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2013 NFL Draft: Prospect sequence list drives team decisions
By Daniel Jeremiah, Analyst, NFL.com and NFL Network
In the media, we often focus on ranking NFL draft prospects by position. But that can be misleading, especially when taken in context of what happens in NFL team headquarters. It's the overall sequence, regardless of position, that matters most.
Here's how it works in draft meetings: After each scout reads his report on a particular guy, he is asked to integrate the player into the entire prospect population. For instance, after everyone who watched and wrote up West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin discussed their report, the leader of the meetings (typically the personnel director or general manager) would ask that group of scouts which player they rated higher, Austin or Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert.
These comparison discussions can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes before the player eventually gets slotted on the master sequence list. This process is run almost like a mini-election. Seven scouts vote for Austin, four scouts vote for Eifert. Austin wins. Next up, North Carolina guard Jonathan Cooper six votes, Austin five votes. Cooper wins. Therefore, Austin is sequenced in between Cooper and Eifert on the master list.
In order to be properly prepared for these meetings, each scout must formulate his own sequence list of prospects that he's studied. When called upon to pick between two prospects, you can't just throw out a name off the top of your head. You have to consult your own sequence list constantly during these draft meetings. Here's my sequence list for the top 50 players in the 2013 NFL Draft:
By Daniel Jeremiah, Analyst, NFL.com and NFL Network
In the media, we often focus on ranking NFL draft prospects by position. But that can be misleading, especially when taken in context of what happens in NFL team headquarters. It's the overall sequence, regardless of position, that matters most.
Here's how it works in draft meetings: After each scout reads his report on a particular guy, he is asked to integrate the player into the entire prospect population. For instance, after everyone who watched and wrote up West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin discussed their report, the leader of the meetings (typically the personnel director or general manager) would ask that group of scouts which player they rated higher, Austin or Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert.
These comparison discussions can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes before the player eventually gets slotted on the master sequence list. This process is run almost like a mini-election. Seven scouts vote for Austin, four scouts vote for Eifert. Austin wins. Next up, North Carolina guard Jonathan Cooper six votes, Austin five votes. Cooper wins. Therefore, Austin is sequenced in between Cooper and Eifert on the master list.
In order to be properly prepared for these meetings, each scout must formulate his own sequence list