NFL Scouting: What Are the Negatives?

13 Friday Nov 2026

Posted by in Getting started, NFL draft, Scouts

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I think of myself as an advocate for NFL scouts, and I’m proud to be. One of the reasons for that is my respect for them, because it’s far from the sexy occupation some perceive it to be. In fact, there are some really negative things that are the reality of working as a professional evaluator. Here are a few.

Pay: If there’s one thing that scouts continually discuss among themselves, it’s the relatively low level of compensation. While head coach salaries have helped carry assistant coach pay into the stratosphere, the same has not happened with GM contracts. I think things are inching up, and entry-level pay is in the $50K to $80K range (some are higher), but you’re not getting rich as an NFL scout. If you can hang around for 10 years or so and get to National Scout, you can get paid in the $300,000 to $450,000 range, which is probably what the tight ends coach makes on the team. I know what you’re thinking: I’d love to get paid $100,000 or more to scout players, but for reasons we’re about to explain, the money should probably be a little better.

Workload: It’s hard to explain what it’s like to be a road scout today. Yes, you get to go school to school, meeting football people and talking about the game non-stop. There’s a lot of camaraderie. Still, it’s a positively grueling job, with some teams sending scouts out for literally two weeks at a time. Also, some teams require you to file reports by certain deadlines, which is actually smart, because if you let your work pile up, you might never recover. You hear stories about guys having to wash their underwear in a hotel sink, searching for someone in a small town to provide quarters for the laundromat, all kinds of stuff. Meanwhile, especially if you’re on the West Coast, you might have to drive a long ways overnight, then be at a school at the crack of dawn. It’s a real grind.

Volatility: It’s almost like working in the mob — you think everything is good, you’re safe in your job, and then the GM calls you in and lets you go. Sometimes it’s a bit more predictable (new GMs tend to bring in their own guys), but sometimes, scouts just get blindsided. When almost everyone in the business works on a two-year deal with no rollover, it’s really easy to eat a contract. The encroachment of analytics staffs (while scouting budgets stay flat) means even more pressure. Then there’s seemingly a new company offering software that allows teams to evaluate players using AI every day.

No runway: Being a scout doesn’t really prepare you for anything. Though some are able to transition into coaching, it’s not a smooth or direct path. Maybe you can latch on with another team if you’re let go, but a lot of scouts feel that building relationships that lead to new jobs is mildly disloyal. And if you get let go after 15-20 years, you’re middle-aged and needing to start a new career. It’s one reason you see a lot of former scouts becoming realtors or truck drivers. But there’s more. NFL teams — despite making billions of dollars — have been systematically ending their pension programs for scouts. Last I heard, only 10 teams still offer one. So when you’re done, you’re done.

Six Points: A Few NFL Scouting Trends I’ve Noticed

06 Friday Nov 2026

Posted by in NFL draft, Scouts

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This week, I updated our Scouts by Area Grid, the team-by-team scouting assignments for the evaluators on all 32 teams. I got to it a little later than normal this year, but I put a lot of work into it, contacting all the teams to make sure I got the most accurate information possible. Along the way, I learned a few things. Here are a few insights about how teams are building their staffs right now.

