Category Archives: NFL draft

Here’s Your Summer Guide for Getting Ahead in Football

17 Wednesday Jun 2026

Posted by in College personnel, Getting started, NFL draft, NIL, Scouts

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If you’re truly interested in finding a job in football, and you haven’t yet, you can’t use the summer to lay on the beach. June, July and August have become primetime for meetups and conferences that give you a chance to find opportunities. The key is finding the ones that are well-attended and reasonably priced.

Here are three I’ll be attending this summer. I’ve only been to one of them previously, but I’m pretty confident all three are going to be outstanding events.

ADs for Christ Summer Gathering (Birmingham) — Next weekend — Obviously, this one comes with a faith component, so if you’re not a committed Christian, it’s probably not the place for you. On the other hand, as long as you keep the main thing the main thing, it’s a golden opportunity. The speaker lineup includes SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, Missouri AD Laird Veatch, Ole Miss Senior Deputy AD Eric Wood and more. Jessica Lopez, a key member of the Miami (Fla.) personnel office, runs this, and she’s incredibly organized — she just thinks of everything. This will be my first time attending, but it’s been going on for 10 years. Can’t wait to be there. And cost is just $100. That’s amazing. But again, this is for people who take their faith seriously.

OL Masterminds Summit (Dallas) — July 10-11 — This one is probably more by invitation only, but if you are around offensive linemen much at all, you know who Duke Manyweather is. His annual summit is a big deal, and draws some of the most established names in the game when it comes to centers, guards and tackles (and the people who work with them). Duke has dedicated himself to offensive linemen, whether they’re prospective draft picks or veterans, and has built an incredible reputation for making them better.

Personnel & Recruiting Symposium (Nashville) — Aug. 3-5 — This one is a little pricey but still may sell out. Last year, I think they almost ran out of room at the Renaissance Nashville and I kinda expected them to move it this year. Anyway, it’s really well-run and just overrun with college personnel staffers, NIL and NFL agents, NFL scouts and executives and others associated with the game. The class sessions are great but making and renewing acquaintances is the main reason to be there, especially if you’re still on the new side and trying to build a network.

Which Teams Value RAS the Most?

11 Thursday Jun 2026

Posted by in NFL draft, Scouts

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On our podcast, Rodrik David and I sometimes debate the value of traits when it comes to making draft picks. I think it’s fair to say Rodrik is a big believer in traits, while I wonder if they’re being increasingly overvalued these days. It seems to me that, as I study the draft, teams are looking more than ever at triangle numbers (and other analytics) over film. In some cases, I think traits might far exceed film. But is there any way to really measure this?

One way, I think, is to look at the players teams pick in the seventh round. Many teams use seventh-rounders as dart throws, knowing no teams are going to lose their jobs if a draftee in the last round fails. Of course, all teams say they chose the best player available, but did they really just take the best athlete available?

Obviously, we can’t say anything conclusively. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all. However, we can look at the numbers over the past three drafts and see which teams seem to put a higher emphasis on athleticism, at least as measured by Relative Athletic Score. If you’re new to RAS, spend some time on this website. Basically, RAS gives you a more complete measure of a player’s testing scores. Not long ago, draftniks marveled at a player’s 40 time, but as popular analysis has matured, it’s become clear that a 170-pound guy running a 4.4 is not the same as when a 230-pound guy does it. OK, let’s look at the teams that value RAS most on Day 3, specifically, in Round 7.

Before we get started, 10.0 is a perfect RAS. Any score between 8.0 and 10.0 is considered in the green zone, i.e., exceptional athleticism. The next tier measures athleticism between 7.99 and 5.0, which is still better than average (that’s the orange zone). Anything below 5.0 is in the red zone and substandard for an NFL prospect.

  • Colts: Indy has picked four times in the seventh round the last three years. Every single one of them has had a 9+ RAS. As you (may) know, the Colts won a Best Draft Award for their picks in 2018.
  • Broncos: While some teams use their seventh-rounders as throw-ins, the Broncos are the opposite, having drafted in the seventh round seven times in the last three years (tied with the Broncos for the most in the league). How did they use those picks? Four of the seven are “green” (two were 9+) and all seven were 6.35 or higher. No “red” picks. By the way, like the Colts, the Broncos are a past Best Draft winner (for the 2021 draft).
  • Giants, Jets: Both teams have chosen just twice in the last three years, but each picked a 9+ and an 8+ RAS player when they did pick. Obviously, it’s a very limited sample, but still interesting.
  • Steelers: For a team with an old-school reputation, Pittsburgh sure seems attentive to workout numbers. Four picks, three greens, one orange.

