Restrictions for NFL scouts on college campuses, which widely vary, can work to the detriment of a majority of NFL draft prospects. That's how an NFL general manager assessed the challenges scouts face as they traverse from school to school gathering information on draft prospects.
"It doesn't hurt the top players. What it hurts is the middle-of-the-road players and the down-the-line players," the GM told USA Today. "They don't get seen and they might not go to an all-star game or a combine."
If only the top players are immune, the rest make up a big number -- 256 players were chosen in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Scouts can have any number of things on a checklist when they visit a school. One scout could be gathering more general information on multiple players, and another could be focused much more heavily on one prospect in particular. They watch film, they observe practice, and they speak with any number of people associated with a key player, from the coaching staff to the strength staff, from family to friends. Access to players and information about them, for either motive, can be easy or tricky depending on the campus. Coaches reportedly put in the restrictions, in part, to limit player distractions and prevent media leaks.
National Football Scouting president Jeff Foster told USA Today that while most schools are reasonable and predictable with their restrictions, the schools that aren't are often the ones that might complain about how their players are regarded.
"It doesn't hurt us, it hurts the kid," a scout said, per the report.
Alabama coach Nick Saban reportedly has the most wide-open policy in college football. More than one college scout has told College Football 24/7 that former Nebraska coach Bo Pelini wasn't very welcoming to scouts during his years at the school. According to USA Today, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn is known for heavy scouting restrictions. But Malzahn offered a compelling rebuttal to the narrative.
"I think we've got 14 players off last year's team in the NFL right now, and that's more than any team in college football," Malzahn said. "That speaks for itself."
Eleven rookies from Auburn are currently on NFL rosters, per ESPN.
A program like Auburn doesn't exactly lack for exposure, and once pre-draft events like the NFL Scouting Combine and campus pro days come around, a scouting department can get a lot of catch-up work done. Auburn players are less likely to be missed as a draft prospect than a similar prospect at a smaller school, competing at a lower level, and with limited exposure.
Yet, players from the smallest schools still somehow get discovered, often being drafted early and among high-profile picks from powerhouse college programs.
Sooner or later, they all are found. It's just not always an easy journey.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
