"It was so hectic": Texans HC DeMeco Ryans reflects on his NFL combine experience from 2006

The NFL Combine is a rite of passage that every top player in the league has to go through. Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, who is now tasked with evaluating young stars during the five-day event, also took part in it in 2006 when he was an outside linebacker prospect from Alabama, hoping to impress a team and get drafted.

During an appearance on Good Morning Football on Thursday, the 40-year-old recounted his experience at the Combine.

"Combine for me, it was so hectic during the combine. Fun memory for me. At the Combine was like, man, I was so excited, so pumped up to do the bench press, And then I didn't know this at the time coming to the combine, but we're in a room, we're doing a bench press, I knockout, got like 23 reps, and then it's like, instantly, you go sit in the next room and you do the Wonderlic so I'm like sitting there trying to hold a pencil, trying to ace the Wonderlic."

Ryans then advised players to revel in the spotlight and enjoy the moment.

"It was an exciting time, get to meet a lot of NFL coaches, lot of other players around the NFL. It's a great time for these players too," he said.

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DeMeco Ryans on the most important aspect of the NFL Combine

As important as it is to impress scouts and coaches with their performance in the workout portion of the NFL Combine, DeMeco Ryans believes the conversations players have with the team's top brass is the most critical aspect of the event.

"It's being able to sit down across from the player face to face and be able to hear their story, hear their background, their upbringing, but also getting to feel their energy. Feel their passion and love for the game of football. It comes off in those 15 minute interviews and I can feel that energy very instantly," he said on Tuesday (via Texans Wire).

The Texans are looking to add players who are not only physically gifted but have a high IQ, a willingness to learn and adapt and make a difference on the field. Houston's priority is to improve the offense, and while there's enough film for the team to narrow down their list of targets, Ryans believes the interviews he has with the players will give him a clearer idea of whom to draft.