'Why not three-peat?' Greg Castillo, Trent McDuffie and the inner-workings of a Chiefs dynasty
Free agency is fun, but here's how a team wins championships. Go Long sits down with the scout who helped reel in a Super Bowl hero.
INDIANAPOLIS — The NFL Combine can blur into the ultimate rager if drinking ‘til 4 a.m. is your thing. Bars stay open. Scouts, coaches, agents and media members herd toward Prime 47 and High Velocity and, of course, Kilroy’s offers the cheapest beer deals. Two-dollar domestics? In this economy?! You’re bound to run into friends from the road, B.S. until your voice is hoarse and, then, kindly ask the front desk at the hotel for a bottle of water and a pack of Advil that’ll barely remedy the damage done.
This is one way to approach the sport’s great convention. It’s more of a vortex. Been there, done that.
However, there is another option.
On this particular morning, Greg Castillo is alert and ready to chat at 7:30 a.m. He’s in the JW Marriott lobby, seated next to a chic glass fireplace, where so many gleefully tipped drinks back into the wee hours the night before. The Kansas City Chiefs’ West Regional scout has no interest in such hijinks — be it in Indy or the scouting trail — because Castillo insists he’d rather work out, grab a coffee, keep his mind sharp. His job’s the grind of all football grinds. Scouting is not for everyone. Castillo estimates that 65 percent of his life is spent away from his wife and 4-year-old son.
Honestly, it’s understandable why anyone entrenched in an unforgiving sport would drown themselves in whiskey time to time. You sacrifice so much.
But instead of a drink, Castillo buys a book.
He’s particularly thankful for Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” possibly the most inspiring business book of all-time.
“During those adverse moments,” Castillo says, “during those tough moments, when I’m on Day 13 on the road, at some point, the why kicks in. Something bigger kicks in.”
He pauses.
“Because it’s tough, man.”
Castillo thinks back to the day he questioned his own existence in this scouting world. Exhausted, physically and mentally drained, driving through Slippery Rock, Pa., in late November 2019 — “the middle of nowhere” — one singular thought passed through his mind: “Oh my God, is this really what I’m doing?” More than ever, Castillo was unsure if life in a car, a hotel, writing reports nonstop was how he wanted to spend this life. He called his wife. The woman he calls his “rock” in life, Danielle Castillo, didn’t beg him to immediately quit this profession when it would’ve been easy to exploit his apprehension. Instead, she calmed him down. She encouraged him to press on, to chase his dreams.
“I feel like everyone has those moments,” Castillo says. “People just don’t want to talk about it.”
He forged ahead and the Chiefs are thankful because that moment led to another: Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas.
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The best player not named Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVIII was Trent McDuffie. The 23-year-old cornerback might’ve been the game’s MVP before overtime. He ran stride for stride with Deebo Samuel into the end zone and swatted away a Brock Purdy heave. He was targeted seven times and surrendered all of nine yards on two catches. This 4.5 yards per catch, as PFF noted, is the lowest total by the 54 players who’ve been targeted at least five times since 2016. His 39.6 passer rating allowed was the equivalent to Purdy throwing the ball into the dirt every play. McDuffie had the second-highest blitz total of all corners in the NFL last season — leading everyone with 16 pressures and three sacks — but he didn’t get the green light in the Super Bowl until 2 minutes remained… and effectively saved the game.
Obviously, the No. 1 reason the Chiefs have won three titles (and counting) is their transcendent quarterback. Mahomes’ magic is unparalleled. His knack for delivering when the stakes are highest is alien to the sport. (He’s an absurd 7 for 7 down by one score with a minute left in the playoffs.) Yet, dynasties always run deeper than one player. In football, the Bill Walsh-led 49ers revolutionized offense and the Bill Belichick-led Patriots were fueled by a militant “do your job” ethos that was often imitated, never duplicated. In basketball, the Showtime Lakers ushered in fast-paced flair, while the Golden State Warriors changed the 3-point shot forever.
General manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid are now authoring a master-class tutorial on how to sustain an elite roster after paying the quarterback. In plainest terms, these Chiefs keep winning because they’re drafting better than other contenders. But hitting the bull’s eye in April requires area scouts like Greg Castillo who have their eyes on college prospects year ‘round.
They’re the ones forfeiting family time (and sanity) in the pursuit of a championship.
Our draft coverage began with Bob McGinn’s Top 55 and subscribers will also be able to access his 40th annual draft series. This nine-part chef-d’oeuvre goes live in mid-April. Again, you’ll read the unvarnished truth on draft prospects as scouts see it. At the Combine, Go Long sought to bring the voice of a scout to life by sitting down with the man who scouted a Super Bowl hero. The Chiefs do not defeat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl without Castillo, the man who tracked McDuffie’s rise at the University of Washington. He saw something special and strongly advocated for KC to secure the cornerback.
