It isn't as if Mike LaFleur hasn't been to the Scouting Combine before. He has. But he hadn't the past few Februarys, because he was on the L.A. Rams staff and head coach Sean McVay determined a few years ago that he preferred to have his coaches do their Combine work remotely.

But LaFleur has a new job now.

"Mike isn't necessarily used to going to the Combine so when I told him he was going to the Combine he was like, 'What's the Combine?'" GM Monti Ossenfort quipped. "It was great to get him out here."

LaFleur smiled at the joke. "It's like you were here every year," the new Cardinals coach said. "Not much has changed."

(As someone who has been here every year since 2001 save for the 2021 Covid Combine, I can second that.)

"Each organization is different," LaFleur said. "I don't think there is necessarily a right or wrong."

There has been a natural transition for this draft cycle. When Ossenfort arrived as GM in 2023, Jonathan Gannon was new too, and they learned together how to make the draft process work. That structure remains in place, but now Ossenfort is dealing with a new coaching staff.

"It goes both ways," Ossenfort said. "There are ways I like to do things and there is perspective he brings in. That's exciting. Brings something fresh to our process."

In the end, Ossenfort said, it's about getting everyone -- front office, scouts, coaches -- to "speak the same language" and understand the end goal for player evaluation and type of players the Cardinals seek.

"It doesn't mean we always agree, in fact, I hope we don't always agree," Ossenfort said. "We push each other."

Added LaFleur, "Just great collaboration. That's the point of this."