The amount of time coaches get to know prospects before the NFL Draft is finite. They might get an hour here or an hour there in the months preceding the event, but there's rarely an opportunity to dig beneath the surface.
But in the 18-minute window Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia had with Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah at the league's scouting combine in February, the conversation resonated and stuck with Patricia long after the two sides parted.
"It’s not often that you meet someone, and you spend 15- to 18-minute interview at the combine when you’re rolling through players, and that player says something that just sticks so hard to you as a person that explains who he is as a person," Patricia said.