Two seasons in, McDuffie is already one of the best defensive players in the sport.
Champions are not built with one stroke of a pen in free agency. Or on draft day alone.
Step into the belly of the beast and it’s easy to see why the Chiefs are not finished winning Super Bowls. This team is powered by the perfect scouting concoction: Intuition, sacrifice and belief.
Two years and 2,500 miles removed from his Slippery Rock epiphany, Greg Castillo was now scouting on the west coast. It was August 2021. On a routine trip through Seattle, the UW coaches cited Trent McDuffie as the underclassman to study.
So, he started digging. All background detail checked out. Castillo liked the fact that McDuffie was raised with strong values in a two-parent home. This was obviously a diligent worker who’d maximize his ability. Covid, however, complicated matters. McDuffie started in ’19 and his ’20 college football season was truncated to only four games. McDuffie essentially missed an entire offseason of true training and development.
In all, McDuffie was targeted 105 times through three collegiate seasons but 60 percent of those came when he was a true freshman. Castillo didn’t want to judge him off of that film — he was 19 years old, raw.
“There was a lot of predicting behavior, predicting skillset,” Castillo says. “There was definitely an element of predicting what needed to happen when it comes to upside.”
Playing the position helped. Castillo was an effective corner himself at the University of Iowa from 2008- ‘12. Pedigree, too. His father is Juan Castillo, the longtime NFL assistant coach. When he coached the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line, Juan drove off to work no later than 3:15 a.m. so he could leave the office at 4:30 p.m. and drive directly to Lenape (N.J.) High School… where Greg awaited for yet another 1-on-1 training session. Dad’s emphasis? Muscle memory. Drilling technique to the point it’s 100-percent natural. Juan both studied his son’s high school game tape and showed him film of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. In every sense, Greg grew up with the position.
He now sees nuance in cornerback play others cannot.
McDuffie was only 5-foot-10 with 29 ¾-inch arms and 8 ¾-inch hands, measurables that scared some scouts. But the closer Castillo looked, the more he realized McDuffie could cover man-to-man, possessed all necessary movement skills and — perhaps most important at the position — he was ultra-, ultra-competitive. The big question was finishing on the ball. He had only two career interceptions. Proof wasn’t on the game tape — he wasn’t tested often — but Castillo knew McDuffie had this turnover trait after witnessing him pick off three passes during one practice alone.
Predicting upside is the job itself, and Castillo was convinced the loss of a full 2020 affected McDuffie in a major way.
He’d only get stronger. He’s only become more explosive.
But one trait is not measured on film: the mind required to survive as an NFL cornerback. This isn’t a fair fight. It can often feel as if the rules are rigged against you vs. the best wide receivers. It’s different in KC, too. Steve Spagnuolo is the most fearless defensive coordinator in the sport. In the biggest playoff spots, he’ll blitz. And blitz. And that puts an incalculable amount of mental stress on DBs to win their 1-on-1’s. When “Spags” sends a corner on a pressure — third and 5, two minutes left, season on the line — you better affect the play exactly as McDuffie did with Super Bowl LVIII on the line. If the 49ers complete this pass, they would’ve been able to milk the clock and kick a FG with virtually no time left. Instead? Mahomes was granted an eternity (1 minute, 53 seconds) to tie it up at 19-19.
McDuffie timed up his blitz perfectly, waiting until the last split-second to knife through the 49er line unblocked.
College tape alone does not tell a scout if a cornerback is Mahomesian calm or gets goosebumps when that play call is sent in at that moment.
Figuring out whether McDuffie, or any prospect, can handle this assignment demands relationships… relationships… and more relationships. Castillo talks to everyone from the academic advisor to the school janitors. (Seriously, janitors.) Former teammates are typically most honest because they don’t have skin in the game. Over time, a true portrait of a prospect emerges and Castillo has a keen sense for who can and cannot respond to the sport’s inescapable adversity.
“Listen,” he adds. “Trent went through something tragic — his brother passing away when he was younger. So, there was an element off the field that he knew how to approach adversity. It’s all relative. You don't need to have that to understand how to deal with adversity. He went through that experience, and it means a lot to him.”
Eighteen-minute interviews at the Combine can be effective. The 30 allotted team visits are useful. But Castillo makes a key distinction: There’s “optimal behavior” and “typical behavior.” All prospects should be on their best behavior at an event like the Combine. Back in 2014, a controversial quarterback out of Texas A&M named Johnny Manziel stood at the lectern and presented himself as a changed man. On to Cleveland, Manziel self-destructed and watched precisely zero seconds of film. Johnny Football isn’t alone.
