The NFL kicked off its preseason last night, and while it  wasn't the prettiest of debuts for some, there's still plenty of practice time to get things right. Here at  Inside the League, that's exactly what we've been doing as we gear up for the  2019 Personnel Symposium slated for Monday and Tuesday at the J.W. Marriott in Nashville. It's the  second straight year that former college and pro personnel chief  Ed Marynowitz has brought hundreds of scouting professionals together for a summit on how to get better while also doing a little networking.

 

We're excited to be a part of things.  This year's speakers lineup  include former NFL scout  Daniel Jeremiahof NFL Network, former NFL GM  Mike Lombardi of The Athletic, Rivals.com and  247 Sports founder Shannon Terry and a host of other experts from across the spectrum of football. We see it as a week to learn about

	Former Eagles and Alabama executive Ed Marynowitz has brought together another lineup of speakers aimed at helping college personnel professionals improve their careers.

cutting-edge techniques, catch up on what others are doing right, and break bread with other like-minded individuals from across the nation. Last year, just under 200 college personnel professionals made it to the Music City, and this year, we expect even more.

 

This week, we were quite active on our blog as we prepped our audience for our presentation Monday afternoon. On Tuesday,  we introduced our speakers,  Jason Montanez of Houston-based Catapult Leadership and former Titans Director of College Scouting  Blake Beddingfield. We're excited about what they bring to the table and the insights they'll share on moving up the ladder in college and pro football.  Early Thursday, we took a look at the nine scouting assistants who were hired this spring and summer by NFL teams to find out what they had in common. Do NFL teams want ex-players as scouting assistants? Do they care about scouting experience? We had the answers, based on who got the nod this year.  Later on Thursday, we had more insights from several active NFL scouts who are within their first 3-4 years on the job. How and why did they succeed where others have failed? Their thoughts were actually the continuation of a few we shared  in last week's Friday Wrap. 

 

ITL's Neil Stratton will talk about what to do (and what not to do) as you seek to land a job in the NFL. Jason, a former college fullback, will show you how to sell yourself, exhibit your value and build a record of success without the raw force and sheer exertion of a dive play. Finally, Blake will draw on his three decades in the NFL to talk about the people he's hired and the successful scouts he's seen, and what they have in common. 

 

And while we'll only have a half-hour on the dais, we've set up our own informal breakout session afterwards. All of the symposium attendees are welcome to join us at  our open bar event from 7-9 p.m. Monday at the Cumberland Bar in the lobby of the J.W. Stratton will be joined by Jason and Blake, and they'll be answering specific questions, telling stories, shaking hands and enjoying a beverage while celebrating the game and those people who, like them, have dedicated their professional lives to it. Bring your business cards. 

 

We think it's going to be an event unlike any others in the history of the game, and can hardly wait to land in Tennessee. In the meantime, here's a look at what else we saw, heard, read and said in the business of college and pro football this week.

 

One more thing: We spoke to several of our friends in the business and asked them what they seek when they're hiring scouting assistants. The common ingredient: passion. One told us he wants someone who's "young, passionate, (a) grinder, (a) team guy, (who has a) football background (either) playing, (as a grad assistant), (as a) recruiting assistant, NFL intern, etc. . . . you win with people!" Another said he wants "a young passionate guy, . . I guess the intangibles are what I look for and want to hear about the prospect. If he has those ingredients I could train him, because ultimately it's not only about his aptitude (talent), but as importantly his attitude."See you Monday!

 

Speaking of passion . . .:  These people are pretty passionate. Think you have a client who could inspire this kind of emotion? Maybe he's ready for the ring. The next WWE tryout camp in Orlando, Fla., is set for Sept. 19-21. That means there's still plenty of time to apply, get screened, and maybe even get accepted, as several former college and pro players have done in the last 2-3 years. Is your client ready for what's next? Why not begin the screening process and find out? Tryouts are no obligations, last only a weekend, and all expenses are paid. What does your client have to lose? Send us an emailand let's get started. 