On the other hand, which teams seem to spend their seventh-rounders based on other factors besides pure athleticism? Let’s take a look.

  • Cowboys: Dallas was tied for second in most seventh-rounders since 2024 with six, but is nowhere near as beholden to RAS as other teams. I think this is especially interesting given that the Cowboys are one of the teams that have most completely embraced analytics. Two of their picks didn’t even have RAS scores, which is usually an indication that the player was hurt and couldn’t test pre-draft. Another had a terrible RAS, though he’s more of a two-gap defensive tackle and those guys rarely have gleaming triangle numbers. Just one of the six had a 9+ score. Clearly, Dallas isn’t looking for freaks in Round 7.
  • Texans: Houston profiles very closely with its Lone Star cousin. One green, three orange (two of which had really blah numbers), one red, plus one no-RAS.
  • Seahawks: Seattle, which won a Best Draft Award for its work in the 2022 draft, doesn’t rely on lazy parameters to decide who to draft. Of their six seventh-rounders over the past three years, one was a no-RAS, one was a red, two were green, and two orange.

Also of note:

  • Of the top 10 RAS scores among seventh-rounders since 2024, the Colts have selected two of them (Oklahoma DE Jonah Laulu in 2024, who had a 9.62, and Kentucky OH Seth McGowan in April, who had a 9.47).
  • The Broncos drafted two in the top 15 highest RAS scores in the seventh round since 2024: South Carolina OC Nick Gargiulo in 2024 (9.45 RAS) and Utah TE Dallen Bentley this year (9.4).
  • The Jags and Ravens joined the Cowboys in drafting two players each with no RAS score.
  • The Patriots are the only team that picked two players with bottom 11 RAS scores among seventh-rounders over the last three years.

Some Fun Facts About This Week’s Podcast Guest, Alonzo Highsmith

22 Friday May 2026

Posted by in College personnel, NFL draft, Scouts

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I guess when you’re around football as long as Alonzo Highsmith has, you wind up being associated with an awful lot of big names. That’s one thing that really struck me during this week’s episode of the Scouting the League podcast, which features the Senior Personnel Executive of the Patriots.

This week’s show was a lot of fun not just because I got to talk football with one of the top scouting minds in the game for an hour, but for all the interesting facets of Zo’s life that I learned during the pre-interview research phase as well as during the podcast itself. Here are a few things that I found especially interesting.

  • Alonzo was the No. 1 prospect in his class at his high school position — linebacker. Not fullback, where he was eventually a first-round pick by the Houston Oilers in the 1987 draft. He said he cried when head coach Howard Schnellenberger asked him to switch positions, but a desire to help the team drove him to make the change.
  • None other than Florida linebacker Wilber Marshall, who went on to stardom with the Bears, basically knocked Zo out of the 1983 season. He barely got healthy in time to return late in the season and even score a touchdown in the Orange Bowl win over Nebraska.
  • Zo was basically drafted by the Oilers to be the successor to Earl Campbell, who had been traded prior to the 1985 season.
  • His head coach in Houston was Jerry Glanville, which is funny because, ideally, Zo would have given Houston a power rushing attack. When I think of Glanville, I think of the guy who brought the Run and Shoot offense to the NFL as head coach of the Falcons.
  • After his playing career, during his four years as a heavyweight boxer, Zo actually signed to fight George Foreman. However, the fight was cancelled because promoters didn’t want to risk Foreman losing before he could fight Larry Holmes, who was scheduled to be his next opponent after Zo.
  • Zo and his son, AJ, actually room together in Foxboro. Presumably, that will change soon, as AJ, the Patriots’ pro director, is getting married next month.
  • Until we talked, I never thought about how so many super-talented people who came out of Green Bay’s front office have almost no ego. It starts with Executive VP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf; I could give you a half-dozen examples of Eliot going out of his way to make me, a nobody who has never worked in the league, feel important. However, it’s also true of Seahawks GM John Schneider and Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan in addition to Zo. Each of them have every reason to think they are hot stuff, but they are all just regular guys.
  • Maybe one reason Zo has had so much success helping draft QBs (Aaron Rodgers, Baker Mayfield and Drake Maye have all been selected on his watch) is because of the QBs he’s played with. His QBs at Miami (Fla.) were Bernie Kosar and Vinny Testaverde. His QB in Houston? Warren Moon. In Dallas? Troy Aikman. Even Steve Deberg, who shared the QB position with Testaverde during Alonzo’s time with the Bucs, was not half-bad. Wow.

