AUBURN, Ala. – Before NFL teams invest a draft pick or free agent invitation on a player, they do their homework.
In-person evaluations and game video form the basis of their reports, but that's only the beginning.
Strength and conditioning coaches, position coaches, athletic trainers, academic support staff. Scouts seek audiences with anyone who helps them fully evaluate prospects.
"Not only are we assessing them as players on the field,'" said New York Giants Southeast area scout Marcus Cooper. "We're assessing them as individuals in their character and their makeup."
"All we can ask is to get in front of other people to find out how that player would fit in our organization," said Paul Zimmer, an area scout for the New Orleans Saints.
At Auburn, that's where Brendt Bedsole comes in.
The Tigers' director of high school relations and pro liaison, Bedsole facilitates each visit with NFL personnel, helping them get the information they need in hopes of giving Auburn's student-athletes the best chance to reach the next level, seven days a week during the offseason and Monday through Thursday during the season.
"We're try to help our players move on to another level, which is what they all want to do," Bedsole said. "Our job is to facilitate that with as much access as possible to our players and coaches to get the information to the scouts.
"They say they're checking every box. What's this kid like? Does he have leadership qualities? Is he a hard worker? They can see the physical traits, it's that unseeable thing they're looking for. I don't have to tell them a guy can play. They can see that on film."
Auburn's blue-collar mentality resonates with NFL scouts.
"I've always thought these guys are tough and gritty here," Cooper said. "That's always been the trait of Auburn guys. You can definitely see that makeup in these kids when you come here."
The evaluation begins with reports from area scouts like Zimmer and Cooper. Then national scouts will visit to continue the process. If a team is really interested in an Auburn player, they'll dispatch their assistant general manager.
The pro scouts appreciate Auburn's open-door policy. In a recent Succeed in Football blog post, Inside the League's Neil Stratton quotes an anonymous NFL scout who said, "The Southeast is loaded with liaisons who do a great job. There are so many who help us and put in a ton of time to communicate with us and help their players, but if I had to pick one liaison who's gone above and beyond this year, it's Brendt."
"He does a good job of making it accessible so we can come in here and do our jobs and evaluate these guys to the best of our ability," Cooper said.
"Brendt's a great communicator," Zimmer said. "Brendt has done a really good job of making the most of what we are allowed to do. If we have questions, he's fantastic as far as getting those questions answered. He's helped us immensely with getting us the information we need."
"The more information they have, the better evaluation they can make, and help the player be more employable," Bedsole said.
Auburn's access to NFL personnel forms another aspect of the Tigers' pitch to prospective student-athletes: you can get to the League from here.
"I can get to where I want to get to from Auburn," Bedsole said of his message. "For the guys who want to play in the NFL, they can come to Auburn and they can be seen.
"The fact that we give so much access to the scouts, there's not going to be any stone left unturned for these recruits who are trying to make Auburn their pathway to the NFL. They know they can get there from here.
"Auburn's job is to help them get to their goal, and Auburn will be able to get to our goal, which is to win SEC and national championships with guys who can play in the NFL."
Director of high school relations/pro liaison Brendt Bedsole (left) with chief medical officer Dr. Michael Goodlett
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
