Monthly Archives: November 2020

Ask the Scout: Five ’21 Sleepers Courtesy of Blake Beddingfield

27 Friday Nov 2020

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These days, it’s not hard to find a mock draft from your favorite writer, and more and more, we’re seeing two- and three-round mocks, even in November and December. What’s less common is a look at the players at the fringes of the draft who might wind up earlier in Day 3, or who may get snubbed in all seven rounds but wind up as a solid pro.

My friend, former Titans college scouting director Blake Beddingfield, did just that this week when he presented 50 sleepers in the ’21 draft class in a 90-minute Zoom session. Participants were treated to a quick summation of each player listed, as well as stories, comps and insights on the ’21 draft class and how the game is changing. It was a blast, and I got lots of positive feedback from members of the audience.

Here’s a look at five of the 50 players and why he likes them.

  • Jaelon Darden, WO, North Texas: Undersized receiver with very good speed and agility. Slot-type on the next level with ability to return punts. Solid run vision. Good stop-and-go quickness with ability to get up to top speed in a flash. Solid hands; catches the deep ball well, tracks and secures. Not a starting slot in the NFL, but can be a solid backup and return punts. I like his ability to stick and make a team with upside to produce in a number of ways.  Versatility is a plus. Fifth or sixth round.
  • Devin Hafford, DC, Tarleton State: Solid size and frame. Good on-the-ball skills. Productive. Has some hip and back stiffness when turning and running, but has the frame to move to safety and play in sub packages. Straight-line speed is solid but lateral movement is adequate. Has good instincts.  Only played one game in 2019 due to injury, but has upside. How he comes back from injury is key. PFA for now, but could be a late-rounder with production and good pro day. 
  • Deon Jackson, OH, Duke: Good size and frame. Powerful runner. Experienced with marginal production as a runner, but he has been an all-around back with production as a receiver. Has good hands. Also a kick returner. Has enough quickness and speed to be effective. Not a frontline-type player, but versatile with good size. 7th/PFA. 
  • Tyarise Stevenson, DT, Tulsa: Massive guy who’s a classic two-gap nose tackle. However, he’s a run-down player only, and not a pass rusher. Limited-range player who takes up space and blockers. Dirty work-type, not a playmaker. Not a fit for every team. PFA.
  • Joe Schulthorpe, OG, NC State: Best at right guard, but has also played center, and that versatility is valuable. Solid size for both positions, and has shown effectiveness at both spots. Has backup traits on the interior offensive line and a. role as a three-position backup in the NFL. Fifth or sixth round.

If you’d like to hear the rest of Blake’s 50 sleepers as well as a breakdown of each of them, plus a list with notes on each of them, click here. You’ll be charged $35 and we’ll  ship out the link and the list immediately. For what it’s worth, several active NFL scouts have already purchased it.

We’ll talk more about Blake’s Zoom session this week in our Friday Wrap, which comes out every Friday at 7:30 p.m. EDT. If you haven’t already, register for it here.

Eleven College Personnel Professionals to Watch

20 Friday Nov 2020

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As I’ve expanded my work with members of the college evaluation and recruiting community, I’ve begun to work with dozens of young people who are incredibly talented. Here’s the funny thing: until I really started looking, I had no idea who these people were. In fact, until CAA’s Ed Marynowitz started bringing this community together at his Personnel Symposium a couple years ago, I barely knew this community existed, so hats off to Ed.

At any rate, there are lots of rising young evaluators who have well-developed eyes for talent, superhero-level administrative talents, a special way with recruiting and communicating with young players, or all of the above. It’s time to recognize some of them.

Here are 11 young men working in college personnel and recruiting who are ready for a promotion to running a P5 school’s recruiting department, to serve as an NFL scouting assistant, to jump straight to college scouting coordinator for a pro team, or to serve as a chief of staff for a college or pro head coach. I’ve presented them alphabetically.

