Tying up loose ends

Throughout the scouting process leading up to the NFL Draft, details of private workouts and prospect visits are reported by various outlets.

The assumption is that if a team visits with a prospect at its facility, or conducts a private workout, the player is a legitimate consideration to be drafted.

Often times, however, these workouts and visits are simply part of tying up the loose ends in the scouting process. A team might have an unanswered question from earlier in the process.

This came to mind today after reading an entry in the NFL Draft Diary of Auburn defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks in the Montgomery Advertiser.

Marks writes about how he worked out for the Patriots on Monday.

I got hurt at the Combine and wasn't at my best during (Auburn's) Pro Day, so they wanted to make sure I could put up numbers. I improved all my numbers. My hamstring is good now, so I had my acceleration back like it was during the season. The numbers are there.

In this case, the Patriots' private workout with Marks is reflective of how a prior injury affected their evaluation. Now that Marks is healthy, the Patriots were likely updating their information so they could place a final grade on him.