So, What Are NFL Scouts Looking For Anyway?

The NFL Scouting Combine is a crucial opportunity for teams to get a look at the players who intend to make the leap from college to the professional level, and NFL scouts are looking at things most people wouldn’t even consider.

Though the NFL Combine is over, various evaluations are ongoing leading up to the draft and preparation never ends for players who aren’t yet entering the league. For these reasons, knowing what scouts look for at various tests of players’ skills, strength and character is crucial.

How the complex art of scouting developed 
Way back in the day, NFL scouts used to simply pick names from the day’s two most popular trade magazines, “Street & Smith” or “College Football Illustrated.” There wasn’t much more to it than that, and it was working, so no one thought much into changing the simple and successful system. No one had thought to look into smaller colleges, traditionally black schools or military institutions, and because of that much of the football talent in the country was going undiscovered in the early days of the NFL. Back then the draft was held so close to the season – sometimes even mid-season – that teams had no time for more thorough scouting even if they wanted to.

However, one scout, Eddie Kotal, who worked under Curly Lambeau for the Green Bay Packers before heading to Los Angeles to work with the Rams in the 1950s, when the draft was still stacked-up against the season, was simply too good. The talent Kotal discovered was a level above the names listed in commonly read trade magazines, but other scouts were having trouble finding the same success, because no one knew what to look for.

But as time went on, what to look for and how to find the right answer became more apparent to NFL scouts. Computers were eventually introduced to the practice, and more and more travel became essential to the job. As the scouting methods developed, with architects such as Steve Belichick and Kotal providing a path for later scouts to follow, practitioners of the art developed more nuanced ways to observe players’ strengths and weaknesses.

Nowadays scouts look at each test of a player’s athleticism from several angles at once, and constantly observe off-field traits of individuals such as body language, health and personality quirks. Scouting has gone from picking names from the pages of a couple magazines to a blend of an in-depth character studies and complete physical evaluations for each player considered for a roster spot on any one of the NFL’s teams.

What scouts are looking for at the combine
Let’s start with a breakdown of what scouts look for in some of the athletic events featured at the NFL Scouting Combine. USA Today called the 40-yard dash the “marquee event of the NFL combine,” but scouts aren’t just looking at how quickly players can cover 40 yards. However, not every player runs 40 yards in any given down during a game. So, why is the 40-yard dash important for evaluating these guys, who rarely, if ever, exceed 20 yards on a single play?

Well, scouts are looking at more than just 40-yard dash times, they’re also checking out the 10- and 20-yard splits for NFL Combine participants, especially for those who play positions that rarely require much distance running, according to USA Today. For offensive linemen and pass rushers, the 10- and 20-yard splits are much more important than the overall 40-yard dash time.

Both the broad and vertical jumps also offer NFL scouts clues that you may have never considered. Evaluation of tests isn’t so much about height or distances as it is about measuring the explosiveness of players’ lower bodies. That’s why it isn’t just wide receivers for whom these events are important. Offensive and defensive lineman also need to perform well in both the broad and vertical jumps to demonstrate their explosive abilities off the line.

Another test that requires evaluation from several angles is the bench press. This isn’t just about throwing up 400 pounds to show off how strong you are. A scout would rather see someone consistently push out 15 reps at 225 lbs. than watch a player max out on a single rep and complete the event with that. This is a test of endurance and strength, not just the latter.

It’s about more than just athletic performance
Additionally, scouts are looking at players personalities at events such as the NFL Combine. For example, former Miami Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland once asked current Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute. The infamous question, while certainly tasteless, served as more of a test of Bryant’s personality than an evaluation of his family life. Bryant’s reaction to such a potentially infuriating question was everything, not his answer. Whether you like it or not, if you’re a known player in the NFL, questions about your past and information about your history before the spotlight will inevitably rise. Dealing with them properly is just as important as on-field performance.

Remember that when scouts are evaluating players at events such as the NFL Combine, they’re always looking at each test and every answer from every angle imaginable. It’s not just what you say but how you say it, not only how high you jump but how explosive your lower body is in doing so. For players with professional aspirations, its time to start looking at yourselves the way scouts do.