Castillo admits an NFL team’s direct interactions with a prospect can be “deceiving” and “misleading.”
“That’s why it’s good to rely upon the people who have been around the player — the typical behavior,” Castillo says. “You want to see how the guy responds day-in and day-out.”
McDuffie was a home run in this department. There were zero issues with the person or the “make-up.” He was only 13 years old when his brother died from a heart complication. “At that age,” Castillo adds, “surviving is thriving.” McDuffie was tested Season 1 Game 1 in the NFL. After staying healthy throughout his college career, the corner was carted off the field with a hamstring injury against Arizona and placed on IR. A crushing blow. But after missing six games, he returned in November and keyed a Super Bowl run. The injury didn’t rattle him mentally — not after everything he went through with his brother.
“Once again,” Castillo says, “he persevered through it.”
The next season, the offense was stuck in a rut. The defense needed to carry KC.
McDuffie responded with an All-Pro season of 80 tackles (60 solo), three sacks, seven pass breakups, five forced fumbles and nine QB hits.
Unlike Florida’s Kaiir Elam — 6-1 ½, 192 pounds — McDuffie was not the CB prototype. But his skill-set fit Spagnuolo’s defense in style and spirit.
Inside pre-draft meetings, it’s not as if Castillo banged a table and shouted, “I want Trent!” But Veach does foster open dialogue with the entire room. He’ll ask his scouts: “Would you rather have this guy or that guy at this spot?” Every time Castillo was asked that question, the answer was invariably “Trent.” Not only that. “Trent,” he’d say, “by a long shot.” Obviously, a southeast scout will have intel on a player like Elam or Clemson’s Andrew Booth. Veach weighs and compares all different voices and a board is set. Castillo made it clear that McDuffie still had a ton of room to grow because of that lost Covid year.
The “beauty” of the pre-draft process, he adds, is the fact that heated disagreements are a guarantee. All personnel men, all coaches involved butt heads but must reach a final conclusion.
This is where Castillo credits the Chiefs’ continuity. Scouts know they can be ruthlessly honest on prospects — and engage in fiery debates — because nobody will take anything personally.
“With this level of trust, we’re not attacking your identity,” he explains. “We’re not attacking you as a person when there’s disagreement. We disagree with the idea, not you.”
All scouts on all teams also know their reputations are on the line. It behooves you to speak your mind. Every smart GM will remember which scouts went to bat for which prospects and — over time — start listening to the personnel minds with the best batting averages. Love a prospect? Loathe a prospect? Speak up. A track record builds. Like any predictive model, you’re bound to be wrong occasionally.
“You just got to be more right than wrong,” Castillo says, “which is really tough to do in this industry. You’re predicting behavior. You’re predicting a skill-set, and that’s what makes it fun.”
Castillo made it very clear to Veach that he believed in McDuffie.
“A level of conviction,” he says, “that I would presume made him feel comfortable taking Trent where he did.
“There was a degree of, ‘Hey, this is his floor — a top starter in our league — and his ceiling could be a Top 3 player in this league.’ So that was my vision. That was my vision all along. And obviously the GM makes the pick. The GM makes the move up. And I’m just happy there was a level of trust there with the GM. Give kudos to Veach. He trusted it.”
Did he ever.
On draft night, the Chiefs traded picks No. 29, No. 94 and No. 121 to the New England Patriots to slide up to No. 21 overall and select McDuffie. An aggressive move that leapfrogged the Chiefs ahead of the CB-needy Buffalo Bills at No. 23. The Bills selected Elam and, naturally, stood by their selection. But Chiefs GM Brett Veach said that night that KC aggressively moved up eight slots because they knew the DBs would soon fly off the board — he even brought up Buffalo as one team that needed a corner. “Trent’s a guy who can come in here Day 1,” Veach said then. “He’s wired the right way. Extreme knowledge of the game. … We’re going to have a lot of fun. I know Steve is.”
While McDuffie skyrockets, Elam struggles to crack the gameday roster. McDuffie out-snapped Elam 73-0 when these teams met in the playoffs at Highmark Stadium. Elam is physically built for the job — it’s too soon to dismiss him as an abject bust — but the Bills’ first-rounder obviously lacks McDuffie’s fluidness in coverage. Everything Castillo studied.
