INDIANAPOLIS — The moment I exited my hotel, I was smacked in the face by the wind chill, which made the temperature feel –20° on Tuesday morning. I immediately regretted taking my phone out to snap a picture of the Indiana Pacers banners hanging in front of their home arena, Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
With my hands tucked into my winter jacket that rarely sees daylight as a Los Angeles native, I began my voyage down Georgia Street toward the Indianapolis Convention Center for Day 1 of the NFL combine. But it wasn’t a straight shot to the venue because there was construction for a new massive building, forcing me to make a right onto Illinois Street, right past the popular St. Elmo Steak House, taking more of a beating from the wind chill.
On the bright side, I took extra steps, which is very important to my family right now. We recently signed up for the Stompers app, a competitive step-tracking game. I told those slackers I logged 2,000-plus steps on my morning walk while they were sleeping, and I don’t care that it was 5 a.m. back home. No excuses!
But I shouldn’t brag too much. I’m surrounded by much better athletes who are looking to achieve their dream of being drafted into the NFL. They’ll be doing a lot more than just logging steps when they hit the field later this week at Lucas Oil Stadium to showcase themselves in front of NFL scouts and decision-makers.
However, workouts don’t start until Thursday, and prospects don’t meet the media until Wednesday morning. Tuesday was all about NFL coaches and GMs, who tried their best not to give anything away ahead of free agency next month and the draft in April.
As for another competitive game, reporters found unique ways to get Raiders GM John Spytek, who has the No. 1 pick, to speak about what he’s looking for in a quarterback. Spytek played ball a bit, but he avoided saying much about Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. More on that in a bit. Also, I spotted several Indiana Hoosiers flags on my morning walk.
Here are more sights and sounds from Day 1 at the combine.
Raiders GM expects Maxx Crosby back; doesn’t say much about Mendoza
Without hesitation, Spytek said he expects star edge rusher Maxx Crosby to be in a Raiders uniform when the season starts.
He was then asked what gives him confidence that Crosby will be back in Las Vegas.
“Maxx is an elite player, and I've been very upfront from the start when I got here that we’re in the business of having really good players on the team, and we need a lot more of them. And it’s hard to build a great team without elite players,” Spytek said.
The Raiders would be better off trading Crosby to acquire more draft picks, which is the best path to adding the elite players this team desperately needs. But Spytek doesn’t seem interested in moving his disgruntled star player, or maybe this is his way of driving up the asking price. Las Vegas shouldn’t hesitate if a team offers two first-round picks for Crosby, but it’s tough envisioning that for a player who will turn 29 in August and has battled injuries in recent seasons.
There’s less of a chance that the Raiders will trade away the No. 1 pick. All signs point toward the Silver & Black selecting Mendoza with that top pick, even though they’re not going to publicly say that until it’s time to make the pick on April 23.
Later this week, the Raiders will get to talk with Mendoza for the first time during their 18-minute formal interview.
“I saw him a bunch of times this season, evaluating him,” Spytek said. “We’re not allowed to talk to him, so that’s as close as I’ve gotten, standing on the sideline before games.”
Spytek was asked specifically about Indiana’s Heisman Trophy–winning quarterback just once during his podium session, as if saying Fernando Mendoza is the equivalent of uttering he who must not be named from Harry Potter.
But reporters did try to get a scouting report from Spytek on what he’s looking for in a franchise quarterback:
Raiders GM John Spytek on the benefits a young quarterback will get learning from Tom Brady.
— Gilberto Manzano (@GManzano24) February 24, 2026
Maybe Fernando Mendoza will get a few pointers from the GOAT 🐐 … Maybe 🤔 pic.twitter.com/kR72a9woWv
“Well, a leader, tough as hell, somebody that loves to play football, maniacal preparer,” Spytek said. “Obviously, somebody that can throw the ball well, but I think just somebody that loves the game and will give everything to their teammate, a selfless person, somebody that’s going to give their team everything that they got every time that they’re out there.”
Based on what Mendoza did for the Hoosiers en route to winning the national championship, this scouting report from Spytek could apply to the Indiana quarterback, who will likely be moving to Las Vegas in the near future.
As for last year’s starter, Geno Smith could be looking for a new home after Spytek told local reporters that he hasn’t spoken to Smith since the season ended.
If the Raiders trade Smith, they could be in need of a veteran quarterback to push he who must not be named. There might be one available in Chicago.
Bears receive trade interest for backup QB Tyson Bagent
Bears coach Ben Johnson provided a hilarious moment during his podium session when he did a fake cough to shout no. Initially, I thought that was directed toward the guy in the back who kept shouting at reporters to put their cameras down.
However, it happened when Johnson was asked about the possibility of the team trading backup quarterback Tyson Bagent. With Johnson coughing out an emphatic no, it seems Bagent will remain Caleb Williams’s backup for at least the 2026 season. Last year, Chicago locked Bagent up with a two-year, $10 million contract extension, which keeps him with the Bears until after the 2027 season.
Someone kept shouting at reporters to put their cameras down and Bears coach Ben Johnson found a subtle way to say no 😂 pic.twitter.com/PT6YopJPvD
— Gilberto Manzano (@GManzano24) February 24, 2026
Johnson said, selfishly, he would like to hold onto Bagent because he views him as a top-32 quarterback, and it’s never a given that Williams will stay healthy for every game. It’s probably wise to keep Bagent for insurance purposes, but it could be hard to say no to a Day 2 pick.
Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley displays noticeable leadership traits
The podium room at the NFL combine has a new layout with better lighting this year.
You could see the difference between the veteran coaches and the new hires. Johnson didn’t appear as fresh as last year after guiding the Bears to the divisional round of the playoffs. He might need a new skincare routine to counter the toll of being an NFL head coach.
As for first-year Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley, the new lighting did him a service because he appeared rejuvenated and eager to retool the Dolphins’ roster this offseason.
It was easy to see why the Packers fell in love with Hafley over the past two seasons when he was the team’s defensive coordinator, and why he landed the Miami job last month. Hafley took command of his podium session, evenly dividing questions between Packers and Dolphins reporters.
“These Green Bay guys are aggressive,” Hafley said jokingly.
Also, Hafley raved about the hiring of pass-game coordinator Kevin Patullo, the former Eagles offensive coordinator who was made the scapegoat for Philadelphia’s struggles last season.
Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley raves about the hiring of Kevin Patullo, former Eagles OC and now Miami pass game coordinator pic.twitter.com/lMACTJrp02
— Gilberto Manzano (@GManzano24) February 24, 2026
“I think he’s going to be a huge asset to what we do,” Hafley said of Patullo. “I think often it’s unfair to judge anybody off one single year.”
Hafley has noticeable leadership qualities, but let’s see how he sounds at his combine media session next year.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Combine Sights and Sounds Day 1: Wind Chill, the Stompers App and a Skincare Suggestion.
