With the last college game of the year, the inaugural college football playoff championship, set to end the college season once and for all, the “NFL Draft Season” will officially commence.
That means an end to live football and the beginning of scouting pilgrimages for internet and NFL scouts, collection of rumors and scouting notes and handicapping what team’s will do in late April.
Here’s how the next four months will play out in the 2015 Draft season.
All-Star Games
The month of January is packed with all-star games for NFL teams to attend. The Shrine Game and Senior Bowl (see dates below) have been the staples of the scouting circuit for NFL draft fans, scouts and NFL teams alike. These two games feature most of the best senior prospects. But also, the Medal of Honor Bowl has quickly grown into one of the circuit’s best all-star games, and the Dream Bowl is the premier “small school” only all-star game.
All-star games aren’t the tell-all event to judge a prospect, but much can be gained from watching the top seniors in the country side-by-side in a practice setting, all of which are adjusting to a new offense together.
Quarterback’s adjustment in a new offense and with new receivers, confidence in an unfamiliar setting and side-by-side velocity comparison (including in windy conditions) can become a make or break part of a quarterbacks report. Also, a running back’s foot speed, a receiver’s separation ability and against press coverage, an offensive lineman’s tenacity and anchor in the pass game, defensive lineman’s versatility and lateral quickness, linebacker’s coverage ability and defensive back’s hip fluidity and ball skills are all key areas I focus on when watching all-star game practices.
NFL Team Note Compiling Meetings
After all-star games are done, with the Senior Bowl acting like a mini-staff meeting for many teams, each team will work together to begin formulating their initial grades. Teams will weave in their in-season notes, cross-checker notes (others on the staff that watch another scout’s region of players), underclassmen scouting reports and off-the-field/character red flags that the staff has come up with.
This leads to the next event, the NFL Combine, where team’s have what to look for and, sometimes more importantly, what to ask each of the players they’ll see in late February. These notes occur as they teams find the rules to bet on Super Bowl 2015.
NFL Combine
The mecca of “draft season”, the NFL Combine, in late-February, is where NFL teams can get a feel for each player invited. In general, around 330+ players attend, each receiving their invites in three different rounds of the invite process. The “National Scouting Service” evaluates players in the pre-season and throughout the year to find the best 330 players to invite, including juniors. The official invite list is released the first week of February.
NFL teams get the opportunity to evaluate prospects based on their timed performances and gain their exact measurable, but also get a chance to speak to players individually to assess their football character, mental capacity, and mental make-up.
The event is separated into six days, with different position groups divided into each day.
Pro Day Circuit
While less important than the NFL Combine, the Pro Day circuit, where every major and most small school host a combine-like event for their college’s players, allows for NFL Combine participants to have a second-chance to improve their numbers, give non-invites or injured players a chance to test for the first time, as well as give every player an extra chance to workout and perform position drills in their more comfortable setting with their teammates.
However, the Pro Day circuit can be ripe with over-reactions, as the comfort-ability of the setting rarely gives a fair and ideal evaluation of a prospect. Case in point: Teddy Bridgewater’s near fall out of the first-round due to a poor Pro Day.
Private Visitations
After players get a chance to perform at their home college field to workout for teams in a public setting, NFL teams have a limited number of players they can bring it for private workouts and sit-downs with members of the coaching staff and front office.
While news from this visitations can be filled with either designed “leaks” that’s mostly just smoke in the draft community, or kept quiet as team’s finalize their draft boards. Two years ago, the Bills brought in most of the top quarterbacks in the class, and after watching each workout, the team put their highest value on the visitation and took the best performer: EJ Manuel.
2015 NFL Draft – April 30-May 2
Complete Schedule
2015 Medal of Honor Bowl – January 10
Shrine Game Practices – January 12-15
2015 Shrine Game – January 17
2015 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl – January 17
2015 Dream Bowl Practices/Game – January 15-19
Senior Bowl Practices – January 19-22
2015 Senior Bowl – January 24
NFL Combine – February 17-23
Pro Day Circuit – March 1-31 (some into April)
Private Visits – April 1-25
2015 NFL Draft – April 30-May 2
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