  • Several teams (11, to be exact) have carved out a new area called ‘mid-Atlantic.’ It’s basically the area from the Carolinas west as far as far as Kansas and Oklahoma. OK, maybe it’s not a new area, but it seems to be gaining in popularity, and I can see why. It includes some of the smaller P4 schools, but also some of the heavy-duty G6s like Tulsa and Memphis and several decent MAC schools.
  • At the same time, we’re seeing fewer and fewer teams that have scouts in all five major regions (Southwest, Southeast, Midwest, Northeast and West Coast). Four teams don’t have Southwest scouts. Four don’t have Midwest scouts. Three don’t have West Coast scouts, which really doesn’t add up given all the space that has to be covered on the Pacific side of the country. There’s probably never been a better time to be a scouting assistant than now. Seems like they’re making school visits almost immediately.
  • Speaking of the West Coast and the responsibilities that come with covering it, there are two former high-level executives, Eric Stokes (Seahawks) and JoJo Wooden (Ravens), who are covering that area. I don’t expect either to be there for long, but it’s an indication of how much teams value mature evaluators in that region.
  • I don’t have totals, but looking at the scouts patrolling the Southeast these days, it’s amazing how many are in their first few years of scouting. We’re seeing far fewer established scouts running the roads in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, the Carolinas and so forth. My guess is that because teams have grown so much at the executive level, a lot of those upper-level evaluators are hitting the Southeast pretty hard. They need fewer real decision-makers in that area.
  • At the same time, I think scouts in the Midwest are incrementally more senior than their Southeast counterparts. Is it because the Big Ten is overtaking the SEC in talent? Or because executives need someone they can trust evaluating Nebraska, Michigan and Ohio State while they focus on Alabama and Ole Miss?
  • I think more teams are promoting Area Scouts to National (or, sometimes, Senior) Scout titles, but not giving them over-the-top responsibilities. Instead, they’re handing them a more senior title but, I suspect, not giving them a lot of compensation to go with it (or any real change to their duties). This is just a theory, but as teams look for ways to pay their growing analytics staffs, something has to give. Hopefully we’ll learn more about that when we conduct our salary surveys in January.

What Do P4 Front Offices Look Like? Setting the Table

30 Friday Oct 2026

Posted by in College personnel, NIL, Scouts, Transfer portal

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Today in the Friday Wrap (register here), we conduct a long-awaited deep dive into Power 4 front offices. It’s something I’ve wondered about for a long time, and it mirrors our actual breakdown of NFL front offices, which will come later this fall (here’s last year’s if you’re interested in geeking out).

Anywhere, here’s our big board if you want to see what we found out (sorry, pay link). Before you dig into tonight’s Wrap (which comes out at 7:30 p.m. EDT), in which we make our observations and insights about the current state of football front offices, I wanted to set the table a little.

  • Lots of teams have scouting analysts and scouting assistants that they list on the team’s website. However, we didn’t count those positions as true executive-level positions. We only counted GMs/AGMs, directors and coordinators.
  • Though we didn’t actually count the number of chiefs of staff, that position seems to be far more necessary than GM these days. Obviously, some of those chiefs of staff are doing some amount of evaluation and scouting, though it’s nearly impossible to guess which do and how much.
  • Though it seems like every program has a general manager these days, at least at the P4 level, that’s not true. Not even close. We only counted 59, and that’s with eight school officials that seemed to act as GMs even if they didn’t hold the actual title. Where we had to guess, we did it based on our conversations with NIL agents and other college staffers during our ratings posts in the Wrap and on ITL.
  • When it comes to scouting, some schools cleave up their departments based on offensive and defensive evaluation. Others do it based on the portal vs. high school personnel. I don’t know which way is right, and if there’s a majority on how most do it, I didn’t see it.
  • Analytics is a hot topic, especially on the NFL side, but on the college side, it’s still not a primary focus. There are a handful of schools that have analytics staffers, but for the most part, that seems to be farmed out to the various software services that are such a big part of how colleges work.
  • Incidentally, a conversation I had with a P4 GM last week led me to believe that more and more teams (about 12, by my count) are looking to build their own proprietary tech structures that give them even better access to the information they have, which might mean they start to move away from subscription services. But that’s a conversation for another day.
  • Even fewer schools have staffers assigned to artificial intelligence, though I expect that to change. USC, of course, is the exception, though there are probably a half-dozen schools with a football technology staff member, and those jobs could have an AI component.

Anyway, if the changing face of college front offices interests you, and it probably should if you work in the football space, make sure to check out the Wrap later today and today’s post at the mother ship. It’s a fascinating and quickly-changing part of the college football universe.

