Category Archives: Scouts

Studying the Draft (and Why One Team Does It Better Than Most)

10 Friday Oct 2025

Posted by in NFL draft, Scouts

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I try to keep a detailed breakdown of the entire league at all times, listing not just the players in the league with their positions and teams, but also which team drafted them, which schools they came from, that kind of thing. This week, as I cleaned up my files going back to 2021, I dug into the numbers a bit and found a few things to be of special interest.

  • Going back to the 2021 draft (1,664 players as of Week 3 of the 2025 season), of the 159 first-rounders since 2021, 154 are still active. That’s to be expected.
  • The top five among still-active former draftees is not a big surprise. Leading the way is Green Bay with 43, followed in second place by the Ravens, Jaguars and 49ers (40 each); third place, the Texans, Rams and Seahawks (38 each); fourth-place Patriots (37); and Cardinals, Cowboys, Colts and Eagles tied with 36 each. Obviously, a number of these teams are perennial Super Bowl contenders.
  • The leading position drafted since 2021 is also no surprise, and it’s not close: offensive lineman (200). That’s the one place, the offensive line, that’s especially hard to find in free agency. After that, it’s cornerbacks (139) and wide receivers (130), followed by linebackers (124), a generous majority of which would be edge rushers. No other position was drafted more than 100 times.

However, here’s what I found to be most interesting.

The least popular position on draft day is punters and kickers, but the second-least popular is quarterbacks (just 47 drafted since 2021). Of the 47, 17 went in the first round, more than a third. To me, that shows that modern teams (a) are looking for the quick fix that drafting a QB can sometimes bring, and (b) QB development is probably not a high priority.

In other words, when you draft a passer on Day 1, you’re hoping he pays off immediately without a lot of hand-holding. This is especially interesting when you consider what former Packers scout Brandian Ross said in this week’s edition of the Scouting the League Podcast (sorry, no video yet). One time, when Brandian was speaking to former Packers GM Ron Wolf, Wolf compared drafting quarterbacks to buying insurance: you do it before you need it. It’s that patience, that willingness to deal with the discomfort of having your starting QB on the roster as well as his successor, that make the Packers successful. The transition from Favre to Rodgers to Love has made plenty of headlines, but to always be in the Super Bowl conversation, it’s the price that must be paid.

We’ll look at the draft and everything else that makes the NFL special in today’s Friday Wrap, which comes out this evening. Make sure you’re registered for it, which you can do here.

On Mock Drafts in the Post-Shedeur Era

03 Friday Oct 2025

Posted by in Media, NFL draft, Scouts

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Since 2017, we have tracked seven of the more established draft services as they’ve provided first-round projections in the months leading up to the end of April. It’s a fun exercise if you don’t take it too seriously (though I’ve had a key member of one front office tell me he uses it to make sure he’s not missing anyone).

At any rate, the accuracy and, really, the basic validity of draft experts and their mocks was called into question last spring when we all watched Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders go from a consensus top-10 pick to a Day 3 guy. All seven services we surveyed the week before the draft (sorry, pay link) had him going inside the first 21 picks, and four had him in the top 10 (two had him at No. 3, two had him at 9). Now those of us who know Tom Brady’s story (or, for that matter, the stories of Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott or Brock Purdy) also know that Day 3 selection is not an NFL death sentence. The point is, NFL decision-makers varied significantly with what the draft experts thought they thought last spring.

It’s with this in mind that I reached out to several friends in the league to get an in-season consensus on some of the players who were the top-rated prospects in our first way-too-early mock draft sweep in June (sorry, pay link again). In our first look at things, seven players — Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, Clemson’s T.J. Parker and Peter Woods, Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor, Texas’ Anthony Hill, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love — showed up on all seven mocks. Before I compiled the seven services’ mocks this time, I decided to ask around about two of the players that everyone agreed was a first-rounder, Downs and Nussmeier. What I found out fascinated me.

