Mike Florio and Chris Simms from NBC Sports criticized Commanders' executives Adam Peters and Dan Quinn for hosting a casual Top Golf outing for prospective draft picks in both 2024 and 2025. The critics accused the executives of treating players like zoo animals and questioned the effectiveness of such events in evaluating talent.
During the NBC Sports "Pro Football Talk" segment, Simms mocked the idea of using a Top Golf outing to assess players' abilities, highlighting the inexperience of a prospect struggling to hit a golf ball. Florio and Simms argued that such gatherings were dehumanizing and unnecessary, questioning the value of observing players in a non-football environment.
Florio further criticized the Commanders' approach, suggesting that if Top Golf outings were groundbreaking in scouting, other teams would have adopted the practice. The critics expressed more disdain for the informal gatherings than for the NFL combine, where players undergo rigorous physical and mental assessments. Despite the ongoing criticism, the Commanders and other teams continue to explore unconventional methods to evaluate potential draft picks.