June 18-24
Experienced scouts getting back in: Yes, I know very well how many seasoned, effective NFL scouts have been dismissed from their positions over the last few years, and let’s be honest: many of them were let go solely because they are experienced, not despite it. However, it would be dishonest not to note the number of veteran evaluators who’ve made it back in, some without even missing a cycle. It’s frustrating to see so many good scouts on the street, but it’s also encouraging to see three of the four Jaguars executives let go last year find their way back in (Mark Ellenz with the Bucs, Andy Dengler with the Raiders and Chris Driggers with the Rams). There’s also Jim Abrams (Dolphins), Ryan Cavanaugh (Bears), Matt Russell (Eagles), Mark Sadowski (Steelers), Shawn Heinlen (Browns), Chuck Brensinger(Commanders), Steve Sabo (Jaguars) and more, and that’s not even mentioning the numerous scouts and directors who’ve resurfaced in the USFL, XFL or at major colleges (such as Texas’ Bobby Merritt, Jim Noel at Army and others we’ve reported). When you figure in how many members of the inaugural BART List got promotions this offseason, It makes for much more optimistic times across the scouting community. Why is this happening? Perhaps it’s a reaction to the growing number of young scouts being hired and promoted, or maybe it’s teams expanding their scouting budgets. Whatever the reason, we’re happy about it.
Coming home: There’s always some transition from college to pro and vice versa in the business, but this year it seems much more pronounced as we’ve seen senior college evaluators move into pro roles. Just this week, we saw Los Angeles’ Tyler Lyon move into a more diversified role after several years on the road with the Chargers. We saw Carolina’s Tyler Ramsey do the same thing. Earlier this summer, we saw D.J. Debick switch sides, as well as teams, as he transitioned from New England to Houston. Also, Philadelphia’s Matt Holland moved from a northeast area scout to a Senior College/Pro Scout, Sheldon White went from an area scout in Washington to the Director of Pro Scouting for the Steelers, and San Francisco’s Steve Slowik moved from area scout to pro scout. Maybe this is a reaction to the more centralized style of decision-making that most teams have gone to; they want their better evaluators in-house when it comes time to making the franchise-altering moves.
The summer of the AGM: The Giants, Bears, Bills, Raiders, Jaguars, Steelers and Browns have all hired Assistant General Managers since the end of the ’21 season. Entering the 2021 season, there were nine total in the NFL. Will the AGM seat become a mandatory way station on the path to GM? Soon enough, we’ll know.
Seeking out character experts: It escaped our notice in November, but the Ravens hired Steve Clagett as their Scouting Research and Development Manager. His background is with the military (he’s a Navy veteran) rather than football, and according to his LinkedIn page, he’s tasked with “helping the Ravens build a tough and disciplined football team of strong character.” His profile is very similar to that of Indy’s Brian Decker, another ex-military professional who helps the Colts decipher who to draft from a character and demeanor standpoint. When you consider that the Ravens and Colts are two of the best teams on draft day, it would make sense that teams begin to follow their lead.
Now for a quick rundown of the rest of the week’s moves:
· Nicole Blake changed coasts, leaving 345 Park Avenue for the Rams, where she’ll be an analyst for scouting strategy.
Remember: you don’t have to track all the moves yourself. We do that for you in our Scouting Changes Grid, which now contains 230 moves, with more on the way.
Now let’s take a look at what else we saw, heard, read and said in the business of college and pro football this week.
Catching Up: Larry Wright, 46, spent 16 years in scouting, serving stints with the Jaguars and Ravens before wrapping up his time in the league as Assistant Director of Pro Personnel with the Texans after the 2018 season. We caught up with him earlier this month.
· Where are you living and what are you doing now?: “I have been living in Pearland, Texas, since 2010. I am going into my third year back in education, where I am the Boys Athletic Coordinator and PE teacher at Jackie Cafffey Jr. High.
· Do you miss the job? What do you miss most? “I miss several aspects of working in the NFL. I miss the camaraderie and the close working relationships built while working towards that common goal of trying to win a Super Bowl. I worked in organizations with awesome working environments while I was there. We had a strong bond in the office in Jacksonville, and as an intern during training camp of Baltimore's first championship run, I started to learn the process of team-building and pushing/challenging each other in the work environment, while also finding ways to have fun in the process. I also built friendships from my time in Houston.”
· Do you keep in touch with any of your former colleagues?: “I keep up with a few former colleagues. I know while you are in the league your time is valuable so I reach out from time to time accordingly. I talk a lot with my mentors who are no longer in the league, especially Art Perkins and James Harris, both of whom I was with in Baltimore and Jacksonville.”
· Do you go to any live games (HS/college/pro)?: “I catch college games from time to time and I go to high school games regularly. I also look at upcoming opponents for our high school program, Iowa Colony High School, and perform some advance scouting for them. I enjoy it because it keeps me sharp in that area.”
