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~ The daily blog written by ITL's Neil Stratton

Succeed in Football

Category Archives: Scouts

An Update on XFL Player Acquisition

27 Friday May 2022

Posted by itlneil in Agents, Coaches, Scouts

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We’re starting to get a lot of questions about the XFL player pool and how an agent (or anyone, for that matter) gets a client into the league player pool. XFL officials want to make sure agents and players are aware that its showcases are around the corner and that spots are filling up quickly, with some dates already at capacity.

Here are a few things XFL officials want to make sure are clear to players and their representatives.

  • The XFL will have a comprehensive player pool.
  • The league will announce its team-by-team personnel directors next month, though we’ve heard that timetable might be moved up so as not to miss out on any talented players from the ’22 draft class.
  • Though we don’t have any definitive info, it’s our understanding that players need not have participated in one of this summer’s engagement camps to be signed.
  • All players interested in demonstrating their skills in front of XFL personnel and coaches are asked to visit showcases.XFL.com or to email info@XFL.com.
  • The HBCU camp and the engagement camp in Hawaii are by invitation only because the league is trying to tightly control participants, limiting them to only those of Pacific Islander heritage for the event held in Honolulu and to players from historically black schools for the HBCU workout.
  • XFL head coaches and personnel directors will select players for the exclusive XFL draft pool based on the following criteria:
        1. XFL Showcase evaluations
        2. College/pro film evaluations
        3. XFL staff evaluations at NFL training camps. Invites to the draft pool will be sent to players in early June.

Only players invited to the draft pool will be eligible to be drafted. Visit Info@XFL.com and check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section for more information.

Another Chance to Grow: Mueller Scout Camp

19 Thursday May 2022

Posted by itlneil in Getting started, Scouts

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Scouting (and specifically, getting jobs in scouting) is on the minds of many these days  with teams hiring and firing as part of the usual post-draft phase. I can’t count the number of members of NCAA personnel and recruiting departments who’ve reached out to me over the past 2-3 weeks, asking for tips on how to interview.

I try to respond to all of them, and do the best I can to give them good advice. However, there are those who have actually done the hiring that can do way better. One of those people is former NFL GM Randy Mueller, who’s spent time in the front offices in New Orleans, Miami, Seattle and San Diego in various roles (serving as GM of the Saints, Dolphins and Seahawks). These days, Randy writes a must-read blog on his personal web page, but next month, you don’t have to get your advise and counsel through via the Web.

Randy will host a two-day workshop in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, that will be the first-ever Mueller Scout Camp. Included in the event will be five individual sessions, including a resume review and a mock GM interview with Randy. Sessions will included pointers on film evaluation, the dynamics of team-building, how to gather character information on recruits and prospects, how to build a consensus without encouraging groupthink, building your board and more. 

“A couple of bigger-program head coaches asked me if I could coach up some of their people on the art of identifying and evaluating players,” Mueller said. “Everyone, coaches included, needs a refresher, so think of a coaching clinic, but this is an evaluator’s clinic. 

“People who do this for a living have got to be able to identify what most don’t see when looking for talent.”

Randy said his goal is to “give (attendees) some tools and a process to build fundamentals as an evaluator as they progress in the business.”

It’s a pretty exciting opportunity when you consider that he’s only taking 12 students. As someone who loves to see professionals invest in the next generation, I’m pretty enthusiastic about Randy’s camp, as well as the one I’ll be attending this weekend in Las Vegas, the 2022 Personnel/Recruiting Spring Clinic in Las Vegas. That one is being run by UNLV’s Gaizka Crowley and Colorado State’s Lucas Gauthier. Hope to see you there.

For more information on Mueller Scout Camp, including pricing, email Randy at info@muellerfootball.com. 

Turnover in NFL Front Offices, Why It Happens and What it Means

12 Thursday May 2022

Posted by itlneil in NFL draft, Scouts

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In the last two weeks, scouts with decades of experience in player evaluation have been sent packing by their respective teams. How is this so, you might ask? Don’t you want seasoned people helping you pick the players for your team?

