What we learned on the first day of the NFL Combine

INDIANAPOLIS — The NFL Scouting Combine got started Wednesday, and the day featured several NFL coaches and personnel executives meeting with the media.

New Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said some exceptionally strange things, Denver Broncos executive John Elway may have tipped his hand on Kirk Cousins, and Ryan Shazier of the Pittsburgh Steelers was ruled out for the 2018 season.

Those were just some of the key happenings from the first day of the combine. Here are some other things we learned in Indianapolis:

Beast Mode is apparently still active. Gruden may not want anything to do with your modern-day fancy analytics, but he is counting on veteran running back Marshawn Lynch next season.

“Looking at our film and the game that I broadcast on Christmas night, there’s no question he’s still the Beast, that’s hard to bring down,” Gruden said during an entertaining media session on Wednesday. “And one of the reasons that I’m excited to be with the Raiders is to join forces with Lynch, but we’ll see what happens. Obviously, we’ve got to take a look at our entire roster. But I’m counting on him. I’m counting on him being a big part of our football team.”

Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim and head coach Steve Wilks were a united front about their need at quarterback this offseason. They both said Wednesday they want to bring in a veteran quarterback and a rookie. They weren’t the only quarterback-desperate team to share that sentiment.

Hue Jackson of the Cleveland Browns — holders of the first and fourth picks in the draft — said he’d like to have a veteran quarterback, and a rookie.

“Would we have to? I would hope not,” Jackson said Wednesday about having to play the first-overall pick immediately. “I would hope there’s other things. There are going to be other opportunities as we all know. We have free agency right upon us as well. We also have opportunities of the quarterbacks that are on our football team right now. Again, we’ve just got to see how it all fits as we move forward.”

Jackson did admit, however, that it might be difficult to woo free agents to the historically bad Browns, so it could be another year of forcing a rookie quarterback to start.

Under former general manager Ted Thompson, the Green Bay Packers notoriously avoided signing free agents off the market. Under his successor Brian Gutekunst, that could change. Via Acme Packing Company:

“There’s limits to what you can do,” Gutekunst said, “but we’d like to be really aggressive and see (if) we can be in every conversation. Whether that leads to us signing a bunch, we’ll see.”

Considering Green Bay’s needs at pass rusher, tight end, offensive tackle, and cornerback, Gutekunst could try and check one of those off in free agency. For Green Bay, that would almost be a sea change from how Thompson ran the team.

One of the key storylines of the draft this year is whether or not teams think Louisville’s Lamar Jackson should switch from being a quarterback to a wide receiver.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has some opinions on it, even though there’s no way he’d take Jackson so soon after ushering in the Patrick Mahomes era.

“I’m not much on that,” Reid said about Jackson potentially having to move to receiver. “I want to bring him in and lets exhaust that other thing we know he’s good at. This is just a general statement, Lets get him in and let him wing it a little bit and see how he does.”

Andrew Luck is the NFL’s forgotten superstar. Luck didn’t take a snap all of last season. That included training camp and preseason while he rehabbed from surgery on his right shoulder.

Since Luck last played, the Colts have added a new head coach in Frank Reich and a new general manager in Chris Ballard. Reich said he expects Luck to be back with the team April 2 when offseason programs begin. Even though Luck still isn’t throwing footballs, everything is apparently still going to the plan.

“He’s continued to check every box,” Reich said. “We’re excited about that. Making progress as expected.”

Ballard said more surgery for Luck isn’t scheduled.

Cardinals general manager Steve Keim on Central Florida linebacker Shaquem Griffin, who plays with only one hand:

“You have to admire the type of success he’s had already with that impairment. I think when you look at players like that, there’s something to be said for what’s in their heart.”

Frank Reich on pending free agent Colts running back Frank Gore:

“Personally, even though I’ve never coached Frank, he’s a legend in my mind. Frank Gore set the standard for what backs do in protection. I remember hearing stories from teams that Frank could run protection meetings and make the protection calls for the quarterback. This guy, as far as I’m concerned, is a living legend.”

Dave Gettleman, New York Giants general manger:

“Let me tell you something. Social media is evil.”