In this week’s Friday Wrap (register for it here), we’ll have an extended interview with Drew Fabianich, the new executive director of the Senior Bowl. Drew’s a longtime friend, and while I’m excited that the biggest all-star game got a very capable replacement for Jim Nagy, but I’m also happy that he’s committed to making the game a real platform for player evaluation and development of people who hope to work in this field.

Here are three reasons why I think Drew will be a real positive for scouts, past, present and future.

Drew has done and seen it all: Not only is Drew a committed scout, but he’s also spent years in coaching and also two stints as a P4 GM (Auburn and West Virginia). That’s the kind of modern perspective that I think will really bring an added dimension to the game.

He’s 100 percent committed to the Senior Bowl’s scout school and wants to expand it: The game annually brings in former players to get a chance to explore scouting, and the league endorses this. Not only is Drew a big fan of the game’s scout school, but he’s got a plan to expand things and give them exposure to what’s happening in the college ranks. “The way it will be different for me is that the league wanted me to put together a collegiate side, to tell (aspiring scouts) exactly how the collegiate side is growing and evolving, and where they could fit in there,” he said. “I will also be putting together, not this summer, but next July, we’re going to open up a scout school to really help the college guys – the student assistants, the recruiting coordinators, the DPPs – to develop young guys to come into this business, and especially give us a pipeline for guys that we would hire as scouting assistants also.” There will be a cost to this new two-day school, but it won’t be excessive. “It’s going to have minimal costs,” he emphasized. “Minimal. Just something to operate, that’s all it’s gonna be. It’s really for us to develop young guys and to find a pipeline to where they’d be interested in coming to work for the Senior Bowl, too.”

He’ll continue to employ former NFL scouts to help in building the roster: One innovation started by Phil Savage and expanded by Nagy was establishing a regional scouting staff populated by former NFL scouts. Countless good evaluators got to stay in the game by helping scour different parts of the country for the game. Some were retired, but some were scouts who were trying to get back in, and working for the game helped keep them sharp and relevant. I’m glad Drew will keep this program going.

I’m pretty excited about Drew’s tenure, and you’ll want to check out the rest of his thoughts in this week’s Wrap. Once again, if you don’t already receive it, I recommend you do. You can register here.

Last week in this space, we discussed the special event we had for all the aspiring NFL scouts who come in as part of our “Next Wave” program. Since it was really great, I wanted to use the space this week to pass along a few highlights. As always, we have preserved the privacy of the participants as some of them didn’t ask permission before volunteering.

Speaker 1, an NFC GM: We spent a little more than 20 minutes with our first speaker, who was really generous with his philosophy and methods when it comes to identifying interns, as well as the process involved in promoting them up the ladder. Most of what he told me was not surprising: the team mostly pulls from the recruiting departments of FBS-level schools (particularly P4); the most important attribute in a potential hire is initiative and attitude, a willingness to go beyond the call of duty; there is no specific degree they seek, and having a “diploma” or “certification” from one of the various scouting schools has no value; and while having a general idea about football schematically is important, having a scouting “eye” is something the team teaches to its entry-level employees.

Speaker 2, an AFC executive: Our second speaker took the second 20 minutes of the hour and was completely different from his predecessor in that he talked more about his own journey of 20+ years with one team. His discussion was helpful because it showed the value of doing whatever it takes. He started off not in a scouting position, but in video for a different team, and after living at home for meager pay, working on cutups and splicing film, he finally got a chance to apply for a scouting position with a rival team. He got passed over for the role he wanted, but due to his video skills, landed in the film department, and from there, he was able to work his way into player evaluation at long last. Also important: he emphasized that building a network is key, and one way he does that is by saving a contact’s spouse’s name along with the contact in his phone so he can remember to ask about the contact’s family when he’s passing through a school. I thought that was genius.

Speaker 3, an NFL executive: Our third and final speaker is one of the most respected evaluators in the game. His team drafted a young, promising passer in the last few years, and he discussed the process involved, going back to in-person evaluation that took years. He also talked about how to develop an eye for determining talent (he said it took him five years, even though the depth of his football experience is rivaled by few people in the business), and even solicited everyone on the call to send in their resumes. That was a first in our four years doing this, and was a special treat for everyone involved. 

It was a special night, and if you hope to travel the roads for an NFL team one day, I’m sorry you missed it. I hope you can join us next year. 

Breaking into scouting isn’t easy. At the same time, the question I get most often is, how do I get a job in scouting? It’s a question I’ve addressed here multiple times (and quite frankly, I don’t know the answer), and I sincerely want to help, but there’s one thing we do every year that I think is missed by a lot of people seeking to work in the game.

December is when our “Next Wave” subscribers sign up for the year at a discounted rate ($75 per year vs. $29.95/mo). They get access to the site through the end of November, but there are other benefits. Here’s a rundown of what we offer, if you happen to be interested:

• We’ve never drilled into scouting assistant hiring, but we’re planning to do that this month. Not every team even hires (or at least lists on its website) scouting assistants. Sometimes, that’s because state law sets up employer rules that make it nearly impossible, but for some teams, it’s simply choice. That’s not a big deal, but it’s helpful to know who’s who when it comes to hiring.
• It’s also important to be able to predict who might have openings. Most scouting assistants have two-year deals, so if you know which teams have hired in the last year or two (and which haven’t), you can better target the teams with openings.
• At the end of the day, of course, it all hinges on relationships when it comes to getting hired since there’s no certification/degree/whatever that gives you a leg up on everyone else. That’s why we bring friends from around the league on Zoom to talk to our clients. Often, those people share their cells and express a willingness to help. In the last three years, we’ve had scouts and executives from eight teams (Chargers, Jags, Vikings, Raiders, Lions, Ravens, Saints and Giants) join us, and we’ll have three new teams represented next week. We think helping people build their respective networks is the best way to get them through the door. Putting good people together is one of the most rewarding things I do.
• It goes without saying that we also provide more coverage of jobs and openings in the scouting world than anyone else (in fact, I don’t know of anyone else who even covers these things). Having that kind of information is critical.

Want in for next week’s session? If you are an aspiring scout, we’d love to have you. Contact me at @InsideTheLeague (DMs are open) or through our website if you’d like more information.