Philadelphia Eagles Legendary Coach, Dick Vermeil Interview

Jan 28, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Choose Chicago president Don Welsh speaks at a 2015 Draft celebratory reception at Sheraton Phoenix Downtown. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

BG: From a coach’s perspective, How important is it for a team to build through the NFL draft and get their picks right?

DV: “Well, I think today, more so than ever, it’s more important to build through the draft. You can supplement through free agency, but a high percentage of free agents, big dollar based guys don’t pay off. Not in the NFL nor in Major League Baseball, if you saw the article in the paper the other day about MLB players and free agency. What they’re pitching ERA’s and how they negatively were influenced by large dollars. So, I think it’s critical, and I just read an article the other day where fourteen of the kids who started in the Super Bowl for New England, they drafted.”

 BG: I think this is something that’s always baffling especially from a fans perspective, is how a team can miss on a player in the first round that has been hyped up and done well in  pro days and at the combine, and then another team can hit on a player from the same position later on in the NFL draft. Why is it that this happens year in and year out? Is this more of a scouting error, looking too much into physical attributes? Is it more just bad luck of a player not producing at the next level and one player playing with a chip on his shoulder? What is your take on this?

DV: “College exposure. Sometimes maturity, or lack of. Some kid might mature a little earlier and not get any better, another guy might mature later and get a lot better, and you know, those types of things. Sometimes it’s system, sometimes it’s coaching.”

Next: Who Had Final Say on his Teams Draft Decisions?