Lane Kiffin: Bill Belichick Willing To Call For College Evals

The most successful coaches are often the ones who go the extra mile, as long as the time to do so doesn't outweigh the benefits. Bill Belichick is one of the few who is willing to go that extra mile.

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin recently joined the Pat McAfee Show, and he shared one of the things that separates Belichick from most others: he's willing to call and listen to college coaches' evaluations of their own players.

Seems simple, right? Apparently, it's not as common as you would think.

“We get some calls. Probably not as much as you’d think,” Kiffin said. “No disrespect, I think a lot of people in the NFL think, ‘We’ve got it figured out. We don’t need opinions from college guys.’ That may sound crazy to you, but that does happen."

It isn't just first-round guys or top talent either. Belichick is willing to dig deeper to make sure he understands what his team is getting from guys going on Day 2 and 3 as well.

"I remember a guy in like the third round the night before the draft, him calling me to ask my opinion on him," Kiffin continued, via Pro Football Talk. "Not even a first-round pick. So some people do it, and I think a lot of people don’t.

“The really good ones like him, he’s so smart. I remember it was a tight end — he was like, ‘OK, I remember you had Zach Miller 10 years ago with the Raiders or whatever it was. How do you compare him to him?’ That’s how smart he is, to be able to remember who you had and players you were around and compare them to. That’s why he’s so great at that.”

It's an interesting revelation about the leading man for the New England Patriots. Taking the time to turn over every stone is important. Belichick is willing to do that, even though he hasn't always gotten value out of his draft picks.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.