Dec. 11-17

This week, we turn the Friday Wrap intro over to Blake Beddingfield, who heads the ITL Scouting Department. Blake, formerly the Director of College Scouting with the Titans, takes a look at the ’22 draft class and the trends he sees ahead in this spring’s draft.

The 2022 NFL Draft has a chance to be very impactful for teams looking to improve their pass rush, linebackers and safeties, as well as those seeking an immediate starter at cornerback. Though this is is not a deep draft in terms of first-round talent in the second and third rounds, team can find players that are solid starters.
If modern trends continue, teams will focus more on needs than the best player available. I expect this trend to continue with the over-drafting of quarterbacks; though we don’t have a Trevor Lawrence-like prospect this year, I expect several to go high in the first round.

OFFENSE

  • The running back position has a few quality players that will eventually start but lacks star power and immediate impact players.
  • Wide receiver is a group that does have starters in the first few rounds, but it levels off quickly after Day 2. Beyond the top 100 players, you find developmental prospects with special traits, but most will need work before they can be considered significant contributors. They are mostly down-the-line propositions and not instant starters.
  • The one position on offense that has changed more than any over the past 5-7 years is tight end. Today’s tight ends are almost more “big slot” wide receivers who can align flexed outside while also serving in traditional Y and H-back roles with the ability to move along the formation to create size/speed mismatches. Good offensive teams have that tight end, and the rest of teams are seeking one that can play right now or develop. 
  • Offensive line is always a position where a team can find starting talent without having to select a player in the top 10. With NFL teams utilizing play action and RPO options, teams are less dependent on finding offensive lineman that can win one-on-one battles, depending on what they have in the backfield. If the running back is elusive and mobile, there’s less of a need for premier blockers, but if the RB is a spot-holder and less dynamic, the team needs blockers up front who can win their assignments.
  • At the tackle position, there are a few immediate starters, but most fall into the category of starter at a “need” only. On the other hand, there is depth at both guard and center positions; teams can wait until late Day 2 or early Day 3 for these positions.  

DEFENSE

Though the ’22 draft is light on high-impact offensive talent, defense is just the opposite. There are Day 1 prospects at multiple positions. 

  • The defensive line is a position NFL teams have trended toward selecting players with outstanding physical traits with an emphasis on size, length, and ability to get up field and penetrate and become a disrupter, not relying on traditional sack numbers, but being heaving on altering the throwing lanes for quarterbacks and also the run path of running backs.
  • The defensive tackle position is strong with high level talent and depth that will allow teams a good day 2 selection.
  • Teams can’t have enough good defensive lineman with the heavy rotation systems that NFL defensive have now. 
  • The linebacker group is full of three down linebackers that are most coveted by teams today.  This group will be strong into the early part of day 3 of the draft.
  • The Edge pass rushing group has the “star”, impact, and the group that will carry this draft class through the first 15 selections.
  • If you are looking for a rusher this is the year to acquire one and I can’t think of a team that doesn’t need one or two.  Just like quality defensive lineman and team can’t have enough pass rushers on the edge because of the premium the league puts on this position. 
  • The cornerback position has a few immediate starters, but the depth is more of a group that eventually will start in time but lacks the immediate impact players.  The group does have a handful sub-package players that will get immediate playing time.

Want more from Blake? In this week’s blog at Succeed in Football, he discussed how NFL teams are looking at the draft differently due to changes in the game. What positions have become newly prominent and will have greater priority than usual? And why do teams tend to draft high-ceiling players that never reach such heights? Click here to find out.

Here’s a look at what else we saw, heard, read and said in the business of college and pro football this week.

Catching Up: Jim Goodman, 69, spent 11 years with the Broncos and many decades in coaching. We caught up with him this week.

  • Where are you living and what are you doing now?: “I’m retired, and I live in Bonifay, Fla., my wife’s hometown. I’m just enjoying my grandkids.” 

