As we get closer to the NFL- Draft you're going to start hearing about NFL scouts and scouting reports and a lot of "this scout said this" and "that scout said that."
So what is a football scout and why are they so important?
A good scout can make a big difference to a football team. They are the guys who are hired by the teams to look at younger players, sometimes before they even become college stars and eventually NFL stars. A scout looks for NFL potential in an athlete, not just his current stats.
Scouts take special notice of a player's character, intelligence, team spirit, focus, and leadership qualities.
A scout will travel thousands of miles each year to watch college football games and meet coaches and athletes. When they identify a key player, the scout will try to learn as much as he can about that player in order to determine if he has the right stuff for the NFL.
What are they looking for? The easy answer is -- the entire package. Size matters! Scouts size up players on height and weight. Strength and speed are critical and, of course, skill and leadership on the field. Scouts pay special attention to a player's record and stats during his college football years and look for players who are dependable and who perform well on the field. Scouts take special notice of a player's character, intelligence, team spirit, focus, and leadership qualities. These are harder to scout but still critically important. They look for people who want to win, but aren't sore losers -- boys who will become the men of the NFL!
The scout reports his top picks back to the team's management who uses this information in making their decisions in the NFL Draft.
