Dan Pitcher
Offensive Coordinator
You brought Jalen Rivers in for one of the team's 30 visits. What did you like about him?
"Jalen's really an impressive guy, very smart, physically gifted, versatile, has really played just about an equal share of his snaps at guard and tackle, oftentimes within a game playing at guard and tackle. That versatility really speaks to the value I think he'll provide us at this level. We're adding a super high-character guy with great length. A very good pass protector. Had him in the building here on a visit, and we couldn't have been more impressed with him as a person."
How important is that versatility, now that you're double-dipping on the offensive line, also selecting Dylan Fairchild in the third round?
"I think versatility is always a key there. I think, to your point, we've just added talent to that room. We've gotten better. We feel really good about that. It is key, when you're adding guys who you expect to compete and potentially serve as depth pieces at least initially, that they have that versatility. Jalen has that, and it will prove valuable for us."
Will he get his first action at guard or at tackle?
"That remains to be seen. We'll talk about that internally and decide where we think he can serve us best, but we think he's got the chance to contribute at both spots in the NFL."
Is this an opportunity to get bigger and more physical?
"Sure. He makes us bigger and longer. He's an excellent pass protector. You see that all over the tape. We think he's got potential in the run game. He's a solid run blocker; we think he's got a lot of room for growth there. He helps us in a bunch of different spots."
With your scouting background, do you enjoy this part of the NFL calendar?
"I do. It's really welcome departure from the routine of the season. You go through the marathon of the NFL season, and I love that. That's why I coach and I don't scout, right? I appreciate both sides of it. I love preparing for games, designing a game plan, teaching, and all those things that go along with the season. But it (scouting college players) is a welcome departure from that, and the fact that I came into the league doing that (scouting) in Indianapolis — that part of it is something I definitely do enjoy. Then you get to this stage (of the offseason), and I'm ready for it to be over, and I'm ready to get back to coaching."
Why did the team have Rivers in for a 30 visit? Did you not get a chance to meet with him at the Senior Bowl or wherever?
"Our scouts met with him at the Senior Bowl. We did not attend as coaches. We met with him at Indianapolis at the Combine. So a lot of different touch points. Very impressive guy. It wasn't like we brought him in because we had to check on his character — he passes that with flying colors. You're not going to find anybody that says a bad word about the guy, and we experienced that first-hand here."
You're adding another guy who can play tackle, does that help Cody Ford focus on guard?
"I think that versatility will factor in for us. We'll get into the spring, see how all of the pieces fit and see how it all works out, but it's only a positive. How that relates to any specific individual, remains to be seen."
There were some scouting reports that he can play all five offensive line positions. Is he too big to play center?
"I wouldn't rule that out. I think, of the three spots (tackle, guard and center), that's probably third on our list of priorities. But in terms of the processing, the football IQ and the leadership and all the things that go with that specific position, I think he has those things. So, I wouldn't rule anything out."
I don't know how much you guys as a staff meet where you're involved in the defensive meetings, but has there been anything that's stood out to you from your standpoint about the way that Al Golden has influenced this draft?
"Obviously, they're separate tracks, so we don't spend time evaluating defensive players, they don't spend time evaluating offensive players. The one thing I'll say, just wholeheartedly for Al, is his approach to everything is so detailed, so disciplined. Their approach to the draft — that whole staff — is exactly those two things. Detailed, disciplined, enthusiastic. Find guys we have visions for and then go pursue those guys. So, I'm really looking forward to working with Al and I think he'll do a great job over there."
Is it realistic to think that Jalen Rivers could compete at right guard?
"Listen, I'm not taking anything off the table standing up here today. We added a really good player who is talented, who is big, who is tough, who is made of the right stuff. So, those players tend to find a way to get on the field."
How much do you love that there's so much competition, not just at guard but at all those backup spots? Does it feel that wide open to you, and is that by design to turn that into as big of a competition as possible?
"We feel great about where we are as an offense. If we were being self-critical, the area that was most readily available for improvement was in that room, and so we've devoted valuable resources to improving that room. How that shakes out, I have no idea, but I know we got better."
How many hours of guard tape did you watch?
"It was a good percentage of the overall tape that I watched. I'd struggle to put a number on it. And it wasn't just me. Scott (Peters) and Michael (McCarthy), Justin Rascati — I had him watching some too. A lot of guys invested a lot of time in studying these players."
Did you watch any receivers?
"Of course. It's my job. I don't have any hobbies."
When you do focus on areas like that, how much do you look into other positions?
"I can say this — just from my background being what it is, the studying of the skill position players comes a little more naturally. You still put the work in, but you kind of find the words to describe these guys a little bit quicker, whereas I enjoy evaluating the linemen, but I have to really focus. It's just like anything — I didn't grow up playing that position. It's the furthest thing from what I played and how I learned the game. But I do enjoy doing it and I spend a lot of time on it."
With the offensive linemen you've drafted, the big thing that's brought up is pass protection. How do you go about evaluating that? Obviously, college versus pro, it's tough to look at ...
"Yeah, I think you're looking for traits, you're looking for length, you're looking for play demeanor. You're looking for — the same thing I touched on last night — the ability to anchor, set a firm pocket, set width to the pocket on the perimeter. How do they react when having to counter the moves of the rusher? It all blends together, and we think we added two guys in that room that are going to be good NFL pass protectors."
We haven't had a chance to ask you about Lucas Patrick. Since we're talking about the battle that's going to be at guard, can you go through where you see it with Lucas, Cody Ford, Jalen Rivers and Cordell Volson?
"Lucas is a guy we identified early in the free agency process. We did our research on him. We heard tremendous things about him as a leader. We have guys on our staff now that coached on teams that Lucas has been a part of, and they raved about him from that standpoint. We evaluated his tape from last year. He's a guy that's played all three interior spots. He was a good pass protector last year, he produced in that phase last year. So, we just felt we had a chance to add somebody that provides versatility and will compete. Again, just like we talked about last night — Cody, Lucas, Cordell, and now obviously the addition of Dylan (Fairchild) and Jalen — there's a lot of talent there. We'll be very targeted with what we ask each of those guys to do, how we set up the competition so that ultimately we're going to end up with a really good starting five."
Did you hear anything about Jalen Rivers' relationship with Cam Ward?
"That didn't come up too much in our process, other than talking to all the people at Miami (who said), 'This is a dude that, he's an 'A' character.' You're not going to find anybody that says anything bad about him."