I admit it’s hard to understand. Let me try to make sense of it.

  • There was a time when old coaches in the fourth quarter of their respective careers became NFL scouts for a number of reasons: they primarily scouted regions where they’d worked; NFL teams had healthy pension programs; and it gave them a chance to get away from the weekly grind of trying to win on Saturday. In many cases, these scouts weren’t career-minded. They were looking to wind down their careers but weren’t on a GM path. A big percentage of younger people who came into the industry had connections to owners and others in the business; there has always been a lot of nepotism in the NFL.  However, there was not a substantial number of young up-and-comers because teams were mostly hiring scouts based on their experience.
  • During this time, team ownership was dominated by the Maras, Rooneys, Wilsons and others who saw teams (at least partially) as part of a city’s profile and heritage rather than as an investment. Obviously, given the financial strength of the league and its teams, this attracted a new class of owners who were attracted to the game, but also were attracted to what teams would add to their respective portfolios. Think Dallas’ Jerry Jones when he first entered the league, or more recently, David Tepper in Carolina. As those new owners have gained power, they are less constrained by the traditions of the game. They have been willing to expand the size of scouting departments — in the last 30 years, most teams have gone from 5-10 scouts/advisors to an average of 20 — and, slowly, improve pay. At the same time, however, most are dumping pensions and other long-term investments in scouts. This has led to a tendency to make shorter-term commitments to scouts and evaluators.
  • These new owners are also open to new ways of doing things, and have themselves often used technology and analytics-driven methods to accomplish business success. They are therefore prone to wanting to apply those ideas to football. Sometimes this translates, sometimes it doesn’t. However, it lends itself to the idea that intelligence can be gathered without the human element. This is exacerbated by the distinctly “human” aspect of scouting. Football evaluation has never been solely about what happens between the lines; injuries, personalities, the money involved in the game and other factors greatly impact a player’s NFL success. New-guard owners are also more prone to looking at their teams as a form of entertainment more so than a sport. A sport imparts values and a culture, whereas forms of entertainment are eminently disposable and agnostic.
  • While all of this was happening, fantasy football was taking off across the sports landscape, giving rank-and-file fans a taste of team-building. Simultaneously, colleges were rolling out sport management programs to capitalize on this, promising undergrads a chance to live their dreams of working in pro sports. This led to a swell of candidates looking to break into the industry. Anyone on Twitter can sift through and find hundreds, if not thousands, of aspiring scouts and evaluators. Just check their bios.

Bottom line, you have a business model where success is hard to measure, with people at the top of the pyramid lacking experience in hiring, and thousands of young professionals — many of them very talented — aiming to get in. Simultaneously, owners and executives are under relentless pressure from the media and social media on how to do things. It makes for a difficult path to getting hired. Good luck.

A Few Things to Remember During ‘Scout Jobs Season’

06 Friday May 2022

Posted by itlneil in NFL draft, Scouts

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If you follow me on Twitter, and you’re new, welcome! I’m glad you’re here. 

Anyway, you might have started following ITL due to the scouting news we’ve posted over the past week, and there’s more where that came from. At the same time, there are a few things you need to know that might make the next few weeks a little smoother, especially if your favorite team pops up in one of my tweets.

Changes announced this week have been in the works for weeks, maybe months: I bumped into one of the scouts released this week last fall, at a college football game. He told me then he would probably be out right after the draft. It had nothing to do with his performance, by the way. It was something else entirely, which brings me to my next point.

Scout terminations, more often than not, are related to relationships, not performance: Partly because scouting is so subjective, it’s very hard to measure a scout’s effectiveness. That leads to scouts and executives being hired and fired primarily due to their relationships with the GM or others in leadership positions. 

Scouts usually work on two-year contracts: That’s why, sometimes, a new GM will come in and not make many (or any) changes. If all or most of his scouts have a year left on their deals, they might as well spend the year and see who’s good and not so good, then release them with no further obligations. 

It takes a while for a scouting department to come together: Scouting departments are a little like an offensive line. They take a little while to mesh, especially if they are working for a first-time GM. This time next year, you might be really, really excited about the players your favorite team has picked. On the other hand, maybe you won’t. If you aren’t, be patient. Things will probably improve. 