NIL Spotlight: Kid From The Rock

23 Friday Oct 2026

Posted by in Agents, NIL, Transfer portal

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One thing we at Inside the League have done over the last year is pour ourselves into learning the NIL agent landscape. Because NIL agents and agencies aren’t registered or certified, there’s nowhere to go to get a complete list of everyone who’s out there. The last three weeks, especially, we’ve been trying to catalog the best players on each team and which firms represent them, using social media and other means.

Occasionally, I come across firms that are doing things a little differently. One of them is Kid from the Rock, a firm that specializes in bringing players from American Samoa to universities here (technically, it’s not an agency but a recruiting service). The following is my interview with Keiki Misipeka, who owns the firm.

  • What inspired the founding of Kid From The Rock, and what mission drives the platform every day? “Kid From The Rock (KFTR) was born out of my journey growing up in American Samoa, where resources were limited and college coaches rarely visited to recruit. I saw talented athletes with the ability to compete at the next level who simply needed exposure, guidance, and someone to open a door. That experience ignited the passion behind KFTR. Through my years of coaching football and working in the professional space, including the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP) Program, I’ve built relationships and gained first-hand knowledge of what programs look for in athletes. My goal is to use that experience and network to connect college personnel, general managers, and coaches with Polynesian athletes throughout the Asia-Pacific region and across the United States. KFTR is about creating opportunities, guiding families, and helping our athletes pursue their futures while staying connected to their culture and roots.”
  • The college football recruiting world is moving faster than ever with the portal and roster shifts. Where does KFTR fit into a college personnel department’s board? “College coaches, recruiting coordinators, and personnel executives are under immense pressure to find athletes who won’t just produce on Saturday, but who will protect the locker room culture. That is the exact bridge KFTR builds. When college staffs turn to KFTR, they know they are getting genuine, vetted talent. We don’t sell dreams or manipulate film.”
  • When people hear about a ‘KFTR athlete,’ what specific traits and core values define the kids coming out of your program?: “A KFTR athlete is defined by grit, respect, accountability, and coachability. We instill an old-school work ethic paired with modern technical discipline. On the field, our kids play with high motors, physical toughness, and sharp football instincts. Off the field, they understand that character is what sustains you.”
  • You also connect regularly with the football community through KFTR’s The Rock Report weekly email newsletter. How does that community-first mindset help open real doors for your kids?: “The Rock Report is our weekly communication to our audience to share wisdom, spotlight inspiring journeys, and keep families and coaches grounded in what truly matters. In this game, authentic relationships open doors that transactional networking never can.”

For more information, visit ww.kidfromtherock.com or subscribe to The Rock Report weekly email newsletter. You can also find the company on X (@kidfromtherock) or Instagram (@kidfromtherock_).” We’ll continue to spotlight some of the more interesting NIL services and agencies in future blog posts.

Some Lagniappe from Our Discussions with GMs This Week

16 Friday Oct 2026

Posted by in Agents, College personnel, NIL

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This week, on the heels of our reports on the top NIL agents who work primarily on the G6 level as well as the ones who focus more on P4 schools, we decided to turn the tables, asking NIL agents who worked at both levels which GMs they respect the most. Of course, when you ask these questions, you get more than just lists. You also get thoughts on the game as it has evolved (and is evolving).

We thought we’d pass along some of the more interesting observations here.

  • “(General manager is) a relatively new position and I think a lot of people are not well-suited for the spot. I think we’re still at a point where a place developed a job description around a person as opposed to finding a person for that job description. A lot of people don’t have that skill to balance the books and evaluate and lead a staff. A lot of them don’t know enough football or know enough people in football. Like, you were making sure the chicken got to the locker room for postgame meal and made sure the bus driver had a room, but can you handle the enormity of putting together a roster?”
  • “The best general managers in my estimation are the ones that understand their school and its limitations as well as its strengths. And where they’re at. Like, if a school is taking a long time and that’s part of their process at that school, they tell us. If they need to to get more clearance from the tower at their place, they tell us. That helps put things at ease. They accept fault when it’s theirs and they don’t pass the buck.”
  • “I think they best ones try to incorporate the coaching staff early on to make the player feel comfortable. The player isn’t accustomed to talking to front office types. They’re more accustomed to talking to coaches. I think that’s the best way to do it because they’re the ones that are gonna be coaching the player.”
  • “Not a dig at anyone, but there are a lot more bad (front offices) than good ones. . . The good ones stick out. A good bit of that, I think, is just growing pains in this new landscape, which is understandable.”