In some ways, Downs matches up with what the draft experts said in June: supremely talented guy from a blue-blood program who would be a difference-maker in any system. On the other hand, the teams I spoke to were pretty adamant that he’s not a No. 1 overall guy, and probably not a top-five guy, either, mainly because of the position he plays. They like him in the top 10, but he’s far from a guy who’ll be the top pick (as one service predicted in June) or the second (as two other services predicted). Still, the draft services positively nailed Downs compared to how far off they were on Nussmeier.

When I started asking around about the LSU passer, scouts’ the enthusiasm in scouts’ voices immediately waned. They said things like “entitled,” “average arm,” “coach’s kid but doesn’t act like one,” and things of that nature. Not one of the teams I spoke to even had him in the first round, much less No. 1 overall. I don’t want to be overly critical of him, and there’s still time for things to change, but he’s trending much closer to Shedeur than Cam Ward at this point.

Look, I don’t want to beat up on these services too much. Obviously, things are evolving, and even NFL scouts have changed their minds about things they thought they thought this summer. Still, if you read today’s Friday Wrap to get a sample of who’s in the first-round conversation (and I hope you do — register here if you don’t already receive it), have fun with it, but take it all with a generous grain of salt. That’s not just because it’s Oct. 3, but because there are still secrets teams keep from the draft services. And that’s OK.

Remembering Bobby Grier

23 Tuesday Sep 2025

Posted by in Coaches, NFL draft, Scouts

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Longtime NFL scouting executive Bobby Grier passed away this week. I didn’t know him, but I was fortunate enough to meet him briefly when he kindly submitted to an interview for the Friday Wrap a few years back. The mere fact that he helped me out, when he didn’t know me (and when so many people who do know me decline to be interviewed), made me want to reach out to a few friends to get a better sense of who he was.

Over the last day, I’ve gathered quotes from a few friends. Here’s what they said about Coach Grier.

  • “I thought Bobby was a fine human being – a pleasant, quiet, mild-mannered person. With a good work ethic. When I first went to New England, I think It was ‘83, Bobby was the running backs coach, and when that staff was fired, and the pro guy retired, and Bill Parcells came in, Bobby had a couple years left on his contact as RB coach, (Patriots owner) Mr. (Robert) Kraft encouraged (Parcells) to keep him on, so he became the pro scout. He did one hell of a job. I worked with him for two years after that, and then I left for Chicago. . . My friend (who worked for the Texans) told me he did one hell of a job with the Houston Texans. He was a real fine fellow. . . Mild-mannered, hard worker, and he knew football players.” – Longtime NFL (Seahawks, Browns, Patriots, Bears and Vikings) scout Charles Garcia
  • “I first met Bobby while working out during summers at BC’s weight room with my high school teammate (Boston College All-American and All-Pro Bills NT Fred Smerlas). Although I played for an opponent, UMass, at that time, Bobby let it slide and just told me that I should pick better company (haha). Bobby was with the Patriots when I began representing players. He obviously knew the game well from his playing and coaching experience, and was excelling at personnel then, also. In addition to recognizing superior talent to survive in the NFL, Bobby always emphasized finding players with an inner drive, and valued the muscle above the shoulders, as well. His strong endorsement on Tom Brady was just one prime example. Were it not for Bobby, I never would have joined the Patriots, as it was his recommendation to the Krafts that opened the door for me. He was a great human being with a very strong devotion to family, fairness and integrity. He will be missed by all who knew him. My prayers and condolences to Chris, Mike and family.” — Former NFL agent and Patriots executive Jack Mula
  • “Really sorry to hear about Bobby’s passing. He was one of the best personnel guys I was around. Great judge of character — that he always said went hand in hand with a player’s ability and made the player a great teammate. He was a man that I always learned something (from) just sitting and talking with him, whether it was football or just life. When he addressed the staff, his voice carried and got the entire room’s attention. He will be missed.” — Former Texans and Broncos scout Bob Beers
  • “I’ve known Bobby for years. As a college coach, he was excellent. Excellent coach, excellent as a teacher at a very good level at Boston College, excellent as an evaluator of talent. Top-notch. Understood the big picture about building a team. He was a common-sense person, and he was always very thorough in his work. When he became available (for the Texans), I didn’t need to interview him. I knew him, and we just talked about the job. He said he came with us because I was the first one to call him. I actually tried to interview Chris a ways back, too, and didn’t get him. Bobby was very professional, and I thought he did a great job in New England. It’s a shame that they let him go, but I’m glad we had the opportunity to hire him.” — Former Redskins and Texans GM Charley Casserly
  • “The Texans scouting department was at one end of the team’s offices, basically a big square that had two large college and pro scouting rooms in the center with staff offices around it. My office was at one corner by the hallway that led to the rest of the corporate and coaches offices, and Bobby had an office in the opposite corner, in essence the farthest corner of all the Texans offices. During my time with the Texans, I along with a regular stream of GMs, head coaches, personnel directors, coordinators, coaches, scouts, administrative assistants, our travel agent, and especially interns, would go to Bobby’s office on what seemed to be a daily basis to visit with him, seek his counsel and wisdom (and enjoy) his friendship and company. It did not matter what position the person held on the team — he was always approachable, friendly, with a wealth of wisdom and knowledge that he would share freely. He had the rare gift in our profession of being so knowledgable, with such wisdom, while being objective and having perspective during stressful processes, while all the while being himself, a truly good and kind person with a great sense of humor. I have not met many people like Bobby in the many years I spent working in NFL front offices. He was special.” — Former Texans executive and Jets GM Mike Maccagnan
  • “As you are talking to people about Bobby, and they don’t mention him talking about his love for his family, you can question the source. We became closer when I left the NFL and he moved to Massachusetts. I got the pleasure of speaking to him for hours about life, football and the most important part of his life, his family. Every time I got off the phone, my soul just felt better. We talked about him raising his boys in the Boston area and how they were a real hockey family. His wife Wendy would take them from sun up to sun down around the city playing hockey and the lessons the ice and their competition taught the boys about life. Some lessons were difficult, but the boys always understood that no matter what, their family was going to be on their sides.” — Former head of Texans public relations Kevin Cooper

