How to Become a NFL Scout
Contents
Are you interested in a career in professional football? Becoming a NFL scout may be the perfect job for you. Learn more about what it takes to become a scout for the National Football League.
Introduction
A NFL scout is responsible for evaluating potential NFL players. A scout’s job is to watch college football games and assess the abilities of potential NFL draft picks. A scout may also be responsible for interviewing players and recommending which players the NFL team should draft.
If you are interested in becoming a NFL scout, you will need to have a passion for football and an eye for talent. You should also be familiar with the NFL scouting process. In order to become a scout, you will likely need to have previous experience working in the NFL in some capacity.
Once you have the necessary experience, you can begin to look for job openings with NFL teams. You can also look into working as a scouting consultant or starting your own scouting service.
What Does a NFL Scout Do?
A NFL Scout attends college and professional games to evaluate potential draft picks and free agents. He also reviews game film, meets with coaches and interviews players and their families to gather information about a player’s character. Once a year, scouts travel to the NFL Scouting Combine to interview players and measure their physical attributes.
How to Become a NFL Scout
There are many ways to become a NFL scout. You can take the traditional route of working your way up through the ranks of a team’s scouting department, or you can become a scout for a scouting service. You can also become a scout by working in the college ranks or in the media.
Step One: Research the role of a NFL scout
A NFL scout’s primary responsibility is to evaluate college football players and recommend which ones the team should draft or sign. But that’s just the beginning. A typical day for a scout might also include:
• Watching game film to break down a player’s strengths and weaknesses
• Attending college practices and games to get a first-hand look at prospects
• interviewing coaches, teammates and others who know the player to get more insight into their character
• researching a player’s background to see if they have any red flags that could affect their NFL career
NFL scouts also play an important role in helping teams prepare for their opponents each week. They’ll break down game film of upcoming opponents and look for tendencies that the team can exploit.
In order to become a NFL Scout, it is recommended that you get a degree in a related field such as player personnel, sports management or business administration. While a degree is not required, it will give you an advantage when applying for jobs. NFL Scouts typically have several years of experience working in the football industry before being promoted to scouting positions.
Step Three: Start working in the scouting department of a NFL team
The best way to become a professional football scout is to start working in the scouting department of a NFL team. There are 32 NFL teams, and each has its own scouting department. The size of each department varies, but most have between 10 and 20 scouts.
Working in the scouting department of an NFL team is not an easy job. It is a demanding, full-time job that requires long hours and lots of travel. But it is also a very exciting job that offers the opportunity to see firsthand how an NFL team operate
Step Four: Advance your career
As you develop your skills and knowledge, you may be promoted to a higher level position, such as area scout, regional scout or national scout. You also may be offered a position with more responsibility, such as director of scouting or scouting coordinator. With experience, you could become a scouting director or general manager for an NFL team. Advancement in the scouting profession generally occurs through job openings created by senior scouts retiring or leave for another organization.
Conclusion
Becoming a NFL scout is a great way to get involved in the sport of American football. The job requires excellent scouting and evaluation skills, as well as a good knowledge of the game. If you have these qualities and are passionate about football, then you may have what it takes to become a NFL scout.
