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Pressure mounts as clock ticks
By Floyd Reese
Scouts Inc.
Archive
The draft room has evolved over time. In the draft's early years, a team's owner, general manager and coaches would sit around a large table and make all the selections.
The modern-day draft room, which is usually found in each franchise's facility, is much more crowded. The basic players in the room include the head coach, scouts, director of college scouting, director of player personnel, general manager and occasionally the owner. All of these individuals will be involved in a weekend-long conference call with the team's representative in New York.
Every inch of the large draft room is used for information. On one wall you will find the pro board, which consists of invaluable information that can help the player personnel department act as prognosticators and predict upcoming picks. The college draft board, generally the largest board in the room, consists of a player's height and weight, 40-yard dash times and Wonderlic test scores. It also includes the area scout's grade, director's grade and team grade. In addition to the boards, it is beneficial to have salary-cap information on each team, trade tables or values that are assigned to each pick, and tapes on pro and college players.
Each franchise has its own grading system for draft-eligible players, and each individual in the room has specific responsibilities. The scouts know all there is to know about every draft-eligible player in their region. The director of college scouting has viewed and graded every draft-eligible player in the country. The director of player personnel has a general overview of the entire draft. In some circumstances the head coach is the final decision maker, but in all cases he acts as a pro representative. He is available to talk on behalf of the roster needs and communicate with his staff if necessary.
When it comes to a top first-round choice, the decision is often made days or weeks in advance. Of course, this only applies if everything goes as planned. A team will often have a list of contingencies for a surprise selection by another team or anything else that strays from the norm.
In the event of a draft-day trade, the draft room can become very lively. If another franchise wants to trade draft choices, the trade table comes into play. In the event another franchise would like to trade a current pro player for a selection, the pro player's salary cap and contract information would have to be made available immediately.
So here you are, your 15 minutes between selections have started, and you have the No. 4 overall choice. Here are some of the potential decisions you could encounter:
The first scenario is simple. The draft has gone as planned and you make your selection. To change things up, imagine that a team has traded up and made a selection that surprises your franchise. Assuming your intended selection is now gone, do you take your secondary choice or trade down and acquire more picks?
Suppose you decide to trade down for other selections. The decision must be based on:
• Pre-draft discussions with other teams about fair compensation.
• Draft-day discussions with parties interested in trading up to your spot.
• Soliciting interest in the selection in an attempt to get better value. This process may involve numerous teams.
A decision on these discussions is based not only on compensation but also on how far you are willing to drop down on the draft ladder.
Now take into consideration the 15 calls you are fielding that have nothing to do with this particular pick. Let's not forget about the tedious NFL paperwork issues. A rogue scout will not make the decision unanimous. Make a mistake and you lose your pick, and potentially your job. You are facing all of these decisions and opportunities in just 15 minutes.
The clock is ticking. "And with the fourth pick of the 2007 NFL draft…"
Former NFL general manager and coach Floyd Reese contributes frequently to ESPN.com.
LINK
By Floyd Reese
Scouts Inc.
Archive
The draft room has evolved over time. In the draft's early years, a team's owner, general manager and coaches would sit around a large table and make all the selections.
The modern-day draft room, which is usually found in each franchise's facility, is much more crowded. The basic players in the room include the head coach, scouts, director of college scouting, director of player personnel, general manager and occasionally the owner. All of these individuals will be involved in a weekend-long conference call with the team's representative in New York.
Every inch of the large draft room is used for information. On one wall you will find the pro board, which consists of invaluable information that can help the player personnel department act as prognosticators and predict upcoming picks. The college draft board, generally the largest board in the room, consists of a player's height and weight, 40-yard dash times and Wonderlic test scores. It also includes the area scout's grade, director's grade and team grade. In addition to the boards, it is beneficial to have salary-cap information on each team, trade tables or values that are assigned to each pick, and tapes on pro and college players.
Each franchise has its own grading system for draft-eligible players, and each individual in the room has specific responsibilities. The scouts know all there is to know about every draft-eligible player in their region. The director of college scouting has viewed and graded every draft-eligible player in the country. The director of player personnel has a general overview of the entire draft. In some circumstances the head coach is the final decision maker, but in all cases he acts as a pro representative. He is available to talk on behalf of the roster needs and communicate with his staff if necessary.
When it comes to a top first-round choice, the decision is often made days or weeks in advance. Of course, this only applies if everything goes as planned. A team will often have a list of contingencies for a surprise selection by another team or anything else that strays from the norm.
In the event of a draft-day trade, the draft room can become very lively. If another franchise wants to trade draft choices, the trade table comes into play. In the event another franchise would like to trade a current pro player for a selection, the pro player's salary cap and contract information would have to be made available immediately.
So here you are, your 15 minutes between selections have started, and you have the No. 4 overall choice. Here are some of the potential decisions you could encounter:
The first scenario is simple. The draft has gone as planned and you make your selection. To change things up, imagine that a team has traded up and made a selection that surprises your franchise. Assuming your intended selection is now gone, do you take your secondary choice or trade down and acquire more picks?
Suppose you decide to trade down for other selections. The decision must be based on:
• Pre-draft discussions with other teams about fair compensation.
• Draft-day discussions with parties interested in trading up to your spot.
• Soliciting interest in the selection in an attempt to get better value. This process may involve numerous teams.
A decision on these discussions is based not only on compensation but also on how far you are willing to drop down on the draft ladder.
Now take into consideration the 15 calls you are fielding that have nothing to do with this particular pick. Let's not forget about the tedious NFL paperwork issues. A rogue scout will not make the decision unanimous. Make a mistake and you lose your pick, and potentially your job. You are facing all of these decisions and opportunities in just 15 minutes.
The clock is ticking. "And with the fourth pick of the 2007 NFL draft…"
Former NFL general manager and coach Floyd Reese contributes frequently to ESPN.com.
LINK
