NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Jon Robinson has been to countless pro days in his career, only these days his footprints are being watched a little more closely compared to when he was an area scout.
As a general manager, he's on a mission to find the next Titans.
He's just not always willing to say where he's been leading up to the NFL Draft.
"Here, there and yonder," Robinson said with a smile. "Yeah, we've been to a few places."
Reporters covering pro days at Clemson and Michigan recently spotted Robinson in attendance. During TSU's pro day earlier this month, he was easy to find – Robinson was putting defensive linemen through drills. Coach Mike Mularkey has made the rounds on the pro day circuit as well.
Together, they've hit a bunch of them, all over the country.
"And it's been extremely valuable,'' said Robinson, a long-time scout with the Patriots who worked his way up to director of college scouting before being hired as director of player personnel with the Buccaneers. Robinson was hired as GM of the Titans last January, and his scouting traits have been on full display.
"At the pro days, it is a chance to see the players perform in their own environment, an environment that they're probably a little more comfortable with in their facilities. It gives us a chance to talk to their coaches. It gives us a chance to visit with those guys, meet with those guys, watch film with those guys in their meeting rooms. Hopefully they let their guard down a little bit and are a little more open with some of the questions we have of them. I'd say those days are extremely important in the player evaluation process."
Mularkey, crutches and all, has been traveling with Robinson as well.
If there's a pro day, the Titans usually have someone there, whether it's a scout, someone in player personnel, or depending on the prospect, Robinson and/or Mularkey. Director of Player Personnel Ryan Cowden and Director of College Scouting Blake Beddingfield have been to college campuses near and far as well.
Teams oftentimes request meetings with prospects leading up to or after pro days as well.
"You get a lot out of it," Mularkey said. "The environment is much more friendly, really even more for the player than us. He is in his school, maybe even in his own classroom. There is no clock on you. You can spend as much time as you want with them."
The Titans, with two first-round picks and scheduled to make eight selections overall, have been scouting players for this year's draft since last year.
They've been especially busy of late. They interviewed prospects at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, in addition to the time they've spent with players at pro days and workouts. After attending the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix, Robinson and Mularkey had plans to hit the road again to see prospects.
Next month, pre-draft visits take place at Saint Thomas Sports Park.
"It's all part of the process," Robinson said. "We just try and get around to see some of the guys that we wanted to get a little information on, and try and hit a couple of spots where you have a vast amount of prospects."
Just don't ask him where he's been.
