No mocking career choice

Swampscott's McShay finds niche with draft

Its popularity growing to unprecedented levels, the NFL draft has carved out a place as professional football's second season.

Prospects are scrutinized and analyzed more than ever. Pro Days at college campuses have become media events. The mock-draft world is continuously spinning, creating a not-so-mini market for "scouts" to deliver their analyses to an information-starved audience.

Had Swampscott's Todd McShay known this was where things were headed 10 years ago, he wouldn't have been questioning the direction of his career.

He had thought about becoming a sports agent, or perhaps working for an NFL team. But never once did it occur to him that he'd be a talking head on the monster that is ESPN, one of the go-to-guys people turn to for draft information.

"It's completely exploded," the 31-year-old McShay said of a business that mostly used to be manned by one person, Mel Kiper Jr.

"It was kind of on the cusp of that as I was getting into it, and it makes sense. The NFL is king in this country, in terms of sports. It's become a 12-month-a-year industry."

Yet another reminder of that growth comes this year with the NFL's decision to alter the draft, moving the first round into a later Saturday slot. The time limit teams have to make selections in the first round has been cut from 15 minutes to 10 - and the second-round limit has been sliced from 10 to 7 - again catering to TV.

Like some of the later-round draft choices he analyzes, McShay's career got off to a modest start.

After quarterbacking the Swampscott High team in the 1990s, he landed at the University of Richmond and remembers being issued jersey No. 35, an ominous sign for a signal-caller.

Although he recalls rising to second string despite regularly "eating dirt" in practice against future NFL players like Shawn Barber and Marc Megna, McShay's playing career came to an abrupt end when he sustained a back injury.

At that point, McShay approached coach Jim Reid - the former University of Massachusetts mentor - and asked if there was any non-playing role for him to remain with the team. Reid told McShay he could "cut film" for the coaching staff, an essential but laborious low-level responsibility.

"It was very difficult at the time, because I wanted to play and couldn't play, but I wound up gaining a foundation by sitting in the coach's offices every day," McShay recalled. "You couldn't help but learn more and more, cutting up, doing tendencies for other teams and all those sorts of things. From that point, I knew I wanted to stay in the game."

Family ties later helped McShay, as his grandfather, who used to scout for Bo Schembechler's Michigan teams, connected him with former NFL scout Gary Horton.

Horton was starting a scouting publication, The War Room, with the idea to become the NFL's 32d personnel department, or essentially a cross-check to the league's other 31 teams at the time.

McShay interned for Horton in the summer of 1998 and the two hit it off, so when McShay graduated from Richmond's Jepson School of Leadership the following year, there was a full-time job waiting for him in New York. He snatched it up, despite making only $1,000 per month and staying on a couch in a colleague's downtown Manhattan apartment.

At first, The War Room was affiliated with SFX Entertainment, a sports and marketing company. Soon enough, CBS began tapping The War Room for information, and later, a contract was signed with the Sporting News.

When that deal expired, ESPN pounced with a multiyear contract, and changed the name from The War Room to Scouts Inc. Within a year, ESPN absorbed the company, making McShay a full-time ESPN employee.

"I had absolutely no intention of ever being on television, and still, to some degree, I don't feel like I do television, if that makes sense," McShay said, noting that he has taken classes to learn more about that aspect of the business.

"Right or wrong - and some of my television producers would say wrong - I am still absolutely 100 percent approaching this job as a scout, as a talent evaluator, and hopefully continue to develop some of the TV attributes to the point where they feel comfortable putting me on in different environments."

It's been an unexpected rise in public profile for the Swampscott youngster who played Pop Warner with Arizona Diamondbacks assistant general manager Peter Woodfork, and the college student who turned his cramped closet into a film room.

True to form, McShay, who is married and lives in the Back Bay, has recently turned an extra bedroom into his own film-breakdown area. The work seemingly never ends, but he's not complaining.

"During the offseason, everyone's focus is on the same thing, wondering how their team, or their fantasy team, is going to get better, and wondering who the next stars are going to be," McShay said.

"For a while, it was just Mel Kiper, but now you've seen dozens of different draftniks spring up, and I was just fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. As they say, luck is when opportunity meets preparation."

Tip of the three-cornered hat

When is it good business to pay a backup player starter money?

While "never" would seemingly be the right answer, Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio made a strong case when he explained why Jacksonville inked cornerback Drayton Florence to a six-year contract with a reported $12 million in bonuses and guarantees.

Florence couldn't hold onto his starting job in San Diego, but even if he begins some games on the sideline this year, Del Rio sees great value in adding another cornerback to go with Brian Williams and Rashean Mathis.

"Our feeling is that you can't have enough speed and quality in the secondary, especially with what you have to go through in the AFC, with Indianapolis and New England, teams that play three-, four-, and sometimes five-receiver sets," he said. "Having a third corner who can be a starter is a good situation for us."

The Jaguars could ultimately move Williams to safety, with Florence sliding in as a starter at corner.

But even if that doesn't happen, Del Rio's point is well taken on two fronts: The road through the AFC still goes through the Patriots and Colts and their spread offenses, and because of that, the role of the third corner - or 12th starter - is as important as ever.