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Ask The Scouts: Which QB Has Surprised You Most?

19 Friday Sep 2025

Posted by in NFL draft, Scouts

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When we did our sweep of way-too-early first-round mock drafts in June, there were eight QBs who were given at least some first-round consideration by one of the seven services we monitor. Three months later, I bet there would be far less love for some of them. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik and Texas’ Arch Manning haven’t shone as brightly as many expected. On the other hand, Oklahoma’s John Mateer and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia may not have entered the season with much acclaim, but they’re each building it these days.

I asked several of my former NFL scouting friends which QB has surprised them the most — good or bad — this season. This is what they told me.

“Biggest surprise would be Arch Manning’s mechanics. If the Mannings are known for anything, it is their fundamentals and mechanics. Arch is using different arm angles that are forcing him to spin the ball unnaturally, almost like a baseball pitcher would spin a slider or forkball.  This must change or the outcome of his throws won’t. He is not the most naturally gifted, arm-wise, but must rely on accuracy and ball placement to have ultimate success. A big revelation  is CJ Bailey from North Carolina State. I have watched Bailey three times now. He is a tall, athletic QB with an easy spin and delivery of the ball. He is completing over 70% of his passes and protecting the ball very well while leading his team to a 3-0 record over East Carolina, Wake Forest and Virginia. He hasn’t played a gimme game yet, but he’s having a lot of success for such a young signal-caller. Another QB I really like is Julian Sayin from Ohio State, a highly recruited player that first arrived at Alabama and transferred when Nick Saban retired.  Alabama will regret letting this one leave. Sayin has a very good arm; he’s a very talented passer with a catchable ball and easy spin. Good athlete in the pocket. With the talent around him he will shine.” — Blake Beddingfield, former Titans scouting executive  

“Diego Pavia for his leadership. He has limitations, but he’s got the “it factor” and presence that teammates will follow. Sometimes belief carries a team past their limitations.” — Mark Gorscak, scout (retired), Steelers

