This email is directed at any NFLPA-certified contract advisor interested in how the NFL draft works as well as the months leading up to the draft. Note: We are not endorsed, sponsored, or otherwise affiliated with the NFLPA.

The last four months have been pretty rough, no doubt about it. What's worse is that there seems to be no end in sight to the quarantines and precautions, and even the college season is in jeopardy. Still, maybe there's a mild glimmer of positivity that has come out of all of this, and that's our increasing national familiarity with online platforms like Zoom. It's become a critical tool for bringing people together. 

Speaking of Zoom, we'll be using the tool to bring college personnel and recruiting professionals from across the country together next week (July 20-22), and I hope you'll consider joining us. The 2020 ITL College Week will feature three former director-level NFL evaluators: Mark Dominik (former Bucs GM) on Monday; Blake Beddingfield (former Titans Director of College Scouting) on Tuesday, and Billy Devaney (former Rams GM) on Wednesday. Each session will begin at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT and go about an hour to 90 minutes.  Register and pay here.

You can find all of their bios online, but what you need to know is that Dominik drafted  Gerald McCoy, Lavonte David , and  Doug Martin , among others; Blake was part of the team that drafted 

Derrick Henry, Albert Haynesworth, Pacman Jones, Vince Young, Cortland Finnegan and  Chris Johnson ; and Devaney learned under  Bobby Beathard  and drafted  Chris Long, Robert Quinn, James Laurinaitis, Sam Bradford  and many others. 

I've worked with all three speakers before, and they're all my friends. What's more important, however, is that they are all great communicators who are passionate about sharing their knowledge. They all have the hearts of a teacher. They want you to win, which goes hand in hand with our motto, espoused in  the URL of my weekly blog . 

Our presenters will use Zoom to talk about their time in the NFL, the scouts they hired and why they hired them, what NFL evaluation looks like and where it's going, and a few tricks of the scouting trade. They'll also talk about their careers, the people who helped them, and how to build a network that helps you climb the ladder. 

If you heard  Inside the League's presentation at last year's Personnel Symposium  in Nashville, you've already heard me speak and you've also gotten a taste of what Blake will be offering next week. There are a lot of services out there whose goals are teaching you how to scout and evaluate. That's important, of course, but you have goals as a college football professional, and you want to see them realized. After next week, I'm confident you'll have a clearer path.

We're charging $75 for the three nights . We'll go about an hour to 90 minutes each night, and I'll serve as the moderator. Some of our speakers will speak, and others I'll interview. During the presentation, you'll be encouraged to use Zoom's message function to send me questions, which I'll ask of the presenters. My goal in this is to make sure you walk away after three nights having a clearer vision of (a) what it is to be an NFL scout, and (b) how you can get there.  I sure hope you can make it !

 

Inside The League is the consulting service for the football industry. We work with the contract advisors for about two-thirds of active NFL players as well as the combine trainers, financial planners, scouts, coaches and other pro league organizers that make up the game. Cost is $29.95/month, and you can cancel at any time. To register, click here. Also check out our new free blog, Succeed in Football. Copyright Neil Stratton and ITL.

Sincerely, Neil Stratton
President
Inside the League