NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Just three months ago, the Tennessee Titans' draft preparation process faced a sudden reset. Bringing in new coach Mike Vrabel and his assistants meant the criteria for judging prospects would change to fit new coaches' preferences and schemes.

General manager Jon Robinson was prepared for the change in direction. He sat down with the new coaching staff shortly after they were hired to talk position specifics, strengths and weaknesses. Then he conferred with his scouts to inform them of any changes. Much of their evaluations to that point were still useful, but the new challenge was identifying players who fit a Vrabel-led team.

We're just over a week away from the NFL draft, where we'll find out how the Robinson-Vrabel pairing works in their first draft. But here's what we know about the makeup of a "Vrabel guy."

"A lot of it is instincts, guts, what you see off the field," Vrabel said. "Toughness and hard work are things you can't teach. We won't get caught up in the numbers. I was a 4.79-4.98 (40-yard dash) guy from the time I was 17 to 34. Being conditioned, playing with great technique and being instinctive allows you to play much faster."

From that explanation, Vrabel seems to value players with intelligence, physicality, effort and coachability over combine stars. That ties in with Robinson's history of choosing production over potential in many circumstances if forced to choose between the two.

There aren't many head coaches who were once star players, so Vrabel will inevitably look for players who share some of the same traits that helped him excel as a player. He was never the fastest or strongest guy but he outplayed others who were by using other skills.

"What’s play speed look like? All these kids come in and run 4.5 and I time them on the kickoff and it looks like it’s a 4.95. You don’t run a 4.5 in my mind if I look at you on the kickoff and you’re the fifth guy down there. That kills me. You run 35 yards and slow down, you don’t run a 4.5," Vrabel said. "They told me [former Patriots safety] Rodney Harrison ran a 4.75 when he came from San Diego and he was washed up. All I know is when I was seeing him out there flying by other guys he ran plenty fast."

Another element that could have an impact on the Titans' draft is many of these prospects were recruited by Vrabel as an assistant coach at Ohio State. Prospects like Ohio State's Sam Hubbard, who seems to fit the mold above, already have a relationship with Vrabel. That will play a factor.

"This is the fifth year since I left. There were eight defensive linemen that I recruited who were at the Senior Bowl from Da’Shawn Hand, Tim Settle, Lorenzo Carter and all the ones that ended up at Ohio State. Jamarco Jones at OSU, too," Vrabel said. "We’re not going to draft a guy from Ohio State just to draft him, but if it fits and we know him then that past relationship helps us. If it’s the right thing for us, then we’ll talk about drafting him."

Robinson is the top decision-maker in the draft room, but he's said it's paramount to have a shared vision with Vrabel. As a first-time head coach, Vrabel will sell his culture to the team. Both Vrabel and Robinson will weed out those who fight the changes and bring in others who fit that culture.

"We’re going to look at guys that care about the team, great teammates, competitive, tough, productive. That doesn’t change much throughout the league. You've got to identity them. Can they handle success? Can they handle struggle? Can they handle adversity? How will they handle being a backup? Can they transition to play special teams," Vrabel said. "If they can, then we'll see about making them Titans."