A good QB can really cover for a struggling scouting staff (and a bad one can mask a good scouting staff): Going back the last 10 years, the Patriots didn’t pick in the first round four seasons (2013, 2016, 2017 and 2020), and none of their six picks have gone to the Pro Bowl (according to Wikipedia). It’s been a bit of a rough patch, but because their QBs have been Brady and Jones, they’ve remained a pretty successful franchise. Bottom line, your team’s scouts are probably not as bad (or as good) as you think they are. 

At the end of the day, getting to understand why some teams draft well and others don’t takes time. If you’d rather learn more, I recommend my book, Scout Speak, which is loaded with war stories, insights and weighty quotes from dozens of scouts, active and former. It’s a quick read and, I think, a fun one, too. It’s also under $13. Check it out. If you’re not a big reader, it’s also available on Audible.

Still not sold? Register for our newsletter, the Friday Wrap. It’s free, and chock full of information on scouts, agents and the business of football. I think you’ll like it.

 

 

A Look at the Saints’ Draft: Ex-Giants/Bears Exec Greg Gabriel

27 Wednesday Apr 2022

Posted by itlneil in NFL draft, Scouts

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This week, with the NFL Draft starting Thursday night, I thought it would be fun to ask three of my friends who used to run teams’ drafts to tell me how they’d approach the draft for one specific team. I asked them to look at the Saints, who are in an interesting position with plenty of needs and decent draft capital. After we led off the week with former Jets Director of College Scouting Jeff Bauer Tuesday, we continue with former Giants and Bears executive Greg Gabriel.

Before we even begin to look at what the Saints do, let’s look at the draft as a whole. I have been involved in the NFL Draft as a scout, scouting director, consultant or media member going back 40 years to 1982. I can honestly say that this is one of the most unique drafts I have ever seen. Why unique? Because there is no consensus anywhere in the draft, from the first pick on down.

We could go through every position and probably none of the 32 clubs would agree on even the order of the top five players in each group. I talk to people in the league daily and this is the one thing that stands out. Though it’s impossible, it would be fun to get the 32 NFL clubs to give us their top 32 players in order. I guarantee there would be about 42-45 different names, and it would be hilarious seeing the difference in how players are rated. That’s what makes the evaluation business so unique. We also have to look at the fact that each club has a different view as to what they look for at each position. 

In my estimation, the Saints need to come away with a tackle, wide receiver and quarterback with their first three picks.

Offensive tackle

The Saints are in a good situation with two picks in the middle of the first (Nos. 16 and 19) and a pick in the middle of the second round (No. 49). In my opinion, after losing OT Terron Armstead in free agency, they have to select a left tackle early, i.e., either at 16 or 19. The first round-caliber offensive tackles are very good, led by Alabama’s Evan Neal and NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu. The others well worth being selected in the first round are Mississippi State’s Charles Cross, Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning and Central Michigan’s Bernhard Raimann. Neal, Ekwonu and Cross will all be gone by the time the Saints pick at 16, but there is a chance Penning could still be there. If it was me, and Penning was available, it wouldn’t take me long to get the card turned in. Of course, it’s no sure thing Penning is available and the Saints may want to trade up a few slots to assure themselves of getting him. That scenario would be discussed in pre-draft meetings this week.

Wide receiver

If Penning is gone, 16 may be a bit too high for Raimann, but 19 would be ideal. If that’s the case, what do the Saints do at 16? Well, wide receiver is also a need. The Saints have a great receiver in oft-injured Michael Thomas and a solid compliment in Tre’Quan Smith. What they don’t have is a receiver who can take the top off the defense, and this draft has several receivers who can do that. Many should be available at 16.

