Remembering the NFL's First Full-Time Black Scout, Lloyd Wells from The Mothership
It was the 1960s and Lamar Hunt and the Kansas City Chiefs hired Wells as the first full-time black scout in the NFL.
He's responsible for scouting and helping sign many of the players who were instrumental in the Chiefs beating the Minnesota Vikings, 23-7, back in Super Bowl IV.
At the time he was hired, Wells wasn't necessarily a football guy, but he was well connected with the historically black colleges and universities. He was a photographer, worked with the newspapers and was, for lack of a better way of explaining it, a close confidant of legendary boxer Muhammed Ali.
He was a man known for many things, but bringing in key members of one of the best defenses in NFL history should be near the top of that list.
2016 NFL Scouting Combine: Day Three Recap from The Mothership
Here are a few notes from Friday:
The defensive backs arrived in Indianapolis on Friday and went through their orientation, medical checks and began their formal interviews
The offensive line and running backs began their on-field workouts on Friday
Georgia running back Keith Marshall ran an official 4.31 40-yard dash, which is the third-fastest time in Combine history
For a full list of the workout numbers, check NFL.com
John Dorsey Recognizes Good Guys from Bad Guys in Draft Process from The Mothership
The Combine also provides each NFL team the opportunity to meet with 60 select prospects for formal interviews, and for Dorsey, who prides himself on building a team with high-character players, this is important time to get to know the makeup of these players.
"I think it's a chance to really meet the kid the first time," he said. "I just want to see what kind of person he is. I can tell within about 15 minutes if he's a good guy or a bad guy. I can work through that, but then if I have certain questions, I may go and do my due diligence and go visit him or I may go to his campus.
"It's not final in the 15-minute interview."
The ability to put together a roster of players who can come back from a 1-5 start to win 11 straight isn't by happenstance. It's an art, and so is Dorsey's ability to figure out a player's character within the first few minutes of meeting him, particularly when each player is trying to show his best self to these teams.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid staying abreast of NFL combine happenings, Dorsey says from The Kansas City Star
"We've been in this program now for four years, and we've built this thing," Dorsey said. "We understand, (as) a personnel staff, what the coaches want from specific players, and I think the coaching staff understands what we want from a personnel side. We've meshed together and we understand each other and trust each other."
Dorsey added that the Chiefs' scouting process during the Combine hasn't changed with Reid gone, but does wish he could be there with them.
John Dorsey on Andy Reid: 'Young men believe in him' from ESPN
"What he does is teach them the basic fundamentals,'' Dorsey said. "He'll see the flaws within that person, try to break them down and then build him back up. Then all of a sudden he begins to sit there and grill them on the X's and O's of the game until it's embedded in their heads.
"Andy's a wonderful coach. He just has a way of working with young men. Young men believe in him.''
GM John Dorsey likes Chiefs' internal options for No. 2 quarterback from The Kansas City Star
Dorsey quickly added that appreciation for their development wouldn't keep the Chiefs from drafting a quarterback this year. The many years he spent in the Green Bay Packers' front office under Pro Football Hall of Famer Ron Wolf taught Dorsey that you can never have too many talented quarterbacks on the roster.
"I've been taught, if we go through the draft board, if there's a quarterback in the draft, you know what, we'll take a shot at one of them," Dorsey said.
And Dorsey couldn't confirm the Chiefs wouldn't pursue a veteran free-agent quarterback, either.
"Well, you never rule anything out," Dorsey said.
Pass rushers on Chiefs' menu with scheduled formal interviews from Chiefs Digest
Given the likely holes, the Chiefs are doing their homework while at the NFL Scouting Combine.
The Chiefs are confirmed by ChiefsDigest.com and The Topeka Capital-Journal to have used four formal interviews on Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson, Eastern Kentucky defensive end Noah Spence, Virginia Tech outside linebacker Dadi Nicolas and Notre Dame inside linebacker Jaylon Smith.
Chiefs will have interviews with three edge rushers, two inside linebackers, receiver at NFL combine from The Kansas City Star
Two inside linebackers - Notre Dame star Jaylon Smith and Stanford's Blake Martinez - also told The Star on Friday they will interview with the Chiefs. Ohio State receiver Michael Thomas also said he has a formal interview with the Chiefs on Friday.
Smith, who checked in at 6 feet 3 and 229 pounds, is projected to be a first-round pick by CBS Sports. He tore his ACL and MCL in Notre Dame's bowl game in January, but was expected to go in the top half of the first round. Smith won the Butkus Award during a 2015 season in which he recorded 113 tackles, but NFL.com reported that teams believe Smith could miss the entire 2016 season with ankle and knee nerve issues, thus hurting his potential stock.
Spence, who checks in at 6 feet 2 and 254 pounds, is projected to be a first-round pick by CBS Sports.
