Experience as a 121 pilot is the most desirable attribute for a new hire at mainline by far. Veteran status, volunteer work, graduate degrees, etc. are all boxes on an application to be checked or not checked and have very little impact in your ability to perform as a pilot an an airline. A flow through has more than enough time as PIC at any of the WOs to make a more than competent FO at American. You want the “most talented” pilots I guess? What exactly does that mean really in today’s environment? Even if you had to sit next to an FO who had a DUI in 2001 before they were at the airlines? Who cares? They just proved that they could do the job and fly American passengers without incident for the last 6-8 years. The only thing you need to worry about is a poor attendance record or disciplinary record at their WO, but that will be a disqualifying factor soon enough.