So there you go. Eight fun facts about Alonzo Highsmith that are part of this week’s podcast and I haven’t spoiled one bit of Zo’s thoughts and philosphy on scouting and player evaluation, which he discusses at length. If you haven’t listen in yet, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Why No Transition in NFL Scouting So Far?

15 Friday May 2026

Posted by in College personnel, Getting started, NFL draft, Scouts

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The question I’m getting non-stop right now is, ‘why has it been so slow?’

The “it” in this case is the normal transition that takes place on NFL scouting staffs this time of year. The young people trying to break into the league, as well as unemployed scouts trying to get back in, are constantly lamenting the lack of openings. Here’s why they say things are running behind.

  • It’s highly anecdotal, I know, but by this time last year, we had tweeted 42 times on scouting moves. This year, 30 tweets.
  • So far, there have been only five newly hired/promoted Area Scouts. Last year, there were 36, though that number reflects the entire offseason. There’s still time, but we’re way off pace.
  • On the pro side, we saw 13 scouts earn designation as an in-house evaluator. So far this season? Five.
  • Last year, there were 11 new National Scouts. This year? Two.

Rookie mini-camps (for the teams that still have them) are over across the league (one reason why I had expected this to be a busy week for scouting changes). Most staffs have been sent home. That means, for a team to even let an evaluator go, it will have to be over the phone (to say nothing of giving them a head start on job-seeking).

As someone who’s a big advocate for scouts and someone who hates to see people lose their jobs, I hope there aren’t any more job losses all summer. Still, it’s inevitable that there’s some level of transition. So why has there been so little change so far? I’m not sure, but here are my theories.

  • Many of the people who’d normally be seeking a job in the NFL are now making decent money on the college side, leaving fewer hotshot prospects ready to move up. For this reason, front offices are going status quo.
  • Teams are focused on getting their respective analytics staffs right first. There has been a decent amount of movement on the numbers side. Maybe teams are just being methodical.
  • The two teams that went to the Super Bowl have leadership off the Packers tree (John Schneider in Seattle, Eliot Wolf in New England). Green Bay is old-school, leaning much more on their Area and National Scouts than is popular in most front offices these days. Maybe teams want to emulate their success.
  • Dozens of Scouting Assistants are completing their second years, respectively, with NFL teams, as we’ve noted previously. Maybe changes are coming, but teams want to make sure they know which Scouting Assistants are deserving of promotions and, more importantly, they’re still devising a plan for replacing those Scouting Assistants.
  • It’s still early. We’ll see changes. They just haven’t hit yet.

It could all change at any moment, but so far, it’s looking like this offseason could be an anomaly. We discuss this and other facets of scouting and job-hunting in our weekly newsletter, the Friday Wrap. If you aren’t already registered for it, do that here.

2026 NFL Agent Exam: Building Community

01 Friday May 2026

Posted by in Agent Exam, Agents, Getting started, NFL draft

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Houston is a pretty good football town, so it’s no big surprise that many of its residents pursue a career in player representation. For years, I’ve kicked around the idea of getting some veteran agents together with people taking the exam, just the veterans can share ideas and the aspiring agents can ask questions about the exam or just the business, generally. We finally did that last night. Here are a few thoughts after a fun time with four agents and three agents-to-be.

  • I guess it’s no surprise, but there were probably as many questions about succeeding in the business as there were about simply passing the exam. That’s natural. I did my best to help the exam-takers keep their respective eyes on the ball, but it’s an interesting profession. Why wouldn’t they be curious?
  • We brought several generations of veteran agents together, including Chiquia Roberson (certified in 2013), Everett Coleman (2021), Chris Gaddis (2019) and Teron Greene (2025). It was fascinating to hear how their test-taking experiences differed; so much has changed in the last 10-plus years.
  • Chiquia’s experience was a bit more old-school, as she was part of a class that had to travel to Washington, D.C., and sit in a big room over two days with hundreds of other people. The procedure then was a full day of lecture on Thursday, then a morning lecture and Q&A Friday morning before the exam on Friday. It’s probably better that it’s not done that way anymore. I used to hear stories of NFLPA officials rushing students through questions on Friday morning and asking to get the test going mid-lunch hour. I guess they were a little bored and hoping to get ahead of the evening’s traffic.
  • The same was true of Chris, another guy who had to go to D.C. Most of his focus was on the trickier topics and the value of time management. This is a common theme. It’s so, so easy to get wrapped up in a few questions and get behind. Three hours go quickly.
  • Everett’s was interesting because he was originally scheduled for 2020 before the Players Association pulled the plug due to the lockdowns. He made it work for him. He continually cited his 18-month run-up to the 2021 exam as a benefit, and his recall of the questions and topics of focus were surprising. It was also interesting because that year, everyone took the exam from their own homes, and as it was the first time the NFLPA did it this way, there were numerous technological issues. Everett said he spent several minutes having his study notes and test materials examined by the proctoring service over the webcam, just to make sure he was meeting regulations.
  • For Teron, who just got certified last summer, the memories focused on taking the exam at a testing center, surrounded by cameras. I could tell the surveillance there really made things awkward for him. I guess it’s the only way the NFLPA can make absolutely certain no one is cheating.