“When you consider the hype and expectations, there is not a more disappointing player in college football right now than Arch Manning. It hasn’t been pretty and there has been much speculation about Arch playing through an injury. I’m not sure Sark’s press conferences are doing him any favors in terms of fanning the flames. Will be one of the more interesting storylines to watch this year.” — Ric Serritella, former CFL and all-star executive and founder, All Access Football

“Arch Manning for me. I expected Sark’s offense to really fit him well and lead to a good season. Overall, they have been a disappointing team. Offensively, just unable to do a ton, and that starts with the QB.” — Rodrik David, former scout, Falcons & Titans

We’ll have the latest on which schools are excelling on school visits and which ones aren’t, plus we’ll look at other information related to the scouting industry in the Friday Wrap. It’s free! Register here.

Which NFL Teams Develop their Draft Picks Best?

29 Friday Aug 2025

Posted by in NFL draft, Scouts

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Are draft success stories the product of the player drafted or the team that drafts that player?

It’s a question I’ve been grappling with pretty much since 4 p.m. on Tuesday, when teams were required to make their cuts to 53. In the last week, we’ve seen a third-rounder (Jets WO Malachi Corley), a fourth-rounder (Patriots OG Layden Robinson) and several fifth-rounders (Denver OH Audric Estime as well as Miami FS Patrick McMorris and OB Mohamed Kamara), not to mention a fifth-rounder from this year’s draft in Chris Paul, formerly of the Rams. There are several others drafted on Day 3 that also got the axe. Should they have gotten a longer leash? Or was it the picks themselves? Ultimately, do teams deserve more credit for what happens on draft day, or for what happens after draft day?

It’s a good question, but today, I want to take it from the top with this question: which teams are best at developing their talent, regardless of who they draft?

To find out, I did what I usually do: I asked several of my scouting friends. You can read the comments from several of them in today’s Friday Wrap, which comes out at 7:30 p.m. (register here).

Here’s one that was a bit more involved than the others, so I decided to include the whole thing (with a few minor edits).

“Three teams in recent years come to my mind in no particular order.

  • “The Rams — who embodied the “(screw) those draft picks” philosophy — went all in and won a Super Bowl. They developed a unique approach, using the ‘super powers’ of their scouting staff to find the ‘super powers’ of draft choices and free agents. The proof is winning ITL’s Best Draft Award and hitting on late draft choices and UFA’s.
  • “The Lions have also done a good job of drafting through all rounds of the draft and sticking to what they like and how they see players. It appears they have no confirmation bias within the organization. While you can say they are from the Rams family tree, I think GM Brad Holmes (who arrived from Los Angeles) has his own values and different ‘super powers’ that sets his team apart from the Rams, but with similarities. You can point out the failure of QB Hendon Hooker, but as I say in scouting, you have not scouted until you got a player wrong!
  • “Lastly, the Ravens have always been consistent in their batting average through the years with draft choices and particular with UDFAs.

“Some of the traditionally strong teams appear to have lost their willingness to draft and develop, going with a “band-aid” approach, i.e., signing free agents; this is usually due to a leadership change. These teams are chasing immediate success vs. sustainable success. Time will tell if they were right.

“One last thing. One study in my career was that around 60 UDFAs make a 53-man roster each year. That’s roughly two per team. The teams that consistently find these players are elite franchises. All three of these teams (Los Angeles, Detroit and Baltimore) excel in this area.”

If this topic intrigues you, and learning which teams are most respected around the league for the job they each do after draft day, make sure to check out today’s Wrap. These three teams aren’t the only ones who got kudos from evaluators around the league.

A Few Thoughts from Nashville

08 Friday Aug 2025

Posted by in Agents, Getting started, Media, Scouts

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I was in Nashville this week for the 2025 Personnel and Recruiting Symposium Presented by Teamworks. It was hella impressive, which I’ll discuss in more detail in this week’s Friday Wrap (register here). I thought I’d share a few observations based on what I saw this week. Here goes.