I thought all of these comments were well-founded. The GM position is brand new. Even with all the dollars and brainpower delivered to hiring the people who sit in those seats, there’s going to be a learning curve.

Speaking of learning curves, the transfer portal is still so new, and college front offices still so much in flux, that it’s hard to even have an informed opinion on who’s doing the job the best. Whenever I visit a school, I ask the GMs who they respect the most. More often than not, they can’t, or won’t, name anyone. They may know the GMs in their region, or the ones in their conference, but the best ones in the nation? No chance. Just too hard to know who’s good. I don’t know that that changes anytime soon.

Shifting gears, as we gathered info from NIL agents, we also got a few extra comments on who’s on the rise, at the P4 and G6 levels. Just for fun, I thought I’d include them here.

  • “A guy who will be a P4 GM who has been tremendous is Taylor Redd at Oklahoma.”
  • “I know you didn’t ask for Assistant GMs, but Sam Popper is a huge part of what makes San Diego State so enjoyable to work with and deserves recognition, too.”
  • “I think future stars (include) . . . Marshall Cherrington at (California).”
  • “Asst. GMs – John Srofe (Indiana), Jack Griffith (Penn State).”

For even more on this topic, including what NIL agents told us about who the best G6 general managers are, make sure to check out today’s post at Inside the League and this evening’s edition of the Friday Wrap. Register here if you don’t already get our free newsletter.

Who Are the Top NIL Agents? Here’s What P4 GMs Told Us

08 Thursday Oct 2026

Posted by in Agents, College personnel, NIL

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Last week in the Friday Wrap, I talked to several G6 GMs about the NIL agents they trust most, who are the most fair and overall most professional. We got a lot of feedback and I passed it all along in the newsletter. If you work in the transfer portal, make sure to check it out.

While we kept it limited to G6 last week (we hoped it would give us a good rendering of some of the up-and-coming agencies), the plan was always to do the same on the P4 level. We did that this week, and though big-school GMs are swamped and full of responsibilities, we got 20 responses, with 46 different agents mentioned. Some GMs were longer-winded and more detailed than others, of course, but I was struck by how thorough some of the texts were. So much so that I wanted to share a couple of them in this space and provide a few comments. Here’s the first one:

“As far as the best/most professional agents I deal with, there are a lot of them! In no particular order:

  • Tom Povinelli – Athletes First: Extremely professional and honest. Has an even keeled temperament. Has close relationships with his players and their families. Typically will only work with the right kind of athlete. Easy to work with.
  • Kelly Donigan – Ethos: Very professional with how he works and communicates. We don’t always have easy conversations, but that’s part of it. It’s always respectful on both ends and I feel like we can both be honest with each other.
  • Miles Jordan – Jordan Sports Group: Young, but very professional and polished in my opinion. Doesn’t get emotional when temperatures rise. Not always easy conversations but he is a poised agent who looks out for his guys.
  • Honorable Mention: Joe Gazza – Aurum Sports: Every time we talk, there’s no BS. It’s all meat and potatoes which I appreciate it. Joe doesn’t have time for the fluff. Realistic about each one of his guys which is always appreciated.”

This text was notable for a couple reasons. One, obviously, is the level of detail, but the other is that it includes both Miles Jordan of Jordan Sports Group and Kelly Donigan of Ethos Sports Group. Both of them were among the most respected NIL agents in the business, based on what I was told. However, the recurring theme among all four is professionalism, poise and maturity.