One of the top names is Alabama’s Jameson Williams, who is the “burner”-type receiver the Saints need. The problem with Williams is he’s coming off ACL surgery and probably won’t be ready to play until midseason at best. Do the Saints pull the trigger on Williams, knowing he will miss time? That is a decision that only GM Mickey Loomis can make. Luckily for the Saints, there are other speed receivers in this draft that could be there in the middle of the first round. They include two from Ohio State in Chris Olave, who is a 4.38 guy, and teammate Garrett Wilson, who has similar speed. The other speed receiver who could be available at that point of the draft is Penn State’s Jahan Dotson, a 4.43 guy. Any of these three would upgrade the Saints’ receiver corps dramatically.

Quarterback

The quarterback position is also a question mark. With future hall of fame Drew Brees retired, Jameis Winston is the heir apparent, but is Jameis really the guy? The Saints signed former Bear, Cowboy and Bengal Andy Dalton during free agency, but at this point of his career, Dalton is an ideal backup, not a starter. 

The quarterback class in 2022 is not ideal. There are some good players, but no prospects like last year, when five quarterbacks were drafted in the top 15 picks. This year, like at every other position, there is no consensus No. 1 QB. Some may say the best quarterback prospect is Liberty’s Malik Willis, while others may say it’s Pitt’s Kenny Pickett and others Ole Miss’s Matt Corral or Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder. When there is no consensus, it’s hard to know who’s right. We won’t know the answer for several years, but each GM selecting a QB hopes that he got the right one, obviously.

While it may be risky for the Saints to select a QB in the opening round, it’s not out of the question. As I write this, the chances are very good that only one QB will be selected before the Saints pick at 16. The big question is, how highly rated are the top QBs in the eyes of Assistant GM Jeff Ireland and his staff? Is there one worthy of being selected in the middle of the first round?

If the Saints do in fact select a quarterback, and, say, an offensive tackle with their other first round pick, they could easily get a very good speed receiver in the second round. Burners like Cincinnati’s Alec Pierce, Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore, Memphis’ Calvin Austin and South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert may still be available come pick No. 49.

One thing is certain: regardless of what direction the Saints decided to go, it will make for drama and a fun viewing Thursday and Friday night. 

A Look at the Saints’ Draft: Ex-Jets Exec Jeff Bauer

26 Tuesday Apr 2022

Posted by itlneil in NFL draft, Scouts

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This week, with the NFL Draft starting Thursday night, I thought it would be fun to ask three of my friends who used to run teams’ drafts to tell me how they’d approach the draft for one specific team. I asked them to look at the Saints, who are in an interesting position with plenty of needs and decent draft capital. We lead off the week with former Jets Director of College Scouting Jeff Bauer.

When your team finishes No. 32 (dead last) in passing, 30th in third-down conversions, 28th in total yards per game and 28th in average yards per rush (3.9), it’s no secret where your focus should be. Fortunately for the Saints, they are in position to get some much-needed help.

With the Nos. 16 and 19 picks in the opening round, along with No. 49 (the 17th pick in the second round), they’ve got some ammo. I believe that with those three picks, they’d love to get three players from four positions: quarterback, wide receiver, offensive tackle and tight end (though maybe not in that order).

The Saints will be tempted to draft a QB at 16 or 19, but I don’t see the value there. Willis is the only QB that I feel warrants a top-half-of-first-round grade, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, Ole Miss’ Matt Corral and North Carolina’s Sam Howell all should be there, but I feel any of them would be a big stretch that early. Our rule for the top half of the first round was that any pick would have to be an immediate starter who could develop into a highly productive NFL player. All those QBs have concerns, in my eyes, except for Willis, and even Willis has some questions.

So what should the Saints do at 16 and 19? The best value very well could be at tackle and wide receiver, two positions of need for the Saints. I see no way that Alabama’s Evan Neal or NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu make it to 16, and I would be shocked to see Mississippi State’s Charles Cross make it there, but if he does, it would be a great get. The other tackle I think the Saints would love at 16 would be Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning, a dominant, nasty guy at the Senior Bowl. If the Saints can walk away with either of these tackles at 16, that’s a major success.