  • Having spoken to some recently hired personnel types with NFL backgrounds, the big question is if they’ll be “attached” to the head coach, as often happens on the pro side. One person I talked to said he interviewed with about a dozen schools before getting hired and about half made it clear his job continuity would be tied to the athletic director, while the other half tethered him to the head coach. If today’s personnel hire model becomes untangled with anyone — i.e., there’s no spoils system, and scouts can expect to stay at a school for a decade, as long as they perform — it could become an even more enticing place for NFL evaluators.
  • I love how they were serious about networking there. The last hour before Monday night’s social was a “speed dating” type of event where about 500 people from across personnel, recruiting and operations sat at tables of 6-8 people, each answering questions off a card. Everyone was encouraged to share their name, school, title, contacts, etc., with everyone else. That’s a big step up from when I was here in 2019, when people were mostly left to their own devices to network (and most remained in their silos, unfortunately).
  • What’s remarkable is the sheer volume from everyone across the industry. It’s far more than just personnel and recruiting staffers. Monday night alone, I saw probably a half-dozen agents, plus representatives from probably 10 NFL teams, and I had just gotten there. Most people I spoke to who were here last year said it’s doubled in attendance since 2024.
  • It’s pretty clear why Nashville has become such a destination place for bachelorette parties. The nightlife in Houston, my hometown, is definitely mild downtown, but wow, it is booming here. Monday night in Nashville is something I’ll never forget. One of the members of my party this week called it a “mini Vegas.” From a lights and electricity perspective, it’s hard to argue. The Renaissance was a beehive Monday night, but there was even more action once you got out on the street.
  • At one point, the topic of visiting Memphis came up. The Tigers are located in a questionable part of town, apparently, which makes for expedited exits once practice is over. A few years ago, one director-level scout went to check into his ground-floor hotel room, only to find the window open and TV, microwave and anything else of value cleaned out. He immediately returned to the front desk, cancelled his reservation, and established a policy whereby scouts would only evaluate the Tigers on the road.

Hats off to this year’s organizers. They have a tall order in topping this year’s event. As I mentioned, I’ll touch more on the symposium in the Wrap.

Here’s Why You Should Attend Next Week’s Personnel Symposium

01 Friday Aug 2025

Posted by in ITL, NFL draft, Scouts

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The 2025 Personnel and Recruiting Symposium takes place Monday through Wednesday of next week in Nashville. If you read this blog, you need to be there. Here are a few of the reasons why.

The program is sure to enlighten and educate anyone in college and pro football: See for yourself what’s ahead. The topics are important and the people who’ll be presenting know their stuff. You don’t get to hear people like this talk football on a regular basis.

Look at who’s going to be there: Reviewing the Personnel Symposium Twitter account, I count 18 NFL teams headed to Nashville (49ers, Broncos, Browns, Bucs, Chiefs, Colts, Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles, Falcons, Jaguars, Jets, Lions, Packers, Rams, Seahawks, Titans and Vikings). The Bears’ GM, Ryan Poles, will be one of the speakers. The new executive Director of the Senior Bowl, Drew Fabianich, will be there, as will his counterpart at the East-West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galko, and the co-founder of the College Gridiron Showcase, Jose Jefferson (I think there’s a good chance Scott Phillips, the executive director of the new American Bowl, could be there Tuesday, as well). Countless members of P4 and G5 personnel departments will be there, too. I also know of four former NFL scouts will be there. It’s going to be big.

This is how you get a job in modern college/pro football: I preach it all the time — football is a people business. There are hundreds of aspiring scouts and evaluators trying to get a job in the game. The only way you vault past them is with the relationships you develop. The only way to meet people who might be able to help you is by being around people in the game. There will literally be thousands of them in Nashville next week.

I’d love to autograph your copy of my books: If you’ve been kind enough to buy Value Picks lately, or Scout Speak in the last few years, I’m much obliged. I’ll have a Sharpie next week and I’d love to sign whatever you have. Incidentally, all the speakers and panelists next week will get copies of Value Picks.