The straightest line to contention? Find a franchise quarterback, then pay that quarterback. In today’s market, this now costs teams north of $50 million per year. Which means saying goodbye to supporting actors. It was “Blood Thursday” in WNY with center Mitch Morse, cornerback Tre’Davious White, safety Jordan Poyer, special-teamer Siran Neal, running back Nyheim Hines and wide receiver Deonte Harty all let go. Buffalo is not alone. The Miami Dolphins are letting talented starters walk in preparation of paying Tua Tagovailoa.
The best way for any team to catch KC is to draft like KC. This is a team that waved goodbye to the best wide receiver in the sport and swiftly rebuilt their defense through the draft. Another wave of whopping free-agent deals will reignite hope in markets this week and, true, we’ve seen free agency serve as a springboard. The 2021 Bengals are a prime example. But the best way to sustain winning long term is to infuse your roster with 22-, 23-, 24-year-olds on rookie deals who’ll contribute immediately. The Chiefs can lock up Chris Jones at a premium rate because Veach knows they’ll continue to nail the draft.
Veach knows he’s got talented scouts at the heart of this operation.
It’s no stretch to say the balance of powers in the AFC — in 2023, anyways — was decided by a scout speaking to janitors.
This life isn’t for everyone.
Iced coffee in hand, Greg Castillo jokes that we don’t want to know what’s going on in his brain because there’s too much to unpack. He then begins with the maxim that guides his life: “You’re either learning or you’re growing.” He does not believe in failure.
That’s how Castillo has approached life — from being the son of an NFL coach to playing in the Big Ten to law school — and that’s exactly how he attacks scouting today. To understand how the Chiefs have tightened their stranglehold on the league, it pays to get inside this complicated mind.
Once his Iowa career wrapped up, Castillo briefly tasted NFL life as a player in 2013.
He tried out for the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs, inking a contract with the Chiefs. After lasting all four exhibition games, he was cut. And content. And ready to move into a completely new field. Unlike his training-camp peers, Castillo had zero desire to hang onto the NFL cliff with one fingernail P-squad to P-squad … hotel to hotel… tryout to tryout. He wanted to genuinely start a career in something. That December, he headed to Minneapolis where his girlfriend was living and linked up with agent Blake Baratz, the founder of Institute for Athletes.
Castillo served as Baratz’s intern for a few months. While this sneak peek was fascinating, the agent world wasn’t for him.
From here, he headed to Tulane University Law School because Castillo wanted to “separate” himself from football. He’d become an attorney. One week in, he considered quitting. Now engaged, his fiancé pushed him. Talked a little trash. And he’s glad he stuck with it. Castillo had no clue which lawyering path to take, but worked as a clerk for trial attorney Evan Trestman right in New Orleans. The experience at Trestman’s law firm and Louisiana’s Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals helped the football cornerback tap into new nooks and crannies of his brain.
“You’re so used to being physically tested to your limits,” Castillo says. “And this was completely opposite. This was mentally testing me to my limits.”
Still, something was missing. The work was not fulfilling.
Around July 2015, his father sent an email to New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, got his son an interview with the scouting department and Castillo was hired as an intern for two seasons. He had a front-row seat to one of the best drafts in recent memory. The Saints’ 2017 class included corner Marshon Lattimore (first round, 11th overall), tackle Ryan Ramczyk (first, 32nd), safety Marcus Williams (second, 42nd), running back Alvin Kamara (third, 67th), linebacker Alex Anzalone (third, 76th) and defensive end Trey Hendrickson (third, 103rd). A group that powered the Saints to an 11-5 season and helped extend the career of Drew Brees.
Very quickly, Castillo realized this detour into law school laid a unique foundation as a scout. He lists the ways: Attention to detail. Critical thinking. Strategic thinking. Being precise and concise.
That 2017 season ended in all-time football heartbreak: the Minneapolis Miracle.
His reaction to this gut punch was… odd.
“The way we lost,” Castillo says, “it was like, ‘Oh my God, I want more of this.’ There was a desire for more. That’s when I told my wife, ‘Whatever this looks like, this is what I want to do moving forward.’ You have an idea of what it looks like but it’s completely different actually living it.”
Chiefs GM John Dorsey left for the Cleveland Browns and Castillo texted Veach to see if they were looking for new scouts. One month later, he was a Chief. A career move that gives this scout a unique perspective. The Saints’ Payton famously wanted Mahomes at No. 11 overall that previous ’17 draft and the Chiefs stole the Texas Tech QB with Buffalo’s pick at 10 instead. Unfortunately, those conversations are forever triple-padlocked inside his vault. (“Yeah, I’m going to keep that there.”)