A lot of the themes were in tune with what I always hear. They raved about the study guide; most people do. They were very complimentary of Ian Greengross, our Zoom instructor, and his teaching methods. Everett was excited about a CFL client who’s near reporting for camp up north; he signed the player on a referral from the ITL community.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun, and something I wish we’d done earlier. It’s certainly not the last time the ITL team will gather before the exam, though future groupings will probably be online, in some form or fashion.

If you’re taking the exam, there’s plenty of room on the roster, and we’d love to have you. Just 80 days to go! Come with us. Start by contacting me at nstratton at insidetheleague dot com.

Six Points: How to Be an NFL Agent on a Budget

03 Friday Apr 2026

Posted by in Agents, combine prep, Getting started, NFL draft, NIL, Transfer portal

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This week, I broke down the agent signings for the 1,700-plus prospects who’ve signed with contract advisors so far, per the latest NFLPA SRA report. Basically, I listed the players — sorted by P4, G5 and non-FBS schools — that each NFL agent has signed for the 2026 class. It paints an interesting picture.

One takeaway: 58 agents who just passed the exam last summer have not signed one client for the 2026 draft class. That’s about a third of all agents who got certified who have zero to show for their first year certified. And look, I know why — repping a players, a legit prospect, one who could be signed/drafted, costs at least $15,000.

Still, even if you don’t have the cash, there are ways to not waste Year 1. Here are a few suggestions.

Get into the NIL game: Even if you don’t sign a five-star high school player or a headline-grabbing potential transfer, repping college players gives you hands-on experience. But the best part is, there’s no training costs associated, so you’ll have something big to do in January that gets you used to dealing with players, their parents, coaches, schools, etc.

Sign a player after the middle of February: The main advantage here, obviously, is that most players already have their training plan in place by mid-February, which means you’re off the hook. Obviously, the draft class is a lot thinner by then, but it’s not too late to sign a good player if you’re careful. Believe it or not, 37 of the 450 players who made it to 90-man rosters as UDFAs didn’t sign with agents until after Feb. 16. What’s more, 116 of the 437 players brought in for tryouts signed Feb. 16 or later. Obviously, a rookie mini-camp invite only isn’t optimal, but at least it’s a chance to communicate with scouts.

Don’t sign a specialist: You want to start building your scouting network in Year 1. If you sign a kicker, punter or deep-snapper, you will be working mostly with special teams coaches. That’s not terrible, but it limits you. Specialists cost less to train, but you’re signing late enough that training costs shouldn’t be much of an encumbrance anyway.

Make sure your clients play positions with scarcity: Which positions are most in demand? Which ones aren’t? It’s all here. Sorry, it’s a pay link.

Make sure you sign a player in an NFL team’s metro market: This gets your client into a team’s local pro day. That’s big, even if it’s a team that doesn’t actually host workouts. The thing is, fewer teams are even having local pro days. Make sure you don’t sign a player from one of those nine markets.

If at all possible, sign a player from a P4 school: Obviously, we’re seeing an overwhelming accumulation of talent in the four most powerful conferences. Scouts have noticed. That’s not to say that smaller-school prospects don’t have a shot, but obviously, the ones playing with the big boys have less to prove.

Clearing Up a Few Misconceptions About Scouting

20 Friday Mar 2026

Posted by in NFL draft, Scouts

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We’re a little more than a month out from the draft, so that means there’s going to be a lot of talk of scouting, what scouts are doing, how scouts get their jobs (and lose their jobs), etc. There have been some dumb posts on social media already, and there are more to come. Here are a few things to remember as the topic of player evaluation comes up in the coming weeks/months.

