The pressure of operating a historic draft takes Cleveland's general manager back to the day he thought he was being fired as a young scout, only to find himself with a front row seat to one of history's biggest trades.
Even now, more than a quarter century into the scouting game, John Dorsey finds himself wrestling butterflies.
The curtain rises Thursday on the biggest day of his professional life. He has more power and responsibility than ever before, and his is the face of hope for the most win-starved fans on the planet.
"The seat does get hot," said the general manager whose Cleveland Browns kick off the NFL draft with pick No. 1 Thursday night at 8.
Whether it's the consensus guy, Sam Darnold, or a surprise up his sleeve, Dorsey will not make the big calls timidly.
"I know I can do my job with the best of my peers in the NFL," he said. "If we do this collectively, this thing can work."
Dorsey learned about the collective from a master, Pro Football Hall of Fame general manager Ron Wolf. They first worked together in Green Bay in 1992, when Dorsey, a neophyte scout, immediately witnessed the mechanics of a draft-related trade.
Dorsey had worked just one year as a Packers scout, and he thought it might be his only year when a new general manager, Wolf, was brought in. Early on, he got a call from Wolf, imagining it was to get fired. Instead, Wolf wound up taking Dorsey under his wing.
Wolf had worked the previous year for the New York Jets, who were poised to spend their highest pick, at No. 34, on Brett Favre. The Falcons swooped in to take Favre at 33; the Jets settled for a different quarterback, Browning Nagle, with the next pick.
Favre had a miserable rookie year, but Wolf trusted his own conclusions and set his sights on getting Favre, no matter what. Wolf's Packers sent Atlanta a No. 19 overall pick in the 1992 draft to get it done.
Sitting on pick 33 these years later brings a smile to Dorsey's face, especially since he will have been able to get the Browns' quarterback of the future at No. 1. A lot of things about this draft make him smile. It is the most exciting one of his lifetime, with picks at 1, 4, 33 and 35.
Part of the fun is having Wolf's son, Eliot, on board as his assistant general manager. Dorsey and the younger Eliot worked together in Green Bay from 2004 through the time Dorsey left to be general manager in Kansas City in 2013.
Part of the fun is being in charge of a huge staff that has helped prepare for the next three days.
Some might find it hard to grasp the size of the "collective." It includes three player personnel vice presidents (Andrew Berry, Alonzo Highsmith, Ken Kovash), a director of research and strategy (Kevin Meers), a scouting director (Mike Cetta), a player personnel director (Chisom Opara), a college scouting director (Bobby Vega) and assistant director (Glenn Cook), 10 scouts, 11 assistant scouts, a player personnel strategist and two research analysts.
With a nod to that cast, Dorsey is quick to correct any reference to "his picks."
"They're our picks," he said.
Still, this draft is his baby. He has the experience and confidence to end all discussions with hard decisions.
His lofty position makes him think back to his time of getting used to be an ex-Packers player who was moving into scouting. He thinks of his rise through the personnel ranks, of what has worked, of mistakes made that won't be made now.
"To have an understanding of what scouting and players are," he said, "you have to be in the scouting world for at least five years of trial and error.
"Then as you are in rooms with experienced scouts, you begin to listen as they talk as a group. You watch film together, learn different concepts. Then you start picking their brain. Slowly, you develop and learn, as long as you have somebody at the top who is willing to teach you as a young man.
"I was fortunate to have that with Ron Wolf many years ago, to teach and develop a lot of us young guys. You have to gain experience. It is all about experience.”
Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or
steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP
DRAFT SCHEDULE/BROWNS PICKS
ROUND 1
Kicks off at 8 p.m., Thursday
TV: NFL Network, FOX, ESPN, ESPN2
Browns have picks at 1 and 4
Picks must be made within 10 minutes
ROUNDS 2-3
Kicks off at 7 p.m., Friday
TV: NFL Network, FOX, ESPN, ESPN2
Browns have picks at 33, 35 and 64
Time limits seven minutes for Round 2, five minutes for Round 3
ROUNDS 4-7
Kicks off at noon, Saturday
TV: NFL Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ABC
Browns have picks at 114, 150, 175 and 188
Time limits five minutes for Rounds 4-6, four minutes for Round 7