]
D
I want to ask you about some of the diamonds in the rough that you guys have found. We just talked to one of them, Charles Demings. We're ready to run through a wall. Him, Tyron Montgomery out of. John Carroll from the Division 3 ranks. How do you guys find these guys? First off, I assume you attribute it to the process, but how do you know that they are going to be able to stack up against the big helmet guys that are here?
- [39:51]
A
See, I. See. I don't. I'm. It's an educated guess because either they show that they belong, you know, or they get exposed, but that's on me now. I've seen enough to where I go, you know, hey, I think this guy's real. And, you know, just like Demings, you know, I told you guys I was watching Kozil from Houston, right? And I'm going like, okay, wait a minute. I mean, who's that big corner out there? You know, it's like, he was pretty good. And I was like, oh, you know, that's a nice play. I was like, press as well, you know, I mean, I'm going, I'll Start to go, okay, wait a minute. So I kept, you know, tabs on him the whole year. And I'm going, like, put it this way, by week four, I knew it was gonna. I knew I was gonna invite him. That's awesome. You know. You know, the Montgomery kid, great story. You know, I can't take credit for that. You know, Scott Phillips, the director of the American bowl, he and I've worked pretty well together. I've shared a lot with him about who I was going to take so he wouldn't waste his time, you know, but he tells me, he goes, you might want to look at some tape on this guy, you know, he says, you know, I'll give you access to, you know, practice and all that. And I was like, this dude's real.
- [40:56]
B
Yeah.
- [40:56]
A
I mean, and it's a great story. I mean, you know, Division 1 commit in basketball at LSU.
- [41:01]
B
Yeah.
- [41:02]
A
I mean, you can see the athletic ability out there. I mean, and I saw him go up. I mean, I'm betting. And again, I don't know if the kid's going to get a combine invite, but he should, because he may be able to vert maybe 42.
- [41:16]
B
Wow.
- [41:16]
A
I'm guessing, you know, I mean, just got bounce. And again, I. I can't take credit for that at all. You know, and then what's funny is Mike Smith called me, like, two weeks, two days after he goes, he goes, oh, you picked up that guy? He says, I was gonna tell you he was real. I was like, thanks, Mike. Mike, Mike, Coordinator.
- [41:34]
B
It's a little late now.
- [41:34]
A
Yeah, well, Mike coordinated against me. He was a Tennessee Tech as a coordinator. I was a Tennessee Martin as a tournament. So we got to know each other pretty well. Cool. Yeah.
- [41:41]
B
Very nice.
- [41:42]
D
Which of these guys have. And I know you're running around like a chicken with his head cut off at this event, doing a million things, but from what you have seen or talking to your scouts who are some guys that you think really improved their.
- [41:50]
A
Stock so far this year, I can be honest with you. I didn't be able to talk to my scouts at all. I'm dead serious. I mean. I mean, it was. Gosh. I mean, gold jacket there yesterday. There was 15 head coaches there yesterday. I mean, we had almost every single GM in the building other than less need. And, you know, in Gladstone, I mean, those the only two that didn't show.
- [42:13]
B
Yeah.
- [42:13]
A
I mean, that are employed right now.
- [42:15]
B
Sure. Yeah.
- [42:17]
A
But, yeah, I mean, Malachi Fields has blown it up. I mean, he's showing that he's a Little bit. I thought he was a long speed guy. I didn't see a lot of twitch, I didn't see a lot of separation quicks with him, but man, he showed it this week and he uses his body really well. Josh Cameron, one of my favorite monsters.
- [42:33]
D
I mean, we're big fans of Josh Cameron on this.
- [42:35]
B
Talk about him all week.
- [42:37]
A
I'm gonna tell you what, when, when I lined up against him for two years when I was in West Virginia, I was like, that joker's returning punts too. I'm like, wow.
- [42:44]
D
He believed he was a walk on.
- [42:46]
A
Yeah.
- [42:46]
D
Unreal.
- [42:47]
A
I mean, Michael Taft walk on too.
- [42:48]
D
Yep. Yeah.
- [42:48]
A
I mean, you know, gosh, Kevin Coleman has been uncoverable, dude. I mean, seriously, I mean, you want to talk about separation quicks and crafty, I mean, he's a starting slot in, in the league hands down. Not even close, you know. You know, I've seen great A.D. darrell Jackson, you know, yesterday, you know, roped, you know, he roped the first rep but then, you know, he got beat on the next rep and it was, it was a great competition, you know. You know, I hadn't got to watch a lot of the O line, D line, which I'm going to try to today. You know, it's more of the receivers and you know, the running backs. Like, I don't know if you saw that rep with OTT yesterday in the pass protection.