Here’s the second text:

“Pat Curran has always been great. More NIL than NFL, but probably growing some. Kelly Donigan with Ethos (Sports Group) is great. Kyle Strongin with Range (Sports) is awesome. Kyle McCarthy with (Athletes First) has had several of our guys. (Jack) Bechta and Ryan Hays (of JB Sports are) getting more into college but great to work with. (These) are probably our top ones we deal with on a consistent basis. . . Feel like bigger agencies (are) easier to deal with when negotiating because they want the NFL client, but get bogged down on stupid contract (issues) when it gets to their legal counsel.”

I liked this response because I was given more than just the minimum three names and, I felt, there was a comfort level that came through from this particular GM.

If you’re interested in more feedback on who the top NIL agents are, at least in the eyes of GMs at the highest level of college football, make sure you check out this week’s Friday Wrap (register here) and today’s report at Inside the League. We counted up the times agents were mentioned (and we have several winners). If you work with players, see if you were one of the nearly 50 that P4 GMs rated as top-three.

Six Points: A Few Tips for New NFL Agents

02 Friday Oct 2026

Posted by in Agent Exam, Agents, Getting started

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So if you passed the NFL Agent Exam this summer, today is your big debut. Your name got published on the NFLPA website and you may now call yourself an NFL contract advisor.

Whether you’ve got years of NIL experience or you’re starting from zero as a player rep, you may be feeling a little uncertain about the next steps. May we make a few suggestions? Here are a few tips.

Don’t take this year off: It is so tempting to do this, and it makes sense. You can do things now that you weren’t capable of before you were certified. Still, it’s critical to sign one or two players this year, even if they aren’t potential first-rounders.

Be humble (especially on socials): It amazes me some of the self-worship I see out of new agents on Instagram (especially). I honestly don’t know what that accomplishes, and honestly, if you don’t succeed in the business, you’re going to feel pretty dumb and might be deleting those posts one of these days.

Don’t go cheap: I know, this is easy for me to say, especially given that you’ve been doing nothing but writing checks, seemingly, over the past month. Spend money wisely, but spend it. For example, don’t buy any of these contact lists floating around. Having a number is useless if you don’t have a relationship with the coach, scout, GM or player you’re calling.

Be patient: You’re probably hoping you can “microwave” a network of NFL scouts, and believe me, I understand. The thing is, if you try to force friendships with scouts, you’re liable to do more harm than good. Sign a good player and scouts will want to get to know you. It’s the only way.

Find a veteran agency you can partner with — and have reasonable expectations: This is something we’ve gotten aggressive about in the past year, through our Bridge Program but also just spontaneously when the opportunity presents itself. In the last 48 hours, we’ve connected two new agents to established firms. The key is, neither one of these agents was looking for a big salary (or any salary). To their credit, they just want to learn, and I feel they’ll get far more than that out of the deals.

Avoid signing any players that call you: As tempting as it is to sign a player who finds your number on the Players Association website, fight the temptation. With expanded practice squads and the UFL giving players new film all the time, if a player is on the street, there’s a reason for it.

If you’re a new agent, congratulations! You’ve done something special, but there’s still a long way to go. We can help. Start by signing up for our free newsletter, the Friday Wrap, here.

Taking a Look at the Modern NFL Director of College Scouting

25 Friday Sep 2026

Posted by in Scouts

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Earning the title of Director of College Scouting for an NFL team is undeniable proof that you’ve “arrived” as a member of pro football’s intelligence community. But what else does it mean? Does it have the resonance that it once had?

We looked at all 27 today at Inside the League (the Bears, Bengals, Cardinals, Chargers, Rams and Saints don’t have one, while the Chiefs have two) and it was interesting to see the sweep of backgrounds, ages and terms of service. Here are a few observations.