  • Do you miss the job? What do you miss most?: “Scouting, same as when I was in coaching, you miss the relationships with fellow people out there, fellow scouts, your interaction with the staff . . . The relationships day-to-day working with people, you miss. And that includes players you deal with, at both levels. And I guess, too, the routine. When you get a routine in your life . . . the fall has always been special whether you’re a high school coach, college coach, scout, director of player personnel, vice president of football operations, your life had a routine to It and you miss that. Some people’s careers they look at a job as a means to an end, and can’t wait to retire, and I was never that way. I loved what I did and I never felt like I had a job.”

  • Do you keep in touch with any of your former colleagues?: “I do, and all the things I’ve ever done, there are people I coached with, people I worked with as scouts . . . and I keep up with all of them regularly.” 

  • Do you go to any live games (HS/college/pro)?: “Well, I’ve been to a couple of high school games to see relatives play football, and I’ve gone back to Florida where I went to school and my wife went to school and went to a game or two down there, but not a lot of them. I haven’t been to many, but I sure have watched a lot of them on television.” 

  • Are there any players you love to watch and/or feel close to due to your work in the game?: “I love to watch all football. I enjoy watching it, and on some of the channels in this area, you get very good high school programs, and I enjoy watching some of those games. I enjoy watching the SEC and ACC football games on Saturdays a lot, and I really enjoy the excitement of the playoffs in pro football. I spend a lot of time going back and keeping up with my players from the past that I coached in college or junior college or Division II. I’ve spent a lot of the last couple years keeping up with those guys, finding out where they are in their lives, and a lot of them have retired. I enjoy hearing their stories about what all they’ve accomplished and it makes you very proud that when you were in your 20s, you coached this guy, and that’s exciting for me.”

Review the latest from other former NFL scouts and executives by accessing our Catching Up archive here. Want to hear from a former scout, or know someone who may be interested in being interviewed? Let us know.

Rep Rumblings: We always try to deliver a little extra during this most busy time of the year, and this week, we had six reports instead of our normal four. In our first report Monday, we looked at an interesting front office rumor out of Chicago and checked in on all the coaching change business of the weekend. In the day’s second report, we looked at one top prospect who might be going it alone through the pre-draft process, plus we had other buzz from around the country. Tuesday, we surveyed voices across the industry and put the spotlight on front offices where change may be coming after the season, plus we had an interesting note on a top coaches agent and we looked at other recruiting developments. Wednesday, we looked at the progress of all-star invitations, plus we had takes on a couple of developing situations in the transfer portal and the jam-packed 2022 draft class. Finally, in our first report Thursday, we reviewed search firm activity in college coaching searches and declared a winner for the ’21-’22 cycle, then did the same among coaches agencies. We also reported on the scouting presence at this year’s FCS Bowl, took the temperature in Jacksonville’s front office and looked at yet another potential first-rounder who may go without representation. We wrapped up Thursday evening with a look at a top contract advisor who broke free of his agency this week and where he may land next, plus we had the latest on where the possible QB1 of the draft is heading, agency-wise. You won’t be up to date on what’s happening in the football business world unless you’ve read all the rumblings. Do that here.

Next week: There are no more college head coaching jobs open at the FBS level and bowl season is at hand, which means we have only one, OK, two, real focuses: player-agent signings and all-star invites. We’ll be working to fill up our Signings Grid all week, plugging in names and updating the ones already there. We hope to add at least 50 names to our list and zoom past 400 on our way to, we expect, 2,000 signings in this overloaded class. This should also lead to bigger (and more) Rep Rumblings reports packed with the latest buzz on all the top prospects wrapping up their college careers this week and next. In our weekly blog, Succeed in Football, we’ll have words of wisdom for this year’s prospects, especially the bigger-than-normal crop of Day 3 prospects trying to figure out who to sign with and which all-star game to attend over the next month. Do you have questions of your own about who to sign? Don’t forget about the ITL Scouting Department; we can get you a professionally written list of strengths and weaknesses as well as a round projection for any player in America, written by Blake, for $100 plus tax. Our hope is to reduce your financial risk and help you help potential clients know where they truly stand in the draft class. We’ve got stocking stuffers, too, if you’ve put off your Christmas shopping to this week. Just don’t forget to treat yourself, too, by setting aside time for the important things this season . . . like reading Inside the League. Merry Christmas, everyone, and glad gridiron tidings to all.