- [43:23]
D
Oh yeah, it was awesome.
- [43:24]
A
Stoned him. I mean, what a good rep. I mean, and, and put this way, I didn't have any protest, I mean, any really good tape this year at all. Yeah, well, I tried to recruit him out of Cal in the transfer portal. So I went all the way back to the cow tape and I was like, wait a minute, now it's there. I was like, he's got bad, you know, and I'm going like, you know, so. And again, I'm not taking credit for all these guys at all. You know, it's just, you know, put this way, sometimes you dumb up into guys, you know, and you know, sometimes, you know, you find guys and like, you know, Ted Hurst, I mean, I can tell you it was Drew Hughes, that Drew Hughes. And that was one of my areas gals. Now he's, now he's down in Florida working for John Sumrall, right? He was like, he's like, drew, he says, I like this dude. He was like, he's got, he's got a little something to him. He says he's long, he's good, he's. He says he's got great separation quicks. He's, you know, but he says he's on a really bad team. You know, he said, but he's still putting up production. And, you know, if you can put up production on a, on a, on a bad team, it tells you something, you know, And I think he's shown that he's belonged big time. I mean, and he's a long, you know, long receiver that does a really good job. Like, again, I can't even remember, you know, you know, some of them. But, like, I mean, Igbosan had a good day yesterday. I mean, I'll tell you what the gosh. Kyle Lewis. Yeah.
- [44:39]
C
Wow.
- [44:40]
E
Yeah.
- [44:41]
A
Yeah. I mean, can play nickel. I mean, you can cover tight ends. He can play will. I mean, I mean, what a versatile player, you know, and. And I, I go way back because I even. I, I called. Well, I, I didn't call. I was coming back from, like, Auburn and Narduzu called me and he goes, he goes, hey, says, he said, you are going to invite Kyle, right? And I said, yeah. I said, but, man, I said, I'm worried about how big he is. He goes, how big do you think he is? And I go, like 210. He goes, he's like 224. Wow. So he took it. He took a picture of him on the scale, showed me. I'm like, okay. It makes me feel better, you know, but the league's got to decide. I mean, he could be a will, he could be a money backer, he could be a big nickel. I mean, but man, he's impactful. And I lined up against him for two years and he was, he. He could wreck a game. I mean, I think he's had two picks already.
- [45:30]
E
Yeah.
- [45:31]
A
I mean, so, I mean, there's some special dudes out here that, I mean, have really done a good job. And what people don't understand is the guy across from pretty damn good, too.
- [45:41]
B
Yeah.
- [45:42]
A
So when they perform that well, it's going to, it's going to elevate their stock.
- [45:45]
B
Just because we have a lot of film buffs on our show that might want to look up some of these names. Malachi Fields, Notre Dame. Ted Hurst from Georgia State. Kevin Coleman from Missouri. That one made me feel good because I think he's been incredible all week long. And for you to say that he's a starting slot in the, in the league is a big time one. You mentioned Kyle Lewis out of Pitt and some of those other guys that I just wanted to make sure everybody at home can look that up. But, Drew, it's been a pleasure getting to catch up with you.
- [46:12]
A
Thank you, guys.
- [46:12]
B
It's been outstanding getting to watch your work come to fruition this week because I know, like you said, eight months of just grueling work. And I know now you'll get a head start on next year because now you get an extra four months. It's going to be a breeze for you, right?
- [46:25]
A
I hope. Like I said, we're going to peel the board and we actually wrote a lot of guys that didn't come out, so we're going to be ahead of it. I mean, so that helps us, you know, in the process. But no, I appreciate you guys having me. And hey, how about them Cowboys?
- [46:39]
E
Hey, there you go.
- [46:40]
B
Always there. Drew Fabianic, the executive director of the Senior bowl here on the draft show. All right, that's going to do it for us today on this episode. Really appreciate you guys joining us for Nick Harris, Tommy Yarish, myself. We'll be back to or we'll be back tomorrow with an extra episode. Actually, we're going to try and film an extra one while we are here in Mobile, Alabama with more of the Senior bowl tomorrow. Thanks, everybody. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys.com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.