  • Scouts tend to get released after the draft: Contracts typically are for two years and run through the end of April (sometimes May). That’s why a lot of people tend to watch our Twitter a little more closely in May. I can tell you there have already been some scouts released that haven’t been made public yet, but generally speaking, the turnover is going to start in May and will (mostly) be over by the end of June.
  • A fired scout does not equal a bad scout: Every year, we publish that a scout was let go by a team and fans get on social media and rejoice. It’s celebration day! Their favorite team has finally cut out the cancer! No, not really. More often than not, that scout got priced off the team. He’s not GM timber, he’s making well into six figures, and the team needs that money to pay its new analytics hire, or to give someone else a bump. The scout that gets let go didn’t do anything wrong. He’s just too expensive. For this reason, I’ve gotten used to seeing 3-4 good scouts terminated every year. I used to scratch my head when this happened. I don’t anymore. It’s simple economics.
  • Dismissals are independent of that year’s draft: I used to have this on a pinned tweet, but no owner (or GM) comes in the first day of May, declares that the team’s draft sucked, designates a certain evaluator as having done a poor job, and casts him onto the unemployment line. Decisions have already been made on which scouts will be dismissed this summer. We (and they) just have to wait to find out who they are.
  • Executive-level scouts are often called to cover pro days because no one else is available: This is important when you hear that a team’s Director of College Scouting attended a school’s pro day. It doesn’t necessarily mean that team is super-interested in one of that school’s players. There’s a LOT of ground to cover in March. It takes everyone.
  • A Top-30 visit doesn’t mean a team is drafting a player (or even considering it): This is pretty obvious, but still bears saying. The thing to understand is, most teams won’t sign a player unless he’s had a physical. So if a kid didn’t go to the Combine, a team might be bringing him in simply to get some answers, medically.

If you read our blog regularly, you probably already know these things, but maybe you didn’t. Well, now you do. Enjoy the draft.

Five Things for New NFL Agents to Know About Pro Days

13 Friday Mar 2026

Posted by in Agents, Getting started, ITL, NFL draft, Scouts

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Tonight, I gathered with several members of the 2025 NFLPA agent class to discuss pro days and the things they need to know this time of year. In the process, I developed 10 truths regarding pro days. I pulled five of them from my notes tonight, and they’re below.

Here’s my take on what new agents need to know about March.

  • No matter what scouts say, 40 times and pro day performances are important. This is something that was really brought home to we when I was writing my last book. It’s probably more true today than ever. A fringe prospect who tests poorly can take himself off most — maybe all — draft boards.
  • Pro days are not a right; scout coverage is not a right. I think that as the draft has grown in popularity, there’s a perception that every player gets his chance to shine in a workout. That’s not true. Even if every single NFL scout was dispatched to pro days across the country, they’d be tasked with gathering numbers on 1,500-2,000 players across about five weeks, and that’s just at the FBS level. Never mind that most are just not NFL-caliber players. Scouts are people, too.
  • One scout is way better than no scouts. I’ve had agents lament that there was only one, maybe two, scouts at a pro day. Most teams share numbers through what’s called the APT Coalition. If a player worked out at a remote school with minimal NFL talent, let’s face it — there’s probably better places for a scout to be.
  • If you get a player into a pro day, there’s a good chance he will only get to run a 40. Some schools are very liberal with how many players from other schools they allow to work out, but here’s the catch — they only let them run the 40. If their time doesn’t measure up, they don’t get to finish the rest of the drills. Once again, pro days are not a right, and scouts and school officials have to be economical with their time and efforts.
  • Pro liaisons often know less than you’d think. It’s not their fault. Their job is to help their respective teams win on Saturday, not get their players into the NFL. The point is, defer to them on some things, but make sure you verify everything they tell you.

Obviously, there’s plenty more to know about pro days as well as how to get a player his best pro day; the vagaries of alternative leagues like the CFL and UFL; NFL local pro days; and the all-important Day 3 of the NFL Draft. These are all things I covered tonight with Inside the League clients.

We didn’t record things, but I’ve got pretty detailed notes. Happy to share them if you join the ITL family.

Work in Football? First Combine? Here Are a Few Tips

10 Tuesday Feb 2026

Posted by in combine prep, Getting started, NFL draft, Scouts

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I always kinda thought people who work in college personnel offices knew the drill when it comes to the NFL Combine, but I recently came to the understanding that they don’t, given how busy their jobs are. I’ve previously written about how to approach the NFL Combine if you’re a job-seeker, but let’s say you work as a personnel director at a P4 school. When should you get to Indy? When should you leave? Here are a few thoughts.