 

The ITL Scouting Department: As you know, we've completed detailed previews of the most draft-worthy players  at 13 schools so far, and each report spotlights 10 players, regardless of class. Still, there are a lot of other prospects out there, with some at other schools and even others who didn't quite make the cut for our evaluators on team reports. Before you spend weeks recruiting a player who might not have what it takes, make sure you get an ITL Scouting Report. For $100 plus tax, a former NFL evaluator will give you a complete, detailed workup of a player's strengths and weaknesses as well as a round projection. Our team has completed hundreds of them over the last couple years, and we see it as a critical part of any recruiting process. In three days or less, you can have the facts on whether or not a prospect measures up, and can provide crucial information on how he can improve his game. Ready for a report? Click hereand let's get started.

 

ITL Profile Reports:This week, we hung out on Mountain Time as we looked at  Nevada,  UNLV,  New Mexico and New Mexico State (as well as  Nebraska). We didn't uncover a slate of budding first-rounders, but we did encounter several under-the-radar types that could fill out the later rounds next spring. Next week, we'll look at  North Carolina, North Texas, Northern Illinois, Northwestern and  Notre Dame. It will be a week in which we not only feature ITL Team Scouting Reports on three of the five teams (UNC, NIU and Northwestern), but we should have a bit more talent to evaluate. Make sure you review all our reports so far by clicking  here.

 

Rep Rumblings: After a slow last week of July, we bounced back with three of our signature reports this week. As promised, our theme was post-draft movement among agencies.  On Monday, we had the news that PFS Agency, based in Baltimore, is adding a West Coast presence, while also beefing up its NBA cred, by adding two agents from The Mogul Group. We also kicked the tires on the early leader for one of the top wide receiver prospects in the '20 draft and updated the  2019 Scouting Changes Grid.  Wednesday, we had scouting and personnel updates in both the CFL and XFL as well as news of an upstart agency and an update to the  ITL 250that's been a long time coming.  On Thursday, we dug into the early 2020 recruiting wars with buzz on two top players, plus we looked at even more agency movement as well as a top trainer who's changing teams for the 2020 draft cycle. Now's the time when the faces change behind the scenes and firms finish reconfiguring their respective lineups before the recruiting grind revs up. Make sure you're up to date on everything that's going on and review all our reports for 2019  here.

 

Next week: Last night, for the first time since the Patriots took on the Rams in February,  we had NFL football. And while we didn't make it to Canton this year, we'll be on site in Nashville early next week. Whether or not you join us there or you track the events from afar, we'll use our weekly blog,  Succeed in Football,  our Twitter accountand (eventually)  our YouTube channelto capture all the scenes. If you're in town, we hope you can catch up with us at  the Cumberland Bar in the lobby of the J.W. MarriottMonday night, where we'll be meeting, greeting, and holding a breakout session after our team discusses how to land an NFL scouting job that afternoon. If you're not in town, make sure you're following our speakers,  Blake Beddingfield and  Jason Montanez, for bits and quips from the Music City. As for Inside the League itself, the beat will go on. We'll have Week 2 of  The ITL Newsletter on the NFL Draft Processfor dozens of parents interested in learning more about what's ahead for their sons over the next nine months (by the way, our newsletter is a great introduction to  our book, which has a lot more detail and information). For those scouts and contract advisors interested in who's on the horizon, we'll have  ITL Scouting Reports ( like this one we did on Nebraska) on three teams next week -  North Carolina, Northwestern and Northern Illinois- plus full  Profile Reports on all three as well as  North Texas and Notre Dame. We're also hoping to complete a special feature next week, breaking down the entire current list of NFLPA-certified contract advisors by their certification year. It's a big job, and one we've completed before, but it's time to get up to date for the 800-odd representatives out there, so look for that. We're also still working to catch up on our  Agent Changes reports. Maybe this is the week we start getting traction. Before long, we'll start rounding up team-by-team regional scouting assignments from our contacts at schools for our  Scouts Grid by Team; with so many teams making changes this year, it should be a big project. We hope to debut the entire update by the end of the month. Also, the  MLB Agent Exam is in just a few weeks, and for those people looking to branch out beyond the gridiron, don't forget about our practice exam ( register here). It's going to be a great weekend and a great week as all 32 NFL teams are under way and all, if not most, colleges are gearing up, as well. Make sure you're ready for action by  joining us!