  • In previous eras when becoming a GM was a more ordered process, it was probably more commonplace that being a college director was a prerequisite to running the front office, but that’s not true anymore. Would you believe that 22 of the 32 NFL GMs were never Directors of College Scouting? That really surprised me, but it’s a reminder that a growing number of GMs have pro scouting backgrounds (like Minnesota’s Nolan Teasley), come from more of a business side (Buffalo’s Brandon Beane and Pittsburgh’s Omar Khan), or just hopped the line altogether (San Francisco’s John Lynch, for example).
  • It’s become an amazingly volatile job, or maybe “transient” would be the right word. Would you believe that the longest-tenured college director is Minnesota’s Mike Sholiton, who’s been on the job since 2021? Eight of the 27 are in their first year in the role. For a job that includes coordinating and sorting out the information coming in from all over the country, that’s a pretty steep learning curve when you’re not gonna be in the job more than 3-4 years.
  • No “big school” experience is necessary in your background. Matter of fact, it might be a disadvantage to have come from a football power, looking at the current lineup. The only current college directors who got their respective undergrad degrees at P4 schools are Dallas’ Mitch LaPoint (Kansas), Carolina’s Jared Kirksey (UCF), Houston’s Mozique McCurtis (USC), San Francisco’s Dom DeCicco (Pitt), Denver’s Bryan Chesin (Arizona), Tampa Bay’s Tony Hardie (Notre Dame), New England’s Tony Kinkela (Washington State), Washington’s Ryan Kessenich (Wisconsin), Atlanta’s Shawn Heinlen (Florida) and the Giants’ Jon Ritcher (NC State).
  • In fact, if you aspire to being a college director, you might want to transfer to a MAC school. Buffalo (Kansas City’s David Hinson, UMass (KC’s Pat Sperduto), Miami (Ohio) Pittsburgh’s Dan Colbert), Ball State (Seattle’s Jason Barnes) and Ohio (Tennessee’s Mike Boni) are all represented.
  • As with most jobs in scouting today, more college directors have been “imported” than have those who rose through the ranks. Only nine of 27 have only worked for the team that employs them now.
  • There’s a pretty vast age range, from 30 to 59. More (12) are in their 40s than any other age. Also, there are more in their 30s (eight) than in their 50s (seven).
  • Though you don’t have to be any certain age to do the job, you do have to be seasoned. Of the 27 college directors, 17 have been working in the league at least since the 2009 season. You’re looking at almost two decades of service before you’re considered for the job. That makes sense.

For someone like me, it’s a little sobering that so many dues-paying executives — like the people who make up the college director community — aren’t seeing a direct path to the GM seat, but I suppose that’s just part of the times we live in. The profile now, mostly, is a scout in his 40s who’s got 15-17 years working in the league and, more often than not, arrived with the current GM.

I hoped — I wished — the results were more of an affirmation of the value of experience in NFL front offices, especially as it relates to who gets the GM jobs. Unfortunately, I just don’t see that in the numbers.

Ben Standig’s Survey on NFL Front Offices: A Few Thoughts

18 Friday Sep 2026

Posted by in Agents, Media, NFL draft, Scouts

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This week, the Scouting the League Podcast guest is Ben Standig, who has his own Substack covering the Commanders (Last Man Standig, which is an awesome title). We spent most of our time on his recently posted 2026 Agent Survey, and as often happens, when we were done, there was a lot more I wanted to cover. Here are a few thoughts on his recent post.

