Behind the scenes with the Philadelphia Eagles at the NFL Scouting Combine

Monday marked the first day of weigh-ins at Lucas Oil Stadium. An open area of the concrete underbelly of Lucas Oil Stadium just a short walk from the tunnel that leads to the field is transformed with a stage and eight sections of seating. Gates opened at 6 AM with the weigh-ins for the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends kicking off at 7 AM on Monday. DiValerio and Soliman and two other members of the scouting staff were there when the gates opened to secure two full rows of seats so all of the Eagles’ personnel can sit together. Once the seats are saved on Monday, teams typically stay in the same place for the rest of the week. In fact, it’s known that certain teams sit in the same area year after year. The early report time means that breakfast will be whatever is offered in the weigh-in area – typically bagels, donuts, and the like.

During the weigh-ins, DiValerio and Soliman record all of the measurements for each prospect – height, weight, hand size, arm length, and wingspan. Casey Weidl will input the numbers into the team’s database. DiValerio and Soliman ensure that those numbers are correct. The weigh-ins also provide an opportunity to look at each player’s body type and compare it against the rest of the prospects.

DiValerio grew up in Aston, Pennsylvania and always knew that he wanted to work in football. One of the prerequisites for his college choice was that it had to have a football program.

“Ever since I was growing up, I just always had a passion for professional sports,” DiValerio said. “Everyone in my family is a huge Philly sports fan. The whole idea of team-building in football was the most enticing for me. I’ve always loved the whole draft process and free agent process, so it’s something that I’ve wanted to get into since I was a kid.”

He enrolled at Villanova and started volunteering for the Wildcats at the end of the 2014 season under then-head coach Andy Talley and eventually his successor Mark Ferrante. DiValerio worked in recruiting operations, which included setting up the film for pro scout visits. During practices and games, he would hold up the cards signaling the defensive personnel on the field. DiValerio met Casey Weidl during the 2017 Pro Day at Villanova when defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon was a highly sought-after prospect, eventually going in the second round to the Kansas City Chiefs.

DiValerio was hired by the Eagles as a Training Camp/preseason intern in 2017 and remained on the staff in a part-time capacity until he graduated from Villanova. He became a full-time member of the Eagles in May 2018. Working more on the college side, DiValerio has done some on-site campus visits over the past two years to get background information on players from coaches and support staff as well as write reports from practices. At the NovaCare Complex, DiValerio also helps what is called the “advance” process of game preparation which includes assembling packets of information and scouting reports of the team’s next opponent. During this time of year, his focus is on all of the behind-the-scenes prep for the draft process.

“It’s a lot of little things. People say grunt work, but I wouldn’t really describe it as grunt work. It’s making the lives of everybody else, from the area scouts to the directors – Howie (Roseman), Andy (Weidl), VPs – easier,” DiValerio said. “It’s doing the little things to make it easier for everybody else while also being able to be around so many people who have been through it before, so learning from them is huge as well. Everyone’s so personable. I can go into Howie’s office, Andy’s office anytime and ask them anything. It’s a great place to be with great people around. The days are long, but it’s all fun. I know scouting assistants from other teams and we do a lot more hands-on work with evaluating players, going into schools, and some of the advance stuff.”

“I have never seen Lee overwhelmed. No matter how crazy it gets during the season, he might have several college and NFL players to look at, then a coach will ask for a report, and Casey will assign a project, and I know it’s always going to get done on time and at a high level,” Soliman said. “I’ve never heard him complain about having too much work or having too many people throw too many things at the same time. It’s just you do your work and you find a way to get it done.”

Like DiValerio, Soliman grew up a Philly sports fan in Yardley, Pennsylvania. She was initially interested in sports medicine until she realized that there are other ways to get into the sports business. Soliman went to Temple and started volunteering in the spring of 2014 right after Matt Rhule’s first season as head coach. As an undergraduate at Temple, Soliman was involved “everything but the on-field product,” which included academics, travel, and catering. Following graduation, Soliman remained at Temple as a graduate assistant for Geoff Collins’ first season as head coach in 2017, this time working in football operations and recruiting. She impressed enough to earn an internship at the NFL’s office in the winter of 2018 working on player personnel matters, salary cap work rules, and compliance. This is when she attended her first NFL Scouting Combine.

“It was a really good experience. I learned a ton. I love the people there, but I missed the team atmosphere,” she said of working in the league office. “I wanted to get back in some capacity.”

Soliman interned with the Eagles starting in Training Camp in 2018 and was hired on a full-time basis following last year’s draft. Working more on the pro personnel side, she scouted players at preseason games during the summer who could potentially be waived during the final roster cutdown. Leading up to this year’s Combine, she had “film schools” where she would watch prospects from certain colleges and follow up with coaches for additional background info.

“Ameena is super-detailed with everything from making the free agent books to doing the reports. One thing Casey always stresses is the importance of being detailed in everything that you do. If they can’t trust you to do the little things, they’re never going to trust you from an evaluation standpoint,” DiValerio said. “That’s where I want to go. That’s where a lot of people want to go, Ameena as well. That’s the one thing I could lean on her for last year was anything detailed, I could always trust her to do whatever that we needed. If I need someone to help me out, I can always lean on Ameena to help me out with things. It’s the details of everything.”

It’s not just during Combine week that DiValerio and Soliman work in tandem. Their desks are just a couple of feet apart on the second floor of the NovaCare Complex in the coaches and personnel wing. Even during the summer break before the start of Training Camp, when the NFL slows down for about five weeks or so, the two are in constant communication updating each other on various projects.