Picking out a few select story lines as draft day nears

The NFL draft is set for April 26-27, and as the buzz continues to build, here is one view of the top story lines, from Scouts Inc.'s Todd McShay:

1. Darren McFadden in focus: "It becomes a tug-of-war, because in my mind he's the most naturally talented player in this draft. He has some small off-the-field issues that I'm not sure will affect his draft stock but could. More importantly, drafting a running back is tricky because teams don't like to draft running backs with short shelf lives; they feel they can get a good player later on. So there is just not that one spot that you think the most talented player in the draft is going to go - Oakland is a possibility at 4, the Jets a possibility at 6, but at this point, two weeks before the draft, to not be sure where the most talented player is going to go is unique."

2. Matt Ryan and franchise quarterbacks: "He is absolutely a franchise quarterback, in my opinion. I have no problem putting that stamp on him. Over the last five years, outside of Ben Roethlisberger, he has the highest grade I've given [a quarterback] - the same grade as Eli Manning and Matt Leinart. I think he's that good of a player. But it doesn't look like Miami is going to take him. Then there's Atlanta and [general manager] Tom Dimitroff, who is coming from the Patriots and the theory of building along the lines and then out, which I understand. So [Ryan] could end up falling to No. 8 [Ravens], and you could have a situation where two of the elite talents - McFadden and Ryan - could go 6 and 8 overall. I think there is a lot of drama with that."

3. Not a sexy draft: "It's not an overall exciting draft from a television standpoint, but it really is a strong draft. The problem is that people might not get all excited because offensive and defensive linemen are ruling the top. You're probably going to see six offensive linemen taken in the first round. This class, as a whole, is unbelievably deep, but I think it will be a class that doesn't get a lot of attention or hype because it's not at the offensive skill positions."

4. Trade winds blowing: "I've been saying all along, and I still believe, that the Patriots have a good chance to make the first trade in this year's draft. They sit at 7 and their needs are linebacker and defensive back. Unless Vernon Gholston falls to them - and I think Gholston is a little bit overrated anyway - there is not a linebacker to take. And if you look at the cornerback position, there isn't a corner who is a can't-miss in the top 10 this year, either. To me, that's the area teams might be willing to move up - you don't have to spend too much money like you would in the top five picks."

Etc.

First things first with that pick
News that the Dolphins have begun to discuss parameters on a contract with Michigan offensive lineman Jake Long and Ohio State defensive end/outside linebacker Vernon Gholston as possible No. 1 picks comes as little surprise. Miami executive vice president of football operations Bill Parcells has been around too long, and is too wise, to surrender the leverage he has. Because there is no clear-cut No. 1 pick, look for the Dolphins to speak with several players, with their final decision contingent on the player agreeing to a contract before the draft. That's just smart business, something the Raiders should have done last year with JaMarcus Russell, and exactly what the Texans did with defensive lineman Mario Williams two years ago. Only the team picking first has that option.

Kicking up some dust
Before the NFL Players Association can prepare for a looming labor battle with owners, it must get its own house in order. That is the underlying theme following a tumultuous week in which a private e-mail sent by Ravens kicker Matt Stover to members of the union - in which he essentially was plotting a plan for executive director Gene Upshaw's removal by March 2009 - was made public. Upshaw, who plans to remain in place until labor negotiations are completed, publicly fired back at Stover and is working behind the scenes to strengthen his standing. When the players and owners agreed to the most recent CBA extension, it was the owners who appeared more divided. Now, it seems, the tables are turned a bit.

A simple solution
The Browns added considerable bulk in the form of defensive linemen Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams this offseason, but they're trimming down in other areas. Coach Romeo Crennel is considering simplifying the defense as the club transitions to a new coordinator in Mel Tucker. The Browns gave up more first downs than every team but the Lions and were one of the league's worst units against the run. Crennel apparently thinks it might have been a result of players being overloaded, so look for the Browns to get back to basics.

Young jumps in feet-first
One of the most important developments for the Titans is the work between third-year quarterback Vince Young and new offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger. Young has returned to Texas to work toward his degree, fulfilling a promise to his mother, but he's still spending some time in Tennessee. The first item of business was going over his footwork with Heimerdinger, as coach Jeff Fisher feels that is a good foundation on which to build for the inconsistent Young. The Titans expect Young to return to town on a full-time basis next month, and Fisher feels he won't be behind.

Extra points
The Bills are tipping their hand that they are seeking a big receiver to improve their 30th-rated offense; now, the question is whether they'll take the plunge on Michigan State's Devin Thomas (6 feet 2 inches, 216 pounds) in the first round. The Bills are also looking to put more quick-rhythm throws into their arsenal . . . According to Pro Football Weekly, Michigan receiver Mario Manningham has written a letter to all 32 NFL teams in which he admits to smoking marijuana and failing two drug tests in college, something he had hidden at the NFL combine. That could hurt the draft status of Manningham, who at one time was projected as a late first-round pick . . . Glenn Dorsey (LSU), Gholston, Chris Long (Virginia), Jake Long, Darren McFadden (Arkansas), and Matt Ryan (Boston College) are the six top prospects scheduled to be in attendance at the draft in New York . . . The Chiefs finished 30th last season in kickoff-return average (19.2 yards) and 25th in punt-return average (7.6), and hope that last week's signing of free agent B.J. Sams - who was top-10 in both categories in 2006 but missed most of last season with a knee injury - will give them a boost.

Did you know?
The Eagles, Falcons, and Bears enter the draft with the most selections - 11 each. The Bengals, Bills, Chiefs, and Panthers are next with 10. The Browns have the fewest, with four - all in the final four rounds.

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com