PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Nick Sirianni and his Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff are using all of their resources to find out all about potential draft picks.
That includes the use of a famous hand game.
"We didn't go earth-shattering on these games," said Sirianni.
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"I played a couple of them at rock, paper, scissors. That was as easy as that. Rock, paper, scissors. Let’s see how competitive you are. I’m competitive. I’m going to be talking trash to them. Did you talk trash back to me?"
While paper covering rock, or rock smashing scissors, may not be the difference maker when it comes to selecting a player, it is an example of the approach Sirianni and his coaches are using to find their next group of Eagles.
It is a part of the process with the coaches, General Manager Howie Roseman and Vice President of Player Personnel Andy Weidl as they prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft.
This will be a critical draft for the Eagles after a 4-11-1 season. The Eagles have 11 total picks after some wheeling and dealing in the offseason, and Roseman believes it will give his staff more options during the draft.
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"The draft is an inexact science," Roseman said. "When you look at hit rates throughout the draft and where you’re picking, whether it’s in the first round and going down less and you look at the rest of the league, it’s certainly an inexact science."
The Eagles traded down earlier in the offseason with Miami, and will pick 12th instead of sixth in the first round.
The Eagles got a 2022 first round pick in return, but the drop down in this year's first round is a signal to many the team will not be drafting another quarterback.
However, Sirianni said Jalen Hurts is not guaranteed the starting job, and that there will be plenty of competition for starting spots in training camp.
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"We’ve talked a little bit about my core values," said Sirianni. "It’s my second core value. It’s this team’s second core value. Competition’s a huge thing, and we’re going to have competition at every position."
One of the most important tasks in the offseason was for the scouting staff to get to know the new coaching staff. All of the personnel need to be on the same page when the draft gets underway.
Weidl has been impressed with how everyone has come together in the off-season.
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"The main thing is just getting on the same page," Weidl said. "We had an excellent week of meetings last week where you saw chemistry between the coaching staff and the scouts develop and evolve, and I think we're building on that."
If you ask Sirianni and his staff what type of players they are looking for, it won't be a specific answer.
The goal of the staff is to adjust to the strengths of the players, and put them in the best position to succeed.
"Every player comes in different shapes and different sizes and different speeds," said Sirianni.
"They’re all different. It’s about finding like, 'Okay, this guy has speed. We’ll use him this way. This guy has power. We’ll use him this way.' "
The draft gets underway with the first round on April 29th.