· Are there any players you love to watch and/or feel close to due to your work in the game? “I don't watch NFL games a lot, but when I do, I look at those players who I may have graded to see how they are playing and if they lived up to or fell short of my expectations. “I also look at and pull for our former players. It makes me proud when I see players like DeAndre Hopkins continue to excel, Whitney Mercilus close out a good career, and J.J. Watt still be relevant when he is healthy. And to turn on a game to see Byron Leftwich excel as he has as a coach makes me really proud and excited, as he was our first draft pick in Jacksonville and my first involvement in the process and evaluating and drafting a player!”
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.
That’s a wrap: On Wednesday, we finally finished our look at the 2022 NFL Draft (for now, at least). As we totaled up all the draft value points for each agency, we found that there weren’t a lot of major moves among the biggest firms in our tabulation of totals going back to 2007. Despite its reduced load of first-rounders the last couple years, CAA remains in a commanding 60,000-point lead over its nearest rival, Athletes First. The fastest riser was VaynerSports, which jumped from 104 overall to 28 on the strength of two picks in the top six. Also making a big leap: Elite Loyalty Sports, which moved from 81 to 40 on the strength of client Travon Walker, the first pick in the draft by the Jaguars. Find out how all the agencies performed, including which ones rose and which fell, here.
Agents by Total Clients (June): Ah, yes, the month that all agents wait for is upon us. Why? Because 90-man rosters seriously expand our list and add many names to our scan, many for the first time ever. We counted 141 contract advisors with at least 10 clients on active rosters these days, with two of them from last summer’s agent class. On the other hand, there was no movement in the top five agents from last month. Get a look at how all the agents did in this week’s report.
Getting started in NIL: We often get questions about how to monetize the name, image and likeness era, which is reaching its first full year. More often than not, however, our response is to shrug and offer commiseration on how most people in the industry don’t have a lot of answers. However, that’s not really good enough, so we’ve been out looking for people who can educate us. Earlier this month, that person was Athliance’s Peter Schoenthal, who did a bang-up job on a Zoom session that is now on YouTube. This week, we checked in with Vantage Management Group’s Sammy Spina, who did outstanding work with Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett last year (after working with Dolphins legend Dan Marino for years). Sammy gave us priceless advice on how to get started, providing almost a step-by-step guide to building a foundation with any player in any situation. Make sure to check it out; it’s probably not the last time you’ll hear from him on the burgeoning NIL landscape.
Next week: It’s summer, but we’ve got a lot going on. Here’s what’s cooking (besides all of Greater Houston) in the next week:
· If you’re an NFL scout or evaluator, at any level, and you’re interested in professional development, we have a Zoom session you might like set for Thursday, June 30, at 8 p.m. ET. We’ll provide more details in a subsequent email, but you’re gonna like this. Keep an eye on your inbox.
· We took most of June off, but it may be time to resume the ITL Rising Contract Advisors Newsletter to begin building up and encouraging the ’22 agent class. As you (may) know, this annual newsletter series helps potential contract advisors know what to expect on the exam (as well as in the business). If you’re taking the exam, get ready for a little positive reinforcement that what you’re doing isn’t crazy (and that it’s doable). If you’re a new agent who used our materials to pass the exam, and you’re one of the 30-plus with a player on a 90-man roster, be ready for a phone call.
· This weekend, we’ll be uploading Thursday’s pre-agent exam Zoom call with Ian Greengross to YouTube, after which we’ll begin sending it out to everyone who joined us. As always, we’ll include a timeline sketch of the topics Ian covers. Want in? Cost is $50 plus tax for non-ITL subscribers, $20 plus tax for ITL subscribers. For all five videos we’ve made so far, cost is $35 each ($175 plus tax). Purchase them here.
· We’ll have five more Profile Reports (Marshall, Maryland, Massachusetts, Memphis and Miami, Fla.).
· We’ll try (again) to start getting caught up on our Agent Changes reports. We’re running three behind.
· We’ll have another edition of the Succeed in Football blog, and there’s a pretty good chance it will include more about name, image and likeness as we reach the one-year mark. Hard to believe it’s a been a year since the NIL era kicked off nationwide on July 1.
· Our Rep Rumblings will also be part of the week, though we don’t yet know how many reports to expect. That number will be determined by our progress on Agent Changes.
Next week, we’re going to try, again, to round up seven top mock drafts that give us an early look at the ’23 draft. It’s always fun to see how the draft class progresses, and though it’s way too early for a real projection, what the heck? It’s entertaining. So, look for that unless we have another significant week of moves that dictate more analysis. In our Catching Up feature, we’ll talk to Josh Washburn, who, though currently between teams, is a long way from retirement.
But that’s next week. We’ve already got plenty to check out if you’re a member of the football business community, and if you’re reading this, you probably are. Why not give us a one-month prove-it deal?
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