Sean Payton explains being ‘confrontational’ and throwing a lot at QB prospects

Sean Payton didn’t make it easy on the quarterback prospects he interviewed — whether at the Scouting Combine or in a pre-draft visit. Both Spencer Rattler and Michael Penix Jr. confirmed this during the pre-draft process earlier this year.

But there was a method to the madness.

“We try to see how they handle tough questions,” Payton explained to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer on an edition of Glazer’s “Unbreakable” podcast, which dropped earlier this week.

The rationale starts with the limited time teams get with prospects at the Combine: 15 minutes per interview. The Broncos emphasized quarterbacks there, meeting with the all of the top prospects during their week in Indianapolis. But with the ability to barely scratch the surface, Payton wanted to probe and get past the rote questions for which the prospects were prepared.

“When this Combine first came out, guys didn’t know what the drills were. There weren’t videos. There weren’t coaches to coach you how to answer questions,” Payton said. “They have 15 minutes now. Their biggest friend — when they sit in a Combine interview — is when the coach and coaches and scouts want to talk. Because they know that clock is set for 15 minutes. We want them on the mic real quick.

Sean Payton joined @JayGlazer on his podcast and talked about his Combine interview process & asking "tough questions."

"Trying to dig in to the makeup of these players … yeah, you want to be a little bit confrontational, [asking] 'Why did you suck in that USC game?'" pic.twitter.com/8dQCz8Lu31

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) June 6, 2024

“So, trying to dig in to the makeup of these players — quarterbacks or other positions — yeah, you want to be a little bit confrontational.”

And that’s where what Penix mentioned about emphasizing the low moments came into play.

“‘Why did you suck in that USC game?’ You want to hear their answer, really,” Payton explained. “Because you know what? They’re probably going to have a game where they suck here, too. And you want to see how they respond.”

It’s a different matter when it comes to the in-person visits. There, it’s more about tossing the prospect into the deep end and se ing how long they can swim.

Payton sends information to the prospect at 5 p.m. on the day before meeting.

“They get basically three days’ worth of installation, so, it’d be like training camp Day 1, Day 2, Day 3. That’s kind of more than you can digest before 9 a.m. the next morning,” Payton said.

“Thirty-five pages of just material. And so, it would be like you and I in college getting stuff that we’re going to be tested on, but we’re getting it right then.”

“… We’re sending more. We don’t expect them [to learn it all] we want them to see, where’s the breaking point?”

Great insight here from @Broncos head coach @SeanPayton on the process a QB like @bonix10 had to go through with teams on his private workouts leading up to the draft. 125 plays to remember… way worse than any test I ever crammed for! We dive into football, life, early day… pic.twitter.com/n1Uqd2mTV6

— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) June 5, 2024

SEAN PAYTON HAD SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR CALEB WILLIAMS

The Broncos had no real shot of landing the former USC quarterback, who went with the No. 1 overall pick to the Chicago Bears. But they did interview him at the Combine, and Sean Payton had something special up his sleeve.

“I remember Caleb coming into the room and there was a rumor that he flew private to the Combine, and I was like, ‘I am going to totally give this guy [crap].’ …

“I’m like, ‘So, tell me, when did you land?’ And he kind of knew where I was going. And I said, ‘Well, where did you take off, what airport?’ And he was like, ‘Coach, I was 37C.’ I’m like, ’37C?’ And he said, ‘I was in coach.’ And I was like, ‘That’s a great answer.’”

Throwing prospects a change-up is something that Sean Payton believes can get to the heart of what they bring.

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