  • Marcus Berry, Director of Recruiting, Maryland: Marcus lives to evaluate and is passionate about getting better at it, though he’s already really good. I always learn something when I talk to him. He will be a great NFL scout someday. 
  • Albert Boone, Director of Football Operations, South Florida: I don’t get to link up with Albert as much anymore because he’s always busy. Albert is on a steady climb in the industry and has earned the acclaim of some powerful people.
  • Alex Brown, Director of Football Recruiting, Rice: I met Alex years ago before he was part of an FBS football administration, and it’s incredibly how far he’s come in a short time. If you check out his podcast about college personnel, you won’t be sorry.
  • Cody Cejda, Director of Football Operations and Strategy, Northwestern: The consummate professional and the gold standard as far major college administrators, which is why he’s the only person on this list whom I’ve asked to speak at one of my seminars.
  • Will Christopherson, Director of Player Personnel Operations, Maryland: Will is relentless. He finds opportunities, excels, then builds his network with the people he’s worked with without being a self-promoter. 
  • Ryan Fischler, offensive assistant, Texas A&M: Everywhere I go on the all-star/combine trail in January and February, I see Ryan either working or just networking. That’s what you have to do if you want to climb in this industry.
  • Zach Gold, Assistant Director of Player Personnel, Temple: Not only is Zach engaging, but he will move heaven and earth to learn and find resources to help him get better. You have to admire that.
  • Matt Lindsey, General Manager, Ole Miss: Matt is at the forefront of a new position in college football, general manager. He’s incredibly impressive, is a ‘Bama grad, and has already worked in the NFL (Eagles). 
  • C.J. Owens, Director of Player Personnel, Old Dominion: I haven’t known C.J. for very long, but I’ve been really impressed so far, and I look forward to tracking his career as it continues.
  • Steve Schrum, Director of Player Personnel, Kent State: It’s been fun to watch Steve rise through the industry, as no job has been too small or too large for him. The Golden Flashes are 3-0 and Steve has a lot to do with it.
  • Tim Silvernail, Director of Recruiting, Rutgers: Tim has an extensive MAC background but he’s on the move and making things happen in the Big Ten now. He’s got a lot of momentum and there’s a good reason for that. Highly organized.

There are several others who are worthy of recognition; they’re just a few steps away from being ready. They include Nathan Applebaum, a recruiting assistant at Florida; Cody Bellaire, a player personnel assistant at Baylor; Taylor Buie, recruiting assistant at Stanford; Price Burton, a quality control assistant in recruiting at Toledo; Aaron Clem and Nathan Ellis, recruiting assistants at Maryland; Camden Dietz, a recruiting assistant at Kansas; Tom Fratcher, a recruiting specialist at NCSA; Allen Gaudet, player personnel assistant at Texas A&M; Chris Haase, a football scouting assistant at Northwestern; Justin Markus, recruiting assistant at Rice; Kyle Morgan, southwest area scout for XOS Technology; Jalun Morris, Assistant Director of Recruiting at UAB; Connor Roche, grad assistant in recruiting at Arizona State; John Todd and Nathan Cooper at Sports Info Solutions, a top sports analytics firm; and Jeremy Wright, a community relations coordinator at North Carolina A&T. These guys are among several who hold a lot of promise.

I’m certain I’ve left some out. This is far from an exhaustive list, and it’s important to note that if someone’s not listed here, it’s not that I don’t see them as a riser in the business. It’s probably just that I haven’t met that person yet (or, more likely, I’ve just forgotten to include them in this rather hastily assembled post).

There are so many people in this industry who are talented, and I just haven’t made my way around the business yet. But I will, and I will continue to point to these peoples’ successes when I see them.

Analyzing What’s Ahead in NFL Scouting Hires This Offseason

13 Friday Nov 2020

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This month, we wrapped up our Fourth Quarter series with four former scouts and executives. If you’ve been reading our blog, or even took part in the Zoom sessions, you’ve heard and read their “origin stories.”

Our goal, as always, is to help aspiring scouts become actual ones. However, in a season and offseason unlike any we’ve seen before, how likely is that to happen in the coming weeks and months?

We spent the last month-and-a-half reviewing scouting departments across the league for our Know Your Scouts series. It’s something we’ve done for nine years, and it gives us a good sense of how NFL teams are building their evaluation staffs.

Based on what we saw, we’ve made a few observations. There’s good news and bad news.

