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NFL teams asked Bret Bielema about Luke Altmyer Music City Bowl audio
TL;DR
NFL teams have inquired with Bret Bielema regarding audio from Luke Altmyer's Music City Bowl performance. This reflects the intense scrutiny quarterbacks face during the evaluative process leading up to the NFL Draft.
Key points
- NFL teams scrutinize quarterbacks' character and personality
- Bret Bielema was asked about Luke Altmyer's Music City Bowl audio
- The evaluative process for quarterbacks is highly detailed
The 2014 Kevin Costner film Draft Day is certainly no Citizen Kane, but it does offer a few realistic glimpses into the NFL Draft evaluative process. The very memorable line "how come none of Bo Callahan's teammates attended his birthday party?! I WANT TO KNOW!" might seem like Hollywood embellishment of how far NFL teams go in doing their due diligence.
They don't really get that granular? And dig that deep?
For quarterbacks, yes, they absolutely do.
And it makes sense, given that QB is a position where character and personality are just as important as the purely football elements. When you're the quarterback, all aspects gets scrutinized to the nth degree.
Illinois QB Luke Altmyer is arguably the best from the modern era, at the position, in his program's history. He brings a lot to the table, and he looks like a great potential fit for several different teams.
His head coach, Bret Bielema, had special praise for his composure.
Altmyer led Illinois down the field, for a game winning drive that culminated in a walk-off field goal, to give the Illini a Music City Bowl win. Bielema discussed the recordings of the communications between Altmyer and Offensive Coordinator Barry Lunney on that final drive.
"There's some really cool audible audio," Bielema said on a Tuesday media conference call.
"I know you guys (Illini media corps) have listened to it with coach Lunney. I give Pat Pearson (Illinois Football Director of Branding and Creative Media) all the credit in the world.
"He's going into that game, he's like 'Coach, can we record this and talk about, you know, just the interaction between Barry and Luke on the field?' There's actually NFL teams that have asked me about that audio, because it just shows the trust that coach Lunney had in Luke.
"And I think that was the best culmination of a player that I just mutually respect, not just in how he plays, but how he manages the game, as you could ever find, was Luke Altmyer in that Tennessee game.
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: NFL teams interested in audio from Altmyer's bowl game winning drive
Q&A
What did NFL teams ask Bret Bielema about Luke Altmyer?
NFL teams asked Bret Bielema for insights regarding audio from Luke Altmyer's performance in the Music City Bowl.
Why is character evaluation important for NFL quarterbacks?
Character evaluation is crucial for NFL quarterbacks because their leadership and personality significantly impact team dynamics and performance.
How does the NFL Draft evaluative process work for quarterbacks?
The NFL Draft evaluative process for quarterbacks involves extensive scrutiny of both their on-field performance and off-field character, including personal interviews and background checks.