With the other pick, the Saints could find good value at receiver. Alabama’s Jameson Williams was my top guy at that position prior to his ACL injury. While that’s a serious injury, today’s doctors do marvelous jobs with knees today. He might be restricted early, but to get this talent in the late teens is a no-brainer. If the team goes in a different direction, Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson, USC’s Drake London, Arkansas’ Treylon Burks and Ohio State’s Chris Olave all have value in that area. I also like Georgia’s George Pickens, maybe more than others. He’s physical and strong with great length, and has all the tools, but was a victim of a run-first offense and a limited quarterback while in Athens.

With the Saints’ second-round pick, the team could look at quarterback if any of those listed early fall to that spot. However, another player to watch would be Colorado State’s Trey McBride, who is, in my mind, the top tight end in the draft. Given that New Orleans would walk away with a top offensive tackle, a top-flight wide receiver and a three-down tight end, that would change the team’s offense immediately.

Wednesday: Former Giants and Bears executive Greg Gabriel

Ask the Scouts: How Do I Enhance My ’22 Draft Prospect’s Chances?

01 Friday Apr 2022

Posted by itlneil in Agents, Scouts

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Last night, we welcomed two former NFL scouts, Rodrik David (Falcons) and Kevin Cohn (Jaguars) to our monthly Zoom sessions for new NFLPA contract advisors. It’s always fun to hear from people who are not speculating, but who actually helped put together draft boards for actual NFL teams. Rodrik, who works for Agent Live 360, has been a guest in the past, but this was Kevin’s first time with our guests.

Here are a few takeaways from the session.

  • If an agent pitches a player for a team’s local pro day, the team “applies” to accept the player with the league office. Within a couple days, the league lets the team know if the player is too distant from the team, geographically, to be invited. Rodrik said he’d seen players who played as far away as 90 miles from team headquarters get approved by the league office. Kevin said the Jags usually stayed within 60 miles for invitees, as a rule of thumb.
  • The most players Kevin or Rodrik had seen at a local pro day was 80. That’s pretty big. But the point is, if a team says it’s “full,” but you find out there are only 20-30 coming in, keep pushing. Tactfully, of course. 
  • Sometimes, a team who lacks confirmed numbers on a player who isn’t in their metropolitan area will ask the team that is in his metropolitan area to invite him to their local workout. I don’t know how often this happens; I just know that it does happen periodically. Therefore, if your client is eligible for (but not invited to) a local pro day, see if you can get another team to put in a good word for him.
  • Let’s say you have a player who’s completed his pro day and isn’t getting any nibbles from teams. Rodrik and Kevin recommended that the agent call teams and say, look, I know my client is strictly a tryout player. But could you consider him for a tryout? It’s not the preferred route, obviously, but at least the agent is working for his client, and maybe the player gets an opportunity he wouldn’t not otherwise have gotten.
  • If a player goes undrafted, unsigned and uninvited to a tryout, don’t sit around waiting for a team to call. Take it as the league saying he’s not good enough — yet. Your role as his agent is to find him more opportunities to grow, whether that’s the CFL, USFL, XFL or even indoor football. Don’t keep calling, emailing and praying. Accept that he’s still got to grow by league standards.

Our next Zoom session will take place in a couple weeks, and will focus on the post-draft UDFA signing process. It’s a weighty and multi-layered process for many teams, and there’s a lot to know. If you’re an ITL client, you’re already invited, and it’s free. If not, go here and rectify that. Hope to see you later this month. We also recommend you sign up for the Friday Wrap, which comes out this evening. It’s free. Sign up for it here.

Ask the Scouts: A Look at 2022 Salaries and Compensation

04 Friday Mar 2022

Posted by itlneil in Scouts

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Wednesday, we held our 13th annual ITL Combine Seminar, this year presented by TEST Football Academy and Agent Live 360 (congrats, Broncos!). As part of our program, we provided an overview of our annual scouting salary survey.

We promised we’d put our findings in this week’s blog, however, for those who couldn’t make it. Here’s a look at the results.