We’re going to be conducting an interesting survey in Nashville: We’ll have more details in the Friday Wrap, but we’re going to conduct the first-ever poll of people working in the industry on the college level. So many people aspire to work in college personnel, but many are getting out. I want to reconcile that, and our survey is going to be really enlightening. Make sure to check out the Wrap tomorrow (register here if you don’t receive it already).

So anyway, I know there are costs associated with it, and I know it’s not easy to just pick up and go, but I think this will be worth it. DM me at @insidetheleague if you’re going. I’d love to connect.

Interested in How to Enhance Your Chances in the Portal (and beyond)? Check This Out

11 Friday Jul 2025

Posted by in NIL, Scouts, Transfer portal

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Wednesday, I was honored to speak to a little less than 100 high school and college players, parents, coaches, NIL agents and NIL agent hopefuls as part of the NIL Explained Zoom session sponsored by Tim Lowney of Lowney Sports. It was a lot of fun, and though I only was given 10 minutes, I took 16. Even at that, I was talking pretty quickly, as you can see in the video segment I published Thursday.

My discussion centered mainly on player evaluation (on both the college and pro levels) and the changing college and pro football landscape, at least as I see it. In case you missed it, the following are the notes I prepared for my presentation.

No one knows what the future holds (and beware of anyone who says they do).

    1. The new reality is that it’s going to take a monumental sum of money to play football
    2. The P4 college GMs I talk to seem confident that they will find the moneyThe G5 schools . . . are hopeful (but that’s all)
    3. There is surely more litigation on the way

    Football is a relationship business. Make sure to align yourself with those who know more people than you do.

    1. Don’t want to hire an agent? OK, but the right one can be very helpful
    2. Know who you hired and understand that there is no certification process for NIL agents
    3. Just because an agent is NFLPA-certified doesn’t mean he’s an expert (on anything)

    Player evaluation is going through drastic changes that are reshaping how teams choose talent (college and pro).

    1. NFL scouting staffs are getting younger while owners are forcing more analytics
    2. College staffs are weighing incorporation of an NFL scouting model (maybe)Beware of non-NFL/college affiliated “scouts”
    3. College GMs are part financial experts, part scouts, part other stuff

    The best way to be a marketable player is to be a good player.

    1. Sometimes, you can spark interest w/colleges via social media
    2. The NFL doesn’t normally respond to social media performance
    3. Your HS pedigree (5-star, etc.) means far more on college side than pro side

    The key to good decisions is knowing your market value. Be honest with yourself.

    1. Don’t trust recruiting services
    2. You get what you pay for
    3. Your NFL value may be different from your NIL/portal value (and probably does)

    What do you think? Was I off-base? Was I pretty accurate? Let me know at @insidetheleague on Twitter. For more analysis of the game, make sure to check out our newsletter, the Friday Wrap, which you can register for here.

    Blake’s Summer Sleepers for 2026: Reviewing A Couple Interesting Prospects

    27 Friday Jun 2025

    Posted by in NFL draft, Scouts

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    On Wednesday, former NFL scouting executive Blake Beddingfield presented his Summer Sleepers list and joined dozens of agents on Zoom to discuss them. It’s our second year of presenting his list during the summer, but our sixth year of him doing this (we used to save it for in-season). Here’s a look at a past list.

    Anyway, the value in Blake’s list (as well as the timing of it) is in the players he spotlights. All of them enter the season as Day 3/UDFA types, and maybe they never rise above that, but even if they don’t, it’s valuable to know about them. As we’ve recounted on ITL this week, a growing number of players with Day 1 grades already have strong relationships with top firms, and the battle is for the players who aren’t on preseason mock drafts.

    Anyway, here are two of the 55 players Blake discussed Wednesday that I found especially interesting.

    Barion Brown, WO, LSU: Brown could be the fastest player in the draft, and he will play a role in Year 1 as he’ll be used to stretch defenses and create mismatches. He’ll also be a starting returner immediately. However, he has inconsistent hands and he struggles with the ability to catch a ball with tight zip and velocity. He will “double-catch” it at times, and other times, he just drops the ball. There’s already been a lot of hype this spring about Brown, who transferred in from Kentucky this offseason, but there are red flags due to his hands.

