The NFL Scouting Combine is the ultimate job interview for more than 300 of the top college players. It's an opportunity to prove yourself in front of every NFL head coach, assistant coach, general manager, scout and just about everyone else involved in NFL football operations who descend upon Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Several Steelers shared what their past Combine experience was like.
Linebacker Arthur Moats liked the opportunity the Combine provided, especially being from a smaller school like James Madison.
"It's the biggest job interview you will ever have," said Moats. "It's what you work for. It's all about the process of your senior year. It's your chance to show the physical side of your measurements, the 40-yard dash which is the big thing, your strength, everything.
"The most important part is your interviews. You have your formal and informal interviews there. The informal ones you are in a ball room with all of the scouts. You answer any type of question, literally. The formal interviews you are in a private room with coaches and general managers and it's more intense. Those are the ones that can really help you out."
- Defensive end Cam Heyward wasn't able to compete at the Combine because of an elbow injury he suffered in the Sugar Bowl, so for him the interviews were key.
"The crazy thing for me is I was hurt at the time so I had to use my brain, the way I talked, to get my point across," said Heyward. "I had to show I was a student of the game. What I couldn't show on the field I had to make up in the conferences, meetings. Every team is there, scouts, everyone is there. It's one of the craziest job interviews. You will never forget it
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"You almost treat it like a competition. They are testing your knowledge to see if you are a sincere person and how much you care about this game. They can tell from the get go if you are serious about this and you want to excel at the next level. They don't know you, why you love this game, what you want to do when you get in the league. All these different questions.
"With the Steelers we got to write essays to see what we are all about. It's really cool. It's more than just the interview. It's a great process. It's an essay about myself, what I thought were important character traits, things that make me the person I am. To be able to do it that way you get to know the person better."
Quarterback Landry Jones is another player who remembers what his meeting with the Steelers was like and how teams approached the one-on-one interviews in starkly different fashion.
"It just depends on the team whether they are super intense or laid back. It just depends on each room," said Jones. "When I met with the Steelers it was great. They just wanted to get to know me, get to know my personality. Coach (Mike) Tomlin made it more like a conversation, asking questions about myself. It wasn't too intimidating. It wasn't bad, it was pretty good."
The 2016 Steelers Fan Blitz presented by Xfinity will be held at Heinz Field on Saturday, April 30. For ticket information and details click on Steelers Fan Blitz.