Life as a scout may be the most misunderstood profession in the sport. Over the last six years, countless people have asked Castillo how to crack into this field and the first thing he does is open up the Marriott app on his phone to show how often he’s away from home. This life is not glamorous. Anyone who harbors the American Dream of marrying the love of their life and raising kids is in for a rude awakening. New York Giants GM Joe Schoen also explained this balance with Go Long. He spent 9.2 years away from family before taking over a team.
Castillo has learned to be sincerely “present” whenever he is home with his Danielle and their son.
There is one silver lining: All of those Marriott nights lead to endless Marriott points i.e. family vacations.
“And,” he interjects, “a lot of blood, sweat and tears go into those vacations.”
It’s no wonder the personal lives of many other NFL scouts go off the rails. The sad tales are abundant.
Away 65 percent of the time, Castillo does everything in his power to maintain a value system to direct both his professional and personal lives. Reading helps.
“Ten bucks for another person’s perspective is the best deal you can get in this world,” Castillo says. “A lot of it has to do with the books I read and really the time I take to realize what matters and what doesn’t matter.”
He keeps a list of his favorites in the Notes app on his phone.
So many come to mind at the top of his head:
“Atomic Habits,” by James Clear.
“Rework,” by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson.
“Creativity Inc,” about Pixar, by Ed Catmull.
“Can’t Hurt Me” and “Never Finished,” by David Goggins.
“Start with Why,” by Simon Sinek.
Steve Jobs,” by Walter Isaacson.
“The Boys in the Boat,” by Daniel James Brown.
In law school, Castillo had no choice but to read — 24/7 — and the habit stuck. Once in a while, he’ll venture into a James Patterson thriller. His wife is into books that capture various fantasy worlds. But mostly? Greg sticks to this self-improvement genre because he’s always gleaning new life lessons. Goggins, the F-bomb spewing, ex-SEAL ultramarathon runner, vanquished any remnants of self-pity through the most strenuous scouting trips. “Pity,” Castillo says, gets you nowhere. If anything, he learned it only distracts you. “Can’t Hurt Me” is best consumed in audiobook form via a 13-hour, 38-minute audiobook/podcast combo.
Says Castillo: “You can feel the emotion.”
The scout loves learning about different industries. Certain principles used by innovators in completely different fields apply to studying collegiate prospects. He loves the Libby app, which sends eBooks directly to his Kindle via the public library, a remarkably underrated tool in a society that social media’s dead-set on rotting from within.
When he’s home, he’s home. He relishes fatherhood. Right now, his son loves DJ Marshmello. Before Dad headed off to this Combine, the two cranked those electronic beats to full blast. Dad proudly shares some photos on his phone here. Liam loves wearing the signature “marshmellow” head. They’ve also watched “Trolls World Tour” roughly 20 times and love going to the park as much as possible. The Castillo family lives in Kansas City, so he’s got the ability to head into the office.
Year to year, work has true purpose.
Obviously, providing for his family is one why.
Reaching this sport’s pinnacle, the Super Bowl, also makes all those miles worth it.
“And my personality is that I want more,” Castillo says. “Now, you get a taste of it. Why not three-peat? Now, the standard gets higher. With that, come expectations. And for me, I’m OK with it. That’s what you want. You want to be considered the best. And with that comes a target. And this year’s going to be even tougher because it’s going to be everyone’s Super Bowl. When you go through life, that's what you want. You want everyone’s best.”
Of course, he’d like to be a GM one day.
For now, he’s “10 toes down” in Indianapolis, then he’ll be “10 toes down” in every pre-draft meeting.
There’s a good chance Greg Castillo pushes for the next Trent McDuffie in those meetings, too.
The make-up of those draft picks is important, but so is the make-up of the scouts who discover them.
The story of "Magic Mahomes"
ICYMI:
‘One-thousand percent:’ Terry Fontenot believes the Atlanta Falcons will win in 2024
Want to know how scouts around the NFL view this year’s prospects? Bob McGinn’s nine-part series on every position goes live in April.
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First day of FA and I'm ending the night reading this amazing profile. All this overload instant reaction stuff is such a waste, this helped me learn something. I'm a Chiefs fan that went to Iowa about the same time as Greg, and had absolutely no clue he was scouting for the Chiefs. Last time I remember his name is playing the NCAA football games with the ole Pasta Padre roster names applied haha.
Greg like a great guy, and Tyler - you did it again for the 8704th time. Your writing is amazing sir, the way you humanize and detail every person you come in contact with is truly special. Been reading you for years and will continue to for as long as I can. Appreciate you!
THIS is why I subscribe. More reality, more detail, more how than I've read in any football related article in forever. Kudos to you from Omaha!