First, know the deadline for getting credentialed: It’s Saturday. You’re going to want to apply before then if you want access to Lucas Oil Stadium. This page has all the details. This is where you actually apply.

But before you apply: You need to know which (if any) of the players at your school are invited and when they’ll be working out. If you haven’t already heard from the players at your school, sometime this week, the NFL will publish the entire list of 350-odd players. Obviously, they don’t all work out on the same day. Click here to find out when they will test. Obviously, this will determine when you need to be there to offer support.

What if your school doesn’t have any combine invitees?: I recommend one of two schedules. At the very least, come in Thursday night so you can attend our symposium Friday morning. We’re hopeful that there will be 50 P4 schools represented, most by their GMs. We’re also going to have a who’s who of top NIL agents there. It’s going to be big. Here’s a more detailed rundown of what to expect. Best of all, if you’re a member of an FBS college personnel staff, you don’t have to pay. You only have to register, which you can do here.

So you arrive Thursday. When should you leave?: Here’s what I recommend. Indianapolis will be filled to the brim with NFL and college football types Friday night. Hit the town. I’d recommend grabbing a meal downtown, then hitting High Velocity, the bar at the JW Marriott, that evening. It will be jam-packed with NFL scouts and executives, agents, wealth managers, and others in the industry of every stripe. It’s a great chance to renew acquaintances or make new ones. Come to think of it, it’s probably not a bad idea to hit High Velocity Thursday night as well.

What if you have more time?: I strongly recommend you come in Wednesday afternoon and join us at our seminar. It’s the Academy Awards of the scouting business, and it’s free (you don’t even have to register). It starts at 5:30 p.m. and will go about an hour. We’ll have 150-200 scouts there and it’s a lot of fun. We’ll hand out more than 30 awards and there’s a celebratory atmosphere that you don’t always find in football. I hope you can join us. More details are here.

Six Points: A Few More Tips and Ideas for Getting a Job This Time of Year

06 Friday Feb 2026

Posted by in Getting started, NFL draft, NIL, Scouts

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This time of year I get a lot of people reaching out to ask about tips on getting a job in scouting, college or pro. Here are a few more things to think about and/or ideas for you.

Update your LinkedIn: I used to dismiss people who serially updated their LinkedIn page, but I have to admit it’s nice to have someone’s complete employment history readily available. I know some people really overdo it, but if you use it judiciously it can be a really positive tool. I know it’s been easy to advise people when they ask for counsel on finding a job when I can review their LinkedIn pages first. By the way, if you really want to go the extra mile, set up a Linktree.

Go to the Combine: I know it’s intimidating, and can be costly, but you can figure it out. The Senior Bowl is no longer the best place to network. Indy isn’t easy — there are a few events you can attend, including ours — but mostly you’re going to need to be in the right place at the right time, eager to seize an opportunity. It’s a risk you have to take.

Seek out volunteer opportunities in Indy: It’s too late to land something with an NFL team or with combine organizers, but there are enough things going on that a helping hand might be needed. Think outside the box. There’s no better way to make a connection than to be a good worker. If you can’t find a football organization, maybe reach out to an agency that you know has players at workouts.

Renew all your key acquaintances: It’s not easy to stay in contact with everyone in your neighborhood 24-7, and if you’re not carefully, you can come across as inauthentic. Still, you should be able to think of a reason to reach out to everyone who could be pivotal, job-wise, over the next 60-90 days. For example, you could ask when they get in to Indianapolis. Or wish them a happy President’s Day, I guess. If they show up on a podcast, make sure you compliment them — genuinely — and make it clear with context that you actually listened. Obviously, a job change (especially a promotion) gives you an automatic opportunity, as well. The key is to remind them, subtly, that you’re around.

Don’t forget about business cards: I know they’re passe’ but the fact is, they’re cheap and they fit easily into someone’s wallet. You don’t have to walk around with a wad of cards in your hand. Just have them ready if the need arises.

Remember that information is key: You need to know something that potential employers don’t. I do not think you should carry around your latest mock draft. But I do think you need to be ready with information on the upcoming players on your current team, or inside information on what jobs might be available on your own team, or anything else. If you don’t have anything, don’t fake it. But there’s no better way to prove your future value to a potential employer than by having something you can offer now.

One more thing — make sure to know where recent scouting hires have come from, which teams you should be focusing on and, well, read this, too. Good luck.