  • Good news: Only six scouting assistants were hired this offseason. That’s down slightly from 2019 (nine) and considerably from 2018 (12). Maybe that means more hires after this season.
  • More good news: Only two GMs were hired this offseason, but there are already two vacancies and there are expected to be several more this offseason. That means plenty of turnover.
  • On the other hand, seven scouts and executives took jobs with the XFL in the 2019 offseason, with 12 taking Alliance of American Football jobs in the 2018 offseason. Obviously, those jobs won’t be available after this season.
  • Also, a greater piece of teams’ scouting budgets are going toward analytics and fewer to pure scouting positions. We counted 14 of the 119 hires and promotions in NFL scouting departments as analytics-, data- or software-related.
  • Worst news: Scouts aren’t on the road this season, which means fewer chances to make an impression. For an NFL liaison, hosting a Zoom call is far less personal than conducting a meeting with multiple scouts in an office setting, or even a brief conversation with a scout in the hallway.
  • There’s also a great chance there will be more competition for jobs this year than ever before. With FBS and FCS schools having to rectify budgets battered by the loss of gate revenue, there could be more good college personnel specialists finding themselves out of jobs next spring. 

If you’re interested in learning more about trends in hiring and firing in the NFL scouting community, make sure you check out today’s Friday Wrap. We’ll take a longer look at where the scouting community is headed over the next six months. You can register for it here.

 

 

 

Ask the Scout: Six Things with Raleigh McKenzie (ex-Raiders)

06 Friday Nov 2020

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Last night, we completed our Fourth Quarter series by spending an hour-plus with Raleigh McKenzie. Not only is Raleigh a good friend, he was a key part of the pro days we set up last spring for members of the ’20 draft class. Oh, by the way, he played 16 NFL seasons and won two Super Bowls in addition to spending six seasons as an area scout with the Raiders.

Here are six things I learned during Raleigh’s session last night.

  • Raleigh was pretty forthright that if his brother hadn’t become a GM with the Raiders, there’s a good chance he never would have been an NFL scout. I thought that was admirable and transparent of him. Also of interest — he said if he’d had his choice, he probably would have preferred to be a coach. I think a lot of scouts might say that, especially in view of the disparity in salaries between the jobs. 
  • As a former offensive linemen, I had lots of questions about the position. Here’s one thing that struck me: When discussing Texans OT Laremy Tunsil, he said Tunsil was aggressive but not always physical. That was a distinction I’ve never heard before. When I asked him about it, Raleigh said Tunsil always came off the ball and got after his opponent while at Ole Miss, but he was more of a finesse player than a mauler. Raleigh liked his athleticism, especially as a pass blocker, but felt he’d have to improve his strength in the running game. I thought that was an interesting insight.
  • When asked what advice he could give aspiring scouts, it was that they must trust their eyes. That’s something that’s come up often during our four-week series. It’s clear that scouts wrestle with groupthink, and don’t always win. As in other professions, it’s often safer to go with the crowd, but it’s not always right.
  • When asked why players bust, Raleigh gave two reasons: an inability to measure a player’s ability vs. NFL competition — i.e., he couldn’t make the necessary adjustments to play vs. the pros — and the inability for his drafting team to use him right. 
  • Though he couldn’t remember exactly who the Raiders’ top 10 prospects were in 2016, Raleigh distinctly remembers how much the team liked Florida State’s Jalen Ramsey. That’s been a real theme as we’ve reviewed 2016 with multiple scouts. Ramsey was a supreme prospect who’s turned out to be a great pro. The team also felt North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz had more tools and upside, Cal’s Jared Goff was a more complete, more ready game for the NFL, and had they chose between the two, they would have taken Goff.
  • He said the Raiders took Michigan State’s Connor Cook as the No. 100 pick in the draft — 35 picks before Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott — because coaches felt Cook was a better fit in Oakland’s offense. The Raiders also felt Prescott was lacking in accuracy. 

It was a fabulous four weeks, as you already know if you were among those who joined us. If you didn’t, it’s not too late to study up and learn from some great former scouts and executives. Click here for the four videos plus the transcripts from our first three sessions with Danton Barto (former Rams area scout), Doug Whaley (former Bills GM) and Ahmad Russell (former Colts scout). Just $35. And don’t forget to register for our Friday Wrap here.