Combine notebook: Top draft prospect Joey Bosa enjoys watching Chiefs' Tamba Hali from Chiefs Digest
"I like watching Tamba Hali," Bosa said Friday of the Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker during a press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine. "He's one of coach (Larry) Johnson's guys, so when I watch him I pretty much see the prototype coach Johnson, exactly what he coaches. So he's fun to watch."
That would be Johnson Sr., the father of former Chiefs running back Larry Johnson and a former defensive line coach at Penn State, where Hali played. Johnson currently has the same position at Ohio State.
Chiefs: Charles an 'important piece' moving forward from NFL.com
Dorsey, however, dismissed the idea of the Chiefs parting ways with him. The Chiefs could have saved $5.3 million, with no dead money, by cutting Charles. With more than $30 million in cap space, however, Dorsey doesn't need to snip his most talented back to save a couple million bucks.
The GM added Charles' rehab remains ahead of schedule.
EKU's Spence rebuilds image after drug use from The Courier-Journal
After a humbling but successful year of rebuilding his image and his NFL draft stock at Eastern Kentucky, former Ohio State pass-rushing specialist Noah Spence said he doesn't consider himself a risky pick for NFL teams and is ready to move forward with his pro career...
...He said he has met with the Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins.
Jets and Giants met with Rutgers' Leonte Carroo, per source from NJ.com
The New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints have also shown interest in Carroo, according to the person familiar with the situation. In addition to the Jets and Giants, Carroo has had formal meetings with the Patriots and Browns this week in Indianapolis. Carroo is scheduled to meet with the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Rams on Friday night.
Carroo will wrap up his week on Saturday when the receivers have their on-field workouts. Carroo is aiming for a 4.4-second 40-yard dash to show scouts that he has the speed to be a big-play threat in the NFL.
NFL, players union set salary cap at $155 million from USA Today
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because there had been no announcement on the cap, which represents a rise of just under $12 million from the $143.28 million cap per team in 2015.
The number doesn't include more than $200 million in unused cap space from 2015 that teams carried over.
For instance, the Jacksonville Jaguars led the way with $32.77 million in carry-over space, giving them a cap of $188.04 million...
...Kansas City Chiefs: $2,622,838
Rams to tag corner, Colts face tight end choice and more FA notes from CBS Sports
The Chiefs, and the city of Kansas City, mean so much to Tamba Hali that in the end I imagine he ends up back there, but even at this stage of his career, I hear there are no shortage of teams interested in him. Again, there are so few places to get pass rush, and while the Chiefs have already spent big -- and will soon have to carry Eric Berry on the franchise tag as well -- my gut is they figure out a way to make this work. If that doesn't happen, the money Hali gets might surprise some people.
Tech's Butler has eyes set on top-10 selection from The Monroe News Star
Two different NFL.com draft analysts projected Butler as top 20 picks in recent mock drafts. Even if he doesn't end up there, it sounds like Butler won't last that much longer.
Mayock was asked about the Kansas City Chiefs at pick No. 28 and threw out Butler as a potential options.
"Butler from Louisiana Tech could do a lot of jobs and fits what Kansas City does," Mayock said. "He could play nose, he could play five-technique. He's a really intriguing player."
The top free agent safeties of 2016 from SB Nation
Husain Abdullah, S, Kansas City Chiefs
Abdullah is one of several Chiefs defensive players set to hit free agency, and it's unlikely that Kansas City will opt to bring him back with other guys ahead of him on the priority list. A full-time starter in 2014, he saw his playing time diminished in 2015 in a part-time role. Still, he received one of the best coverage grades from Pro Football Focus over the last two seasons and would be a capable starting safety on most teams.
NFL Combine: Jason Fanaika returns to Indy with unlikely NFL future from CBS Sports
The soft-spoken defensive end from Utah was greeted by a few reporters, most of whom were doing a curiosity fly-by due to his last name. If Fanaika's name rings a bell and you're not a diehard Utes fan, his brother Brandon is a guard at Stanford and his cousin Paul is a guard for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Is cap space a good thing anymore? GMs weigh in from NFL.com
"I don't think it's hard," Chiefs general manager John Dorsey said, when asked if it's difficult to manage cap space in the current environment. "I think what it is -- if you plan out three or four years at a time and you have an understanding of the makeup and those specific players, I don't think it's hard to manage the cap. I don't believe that's true."
Dorsey spent nearly three decades in Green Bay as a player, scout and personnel executive. There, he earned a graduate-level education in how to draft and develop. Current general manager Ted Thompson is historically averse to free agency, even if that might change in 2016.
But draft and develop isn't as easy as it seems.
NFL scouts wonder just how good North Dakota State QB can be from The Terra Haute Tribune-Star
Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey made an interesting point when asked earlier this week about how does he go about judging players from non-FBS collegiate programs.
"It's tough to compare when you look at each level. But what I want to know is, ‘Do they dominate? Did they dominate the opposition at their level? Did they win? Did they come from a winning program?' Those are all things that you have to look at," Dorsey said.
Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome agrees.