  • 0-5 years in scouting: There’s good news for younger scouts: starting salaries are improving. Our 2020 results had most scouts in this experience tier in the $50,000-$65,000 range. That’s true for 2021 and 2022 as well, but we’ve seen the percentage of scouts at this experience tier who are making less than $50,000 almost been erased. At the same time, we’ve seen a growing number of scouts with five years or less in the league making north of $125,000. That’s good pay for a tough-but-highly-pursued job.
  • 6-10 years in scouting: There’s good news for scouts at this tier, as well. In 2020 and 2021, we saw about a fifth of the industry at this strata making less than $80,000/yr. According to our respondents, today, everyone at this experience level is making north of $80,000! That’s real progress. We’ve also seen a steady progression of scouts getting paid at the top level we measure ($125,000+). From about a fifth of scouts (2020) to about a third (2021) to now more than half are getting paid more than $125,000 annually. These results probably mean we will adjust our number upward after we get our results in ‘23. We hope so.
  • 11-15 years in scouting: This is the level where we struggle most to gather information, probably because a lot of evaluators don’t make it this far unless they are headed to being directors and VPs. Based on our numbers, it’s very simple: if you make it past a decade in the game, you need to be at or near $125,000 annually. We saw some scouts get paid in the $80,000-$99,999 range at this level last year, but this year, most are back to the $125,000 level. Maybe it’s because we’re past the financial restrictions associated with the Covid slowdown.
  • 16-plus years in scouting: We’ve seen about five percent of respondents in this range report making less than $125K/year, but the overwhelming majority are north of that. How far north? This is national scout/director/VP territory, so the upper range could be quite high. Bottom line, if you are at this level of experience, $125,000 should be your floor. We need to retool our survey to being measuring what scouts at this level are really getting paid. Maybe next year, we can figure that out.

There were some other interesting trends. We actually saw an uptick in the number of respondents who said their teams have pensions (about a 50-50 split); we think that’s due to our limited sample size. Also: a plurality are getting a 5 percent match on their 401(k), about 25 percent of respondents. Standard per diems are plus/minus $60 for teams. Finally, if you’re scout who’s buying gas, you’re getting reimbursed for your receipts (49 percent); you’re probably not getting a crack at buying Super Bowl tickets (55 percent); and you’re getting a 25 percent playoff share (39 percent).

For a deeper dive into the scouting and agent communities, as well as a look at our 13th annual seminar, check out our Friday Wrap. Register for it here.

Ask the Scouts: Who is new Raiders GM Dave Ziegler?

10 Thursday Feb 2022

Posted by itlneil in Scouts

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A couple weeks ago, three NFL teams hired new general managers, and we talked to scouts and executives across the league to get a sense of who each of the new GMs (Ryan Poles in Chicago, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in Minnesota and Joe Schoen in New York) really are, behind the scenes.

Shortly before we departed for Mobile last week, the Raiders hired Patriots Director of Player Personnel Dave Ziegler. Now that the Senior Bowl is behind us, we reached out to several friends in the game to get their respective takes on him. Here’s what we were told.

  • “Hardworking, diligent guy who earned the trust of Bill Belichick in New England.”
  • “Genuinely good dude. Not a micromanager. Trusts you to get the job done and offers great constructive criticism (and) feedback. Great evaluator; mind of (Texans GM) Nick Caserio without the ego, and way more personable.”
  • “Extremely intelligent. Excellent communicator/collaborator. Type of guy that brings people together. Very focused and has a plan. He’s very much his own guy and, in spite of his New England experience, he will shape things in Las Vegas from his own personal perspective.”
  • “Ziegler is a good guy. Has a good reputation among scouts that know him. Very well-connected within the agent community. Has a really good feel for the pro scouting process and in-season player acquisition/trades. Doesn’t have much experience on the college side. Started to get more involved last year. He has a great working relationship with (new Raiders head coach Josh) McDaniels. They are extremely close.”
  • “Smart. Very relatable guy. Easy to get to know. Gets to know people and acquaints himself with people. Will hit the ground running in Vegas. He’s been with multiple teams so it’s not straight Broncos or straight Patriots with him. He has done a lot of things and has seen a lot of ways to do things. Probably leans more pro than college, so he will have to get a strong college director in there. Overall, good evaluator. I think (Patriots head coach) Bill (Belichick) trusted him pretty quickly once he got to know him. He’s not afraid to go against the grain on a guy, which is always a good thing. He’s good dealing with agents. Confident, but not a cocky (jerk). Good, down-to-earth dude. I think he’ll do a good job there. He also has a very good relationship with (new head coach) Josh (McDaniels), and that’s the most valuable thing he brings. He knows what Josh wants and what Josh doesn’t want, and I think that was probably a big disconnect with the last regime.”
  • “I’ve known Dave since he was with the Broncos, and I always found him, first of all, to be very agent-friendly, very knowledgable, very courteous at all times. One of his great strengths is, he really treats everybody the same, if it’s a 30-year agent or a rookie. I always thought that was a great quality. He always returns calls, and always listened whatever the issues we had, whether it was not enough playing time, a player needed this, whatever. He has tremendous people skills, tremendous scouting skills, and a high level of humility.”

