Anybody who knows anything about the NFL draft understands it’s impossible to predict which players will be chosen. The process is way too fluid. On the other hand certain people in the organization can repeatedly push certain names up the board with constant hyping. The general phrase for such a thing is “banging the table” for somebody.
Former Bears scout and current Colts GM Chris Ballard famously did that in 2004 for cornerback Nathan Vasher. He believed the shorter cornerback out of Texas was a good player and perfect fit for their system. With enough nagging the team finally relented and took him in the fourth round. A year later Vasher was in the Pro Bowl.
It seems another scout for the team felt the need to have his voice heard on an overlooked player. One who is already turning heads in camp practices.
Bears scout pushed for Adam Shaheen way back in fall of 2016
Ashland tight end Adam Shaheen really didn’t start to emerge on the NFL draft radar until after the 2016 college season had ended. That’s typical of smaller school prospects. However, at least one scout working for Chicago was tipped off about the impressive 6’6″, 280 lbs former basketball player. According to Josh Norris of Rotoworld, this man began pushing for the team to prioritize Shaheen as early as September or October of 2016. A good 7-8 months before the draft was set to occur.
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Pace said a scout was on Shaheen early, pounding the table in the fall.
Must've known for some time he would declare early from Ashland.
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) May 15, 2017
That’s pretty wild. As any former scout or executive will say, teams never zero in on certain players that far out of a draft. It typically takes until a week or two before the action before boards are even set. So this guy, whoever he is, must’ve been convinced from the start that Shaheen was a playmaker the Bears have been looking for.
So far it looks like the guy is earning that paycheck and then some. Shaheen is already lighting it up at rookie minicamps and Organized Team Activities. Even the national media has become impressed with his capability and physical potential. Time will tell how far he takes it, but it certainly appears like Chicago stole one.
Playing the board perfectly
Part of being a good drafting team is understanding how to play the board. Which good players are likely to go high and which might slip further down than they should? It’s one of the hardest things in this game to master. Pace has already shown once before he knows how to play it. Last year he traded down twice in the second round before selecting Cody Whitehair. A man who now looks like a potential Pro Bowler at center.
Who knew the young GM might’ve provided a sequel, trading down from #36 to #45 in the second round before grabbing Shaheen.
TE Adam Shaheen #NFLDraft #Bears pic.twitter.com/CcHU0yeagK
— Chicago Sports BR (@ChicagoSportsBR) April 29, 2017
There is plenty of work ahead. Shaheen has his share of doubters. They feel despite his obvious physical talent that he’s unpolished in his fundamentals and unproven against top competition. So it will fall on the Bears coaching staff to help him learn to correct those issues. Given the underlying buzz about his work ethic, that shouldn’t be a huge issue.