  • One of the questions Ben asks is, who is the league’s best talent evaluator? Because he only polls a select number of NFL agents, no one gets a groundswell of support. Seahawks GM John Schneider (four votes) and Rams GM Les Snead (two votes) lead the way, but 18 others get votes. Both have the respect of their peers (as well as a Best Draft Award for each), so no arguments there. However, I found the remaining 18 interesting. Of the 18, nine are GMs or de facto GMs (Dallas’ Will McClay and New England’s Eliot Wolf), plus one other former GM. However, there are also a few up-and-comers that caught my eye.
  • His question, ‘who is a future GM to watch?,’ yielded six executives who got two votes each. Again, there were a whole lot more (11) who got at least one mention. For what it’s worth, two of those who got two votes are former BART List winners (James Liipfert of the Texans and Terrance Gray of the Bills). It’s no surprise that of the 11, nine are from perennial playoff teams, and two (Jeff King of the Bears and Lance Newmark of the Commanders) are with teams who made the postseason at least once in the last two years. You can be the best in the biz, but if your team doesn’t win, don’t expect other teams to come looking to hire you.
  • Schneider and Philadelphia’s Howie Roseman tied for top GM (seven votes each). Once again, no surprises on either one, though I get the sense from the comments that Schneider would be a lot more popular at happy hour than Roseman. If there’s a surprise, among the ones with multiple votes (there were only four), Denver’s George Paton finished fourth. There was a lot of speculation that he might get moved out when Sean Payton got to town, but I am glad he is getting his due among people who know. He’s another one whose team has won a Best Draft Award, and like Schneider, he gets high marks for likability, as well. Obviously, you don’t have to be likable to win, but it’s also not prohibitive if you are.

If you love the “inside” of the game and track what’s going on in NFL front offices, I highly recommend Ben’s recent piece. It really gives you a sense of what’s going on in the buildings. and I’m always up for hearing informed opinions.

Here’s Why You Can’t Always Trust What ‘Scouts Say’

11 Friday Sep 2026

Posted by in Agents, NFL draft, Scouts

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We’re getting geared up for our Agent Basics Zoom series later this month, so it’s got me thinking about what brand new contract advisors need to know. The feedback I keep getting from them is that they’re worried about not having scouting contacts, and I get that. Still, it’s important to keep scouting feedback in perspective.

In fact, when you hear the media or someone else tell you what “scouts say,” there are a few things to remember:

Is it even a scout?: The title of “scout” is thrown around a lot these days. In my estimation, unless you have real skin in the game (in the form of a place on an NFL staff), you’re not a “scout.” Lots of times, when you read a media report that refers to what “scouts are saying,” there’s a good chance that they’re really referring to what they see online, often from some draftnik or other self-appointed expert. Those aren’t scouts.

Time of year matters: If you had asked scouts in September 2021 if Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler would be the No. 1 pick in the spring of 2022 if he chose to leave early, most would say yes. By the end of that season, Rattler was no longer even the Sooners starter. This is just one example. The fact is, a player’s draft status depends on a lot of things, not the least of which is his performance on the field. The guy that looks good in Week 3 may look very different by bowl time.

Level of scout matters (as well as area): If you’re a newly minted Area Scout, roaming the Northeast for an NFL team, your opinion matters and the team is counting on you. At the same time, you’re still figuring things out in an area that’s far less dense in NFL prospects than the Southeast or Midwest are. The point is, just because a scout says something doesn’t mean he’s right.

Scouts are not perfect: Let me give you an illustration. I ran the 2008 Hula Bowl. Among the running backs I invited were Lance Ball (Maryland), Marcus Thomas (UTEP), Jalen Parmele (Toledo) and Danny Woodhead (Chadron State). I took the first three because they were direct recommendations of my scouting contacts, and indeed, Thomas and Parmele were among our draft picks. However, the only reason I took Woodhead — the only reason — is because New Balance was trying to work its way into college football, and it sponsored Chadron State. The game’s owner invited Woodhead (going over my head to do it) because it would lock in New Balance as a merchandise/apparel sponsor. Everyone got new shoes because we brought in Woodhead, but I seethed. Well, guess which running back had the most successful career? By the way, he’s not the only one I dismissed as a pro prospect that year. For the story on another couple of my running back mistakes — I promise you I ran everyone by scouts first — check out this post from September 2014.

Look, you won’t find anyone who has more respect for NFL scouts than I do. My whole business model is practically based on it. Still, it’s important to keep things in perspective.