Ziegler’s move to Las Vegas isn’t the only one we’re tracking. Not by a long shot, as the Bears, Raiders and Jaguars all made moves today that will change the respective faces of their front office. We’ll discuss all of that and more in tomorrow’s Friday Wrap. You can register for it here.

 

Senior Bowl 2022: A Few Thoughts

04 Friday Feb 2022

Posted by itlneil in Agents, Scouts

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Whew! Just got back from a rainy four days in Mobile, Ala., for the 2022 Senior Bowl. It’s the best week of the year for an old-timer like me whose first one was in 2000. Here are a few thoughts.

  • I know I come across as the old guy shouting at the clouds, but the Senior Bowl has made a lot of changes that I hope aren’t long-lasting. In the old days, the week was the best secret in the business due to its level of access. The second floor of the Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza was the place to be all week as players, agents, scouts, media, financial planners, sponsors and football professionals of every stripe swarmed in one massive, homogeneous group. This year, the second floor was restricted to players and NFL personnel alone. The first floor bar and restaurant were still open, but it wasn’t the same. I recognize that this is a nod to Covid, that this is probably all from the league, and that any game is better than no game, but it’s disappointing. I sure hope we see a return to previous policies in the coming years.
  • Hats off to five of the 21 members of the CGSU internship program who came to Mobile to network and connect with as many NFL scouts and executives as possible. Though I might have missed some, Sales Pinckney, Britton Mann, Joe Caulfield, Jack Halperin and Blake Moore all came to town on their own dime and followed up with the teams they worked with in Fort Worth. How do you get a job in scouting? I don’t really know. But I do know that proving you work hard and networking are two key elements, and all five of them are doing both. 
  • I’m really excited for Champ Kelly, the new Assistant GM of the Raiders. Champ has been paying dues for years, and is a worthy and deserving person who’s not only respected for his professional work but for his character off the field (he runs an annual football camp for underprivileged youth in Panama City, Fla.). Though he’s interviewed for the GM job in New York, Denver and Chicago, he has never gotten bitter, lashed out, or blamed others. He’s a strong believer in Christ, which matters to me, and I have been rooting for him for years. It’s good to see him continue his advance, and to me, it’s just a matter of time until he’s not Assistant GM but GM.
  • You won’t read a lot of negative feedback on the new NIL rules, but I didn’t talk to any agents this week who weren’t fed up with this new era. There are very few rules that can’t be gotten around now, as long as you say the dollars you’re spending, the unlicensed members of agencies meeting with players and their parents, etc., are NIL-related. 
  • If you’ve been weighing whether or not to register for this summer’s NFLPA exam, today is the last day to do that. We regularly get questions in May and June about the deadline to register for July’s exam. However, the NFLPA does extensive background checks on all applicants, and that takes time. If you’re in, and you’ve got your $2,500 exam fee ready go go, click here.

By the way, we don’t do a lot of draft prognostication and “who’s rising?” kind of content at ITL, but this week, we asked former Falcons area scout Rodrik David to gather comments from scouts on how the quarterbacks looked at this week’s Senior Bowl. It will be in today’s Friday Wrap, and you can register for it here. 

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