    Elijah Pritchett, OT, Nebraska: Pritchett has a first-round body but free agent film. There’s already video of him doing impressive feats of strength during his short time in Lincoln, but it’s not the tools that are in question. Blake got really passionate describing Pritchett’s unrealized potential on Wednesday; you don’t often find the combination of strength, feet and burst that the big ‘Husker shows. He’s already got 12 starts at tackle (mostly right, but one at left) from his time at Alabama, and the potential is tantalizing, but at this point it’s just potential. Still, if the light comes on, he could be elite. The question is, will it?

    The point is, unless you’re with one of the top 50 NFL agencies (and maybe, even if you are), you need to know about the players Blake described Wednesday. It’s still early, and if you get in with one of these young men early, it may be the difference when it’s decision time in December or January. For $45 plus tax, you get Blake’s list with his notes and projections on all 55 players, but you also get the video, during which he really gets passionate about who these players are, their NFL comps, and the details you can’t find anywhere else.

    Thinking and Talking about the $20.5M Schools Need in the Revenue-Sharing Era

    13 Friday Jun 2025

    Posted by in NIL, Scouts

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    Last week, the news broke that revenue-sharing is here. It’s a big story and represents major change in college football, but I think there’s something that’s being ignored: $20.5 million is a lot of money, and raising it is not going to be easy for anybody.

    I should start by saying most scouts I’ve known are not especially business-minded. They just expect that the money to do things will be there, so I’m not picking on anyone in the industry for whistling past the graveyard when it comes to money. Still, it doesn’t make it any less true that coming up with the dollars is going to mean great pressures, and they may eventually fall on people in the industry.

    At any rate, I texted with several friends at the GM/DPP level at P4 schools. Their response to how their athletic departments would raise the money varied.

    • One referred to a donor drive at his previous school. He didn’t mention what the results were, and I didn’t ask. I just don’t see an annual donor drive not succumbing to fatigue from the alumni.
    • One pointed out that Michigan — the mighty Wolverines — have already announced a 10 percent staff cut due to a revenue decline associated with fewer football home games this season.
    • One said he expects schools to raise money the old-fashioned way — ticket prices and student fees. OK, but I don’t think the old ways are going to be enough. Maybe I’m wrong. He also said he expects cuts to football departments: “Hard to have 50 recruiting, creative or even analysts positions when you have to pay the players.”
    • Only two admitted concern about financial pressures. One said that some schools will get half the sum from athletic department revenues (others will get all of it from there). His will not. I suspect his school is not in the minority. The other one, though feeling far more secure about his own school’s prospects, admitted that “there’s very likely to be teams that don’t have that lying around.”
    • One expressed optimism that schools would come up with the cash because they always have. I’d say that’s accurate, but I still am not confident the money will come without strings attached.

    Not many of them thought private equity would be necessary, though I don’t share that opinion. Just this week, we started seeing stories about schools like Alabama, Purdue, Penn State and UCLA and how they are weighing capital infusions. That’s a really big deal. Private equity doesn’t care about tailgating, character development, a band’s performance at halftime, percentage of players who earned their degrees, or anything else. They care about making money. Even as cynical and money-focused as college football has become, that’s a new frontier.

    I spoke to a friend who’s knowledgeable about this things, and he said he sees a plus to the new demands because (a) it might force schools to cut back on their excessive staffing and (b) might even curb coaches salaries (though he admitted that’s a long shot). OK, maybe, but I don’t know if a few cuts here and there will be enough to make a difference.

    I don’t know if I got any real answers, but I did get confirmation that not all schools will come up with the money the same way, and obviously, this is not going to be a level playing field financially. Like everyone else, I guess I’ll be watching closely to see which schools do this successfully, and which ones figure things out that others can’t. But I have this gnawing suspicion that many will be hurt by these new changes. We’ll see.