How Falcons find culture, character in ‘speed dating’ combine meetings

INDIANAPOLIS — Ian Cunningham still remembers those late February mornings in Charlottesville, Virginia, when he’d wake up, turn on his DVR and record the NFL Scouting Combine. He had business to handle at the University of Virginia but didn’t want to miss anything.

On the other side of class and winter workouts, Cunningham, a self-described draft nerd and starting offensive lineman at Virginia, returned to his room and watched general managers do interviews and news conferences before the start of the combine.

Now, the stage belongs to him.

“This is pretty cool. Special time,” Cunningham said Tuesday as he walked up the steps of Podium 8 in Hall J of the Indianapolis Convention Center. “For me to be able to be here, it’s pretty surreal.”

Such a moment was perhaps the first Cunningham received to absorb the magnitude of his first NFL combine as the Falcons’ general manager. He’s spent 18 years working for NFL teams, waiting, in part, for his first chance to grace the streets of Indianapolis as an organization’s top decision maker.

But Cunningham’s fine saving his emotions for later. As he did in classrooms and gyms at Virginia, he’s here — in the Indianapolis Convention Center, partaking in meetings, watching prospects at Lucas Oil Stadium — for business.

And when business starts, free time ends.

From 7-11 p.m. Monday, the Falcons met nonstop with prospects. Cunningham described it as a whirlwind, but it was a productive session nonetheless. The Falcons will hold 45 formal interviews throughout the week, each spanning 18 minutes, in a room with Cunningham, coach Kevin Stefanski, president of football Matt Ryan, coordinators and the respective position coach. The team also conducts shorter, informal meetings with prospects.

It’s a week spent gathering information, be it about character or medical history, and getting to know players beneath the helmet. So long as the Falcons depart Indianapolis with a bigger bank of knowledge, Stefanski will deem the trip successful.

“I think so much of this is, there’s resume, which is the tape, and we can see the tape. But there’s a lot that we need to get to know the person,” Stefanski said Tuesday. “We got to get to know how to coach this person and that type of thing.

“So, with all the interviews that we have scheduled, which there’s a lot of them, I know by the end of this thing I’ll have a better feel for each one of these guys.”

Cunningham noted the significance of the Falcons’ new-look staff, both coaching and personnel, building a better rapport through time on task.

Several teams are sending smaller contingents to Indianapolis, and neither the Los Angeles Rams nor Jacksonville Jaguars sent their head coach and general manager. The Falcons opted against the philosophy.

Cunningham wants as many touch points with prospects as he and his staff can get.

“Other teams do it their way. This is going to be our way,” Cunningham said. “And again, as many times as we can get in front of the players, get to know them, ask questions, ask follow up questions, we’re going to utilize those resources.”

Stefanski echoed a similar message. He feels there’s value for both parties in getting the Falcons’ coaches in front of players, no matter the length or formality of their conversation. The team’s personnel department has already seen all the players, be it at an all-star game or school visit.

For the coaches, however, combine week serves as an important introduction.

“I believe in our coaches. I believe in all of our coordinators, position coaches. I want them to have the ability to coach these guys, even if it is for that small amount of time,” Stefanski said. “I want these players to get a feel for who we are and who our coaches are, and then I want our coaches in turn to do the same.

“Obviously, you can do a lot over virtual calls nowadays, and we will continue to do those all the way through up to the draft. We’ll have our 30 visits of bringing players into Flowery Branch, but in the meantime, I just think there’s value in getting in front of the guys.”

Stefanski compared the process with “speed dating,” only with the benefit of scouting reports and extensive background information on their prospective partner. Regardless, plenty happens in a short period.

The Falcons start with icebreakers, then progress into deeper conversations and film study. The purpose isn’t to convince the Falcons to draft the prospect nor immediately remove the player from their board. It’s all about answering questions and gathering information, Stefanski said, so Cunningham and his staff can be as well-equipped as possible on draft weekend.

“I do want to see how they respond to the tape that we’re showing. I do want to see how they respond to maybe the install that we’re giving them,” Stefanski said. “I think that’s a window into how they learn. I think that’s important for us as coaches to understand the best way to reach our players.

“Because ultimately, when we bring them in and they’re our guys, we want to maximize their ability, and we’ve got to understand how they learn, No. 1.”

On-field drills at the scouting combine begin Thursday with linebackers and defensive linemen. Tight ends and defensive backs take the field Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium, followed by quarterbacks, receivers and running backs Saturday. Offensive linemen conclude the event Sunday.

The Falcons, by week’s end, plan to have a stronger grasp on the 2026 draft class. Beyond those who are physically gifted, Stefanski and Cunningham want to find players who love football and are willing to push themselves for the betterment of the team.

The meetings in Indianapolis play an integral role — and through icebreakers, tough questions and interactive film study, the Falcons hope to stamp several players as potential culture-boosting pieces to their new regime’s foundation.