MOBILE, Ala. — Draft eligible prospects lined up for measurements and stepped on a scale Tuesday morning, but the assessments are just getting started at the Reese's Senior Bowl.
The afternoon will open the first of three consecutive days of practices for players on the North and South teams.
Ken Whisenhunt and the Titans staff will be coaching the North squad, and Gus Bradley and the Jaguars staff will be coaching the South squad this week. Performance in on-field drills and observing the way players respond to coaching are components of the evaluation process.
Here's a glance at the coaching staffs:
North — Ken Whisenhunt is preparing for his second season as Titans Head Coach after spending 2013 as Chargers Offensive Coordinator and six years as Head Coach of the Arizona Cardinals (2007-12). Prior to that he was OC for Pittsburgh (2004-06) that included winning Super Bowl XL and tight ends coach for Pittsburgh (2001-03) and the New York Jets (2000), coaching the position he played for three teams in the NFL (1985-88, Atlanta; 1989-90 Washington; 1991-93 New York Jets). Earlier in his career, Whisenhunt worked for the Baltimore Ravens with Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage.
The Titans Offensive Coordinator is Jason Michael, who worked with Whisenhunt in San Diego, and the Defensive Coordinator is Ray Horton, a former colleague of Whisenhunt's in Pittsburgh, who held the same position with Arizona (2011-12). Horton implemented a 3-4 defense this season for the first time in the Titans era (since 1999).
South — Gus Bradley, a native of Zumbrota, Minn., is preparing for his third season in Jacksonville, which has undergone a significant overhaul of the roster since his arrival in 2013. Bradley helped build Seattle's defense into a dominant one as coordinator from 2009-12. Prior to that, he was an assistant for former Tampa Bay Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin (a Vikings assistant 1992-94) from 2006-08. The transition to the NFL followed a 10-year run (1996-2005) as an assistant coach at North Dakota State, where he played free safety and punted (1984-88) and was a graduate assistant (1990-91). He coached at Fort Lewis College (1992-96), including the final two seasons as a Head Coach for the first time.
Bob Babich, Bradley's former boss at North Dakota State from 1997-2002, was one of Bradley's first hires as Defensive Coordinator in Jacksonville. Babich was linebackers coach (2004-09) and Defensive Coordinator (2010-12) for the Chicago Bears prior to reuniting with Bradley. He coached linebackers in St. Louis in 2003, shifting to the professional ranks. Before North Dakota State, Babich was an assistant at Tulsa (1984-87, 1990), Wisconsin (1988-89), Bowling Green (1991), East Carolina (1992-93) and Pittsburgh (1994-96). The Jaguars will have a new offensive coordinator in 2015.
"I think (the Titans are) excited about turning the page on 2014 and beginning 2015, and of course Gus Bradley and the Jaguars are back for a second consecutive year," Savage said. "We would take them every year because Gus did such a great job a year ago. I don't know that they want to be back here next year, but the reality of it is they really understand how the game works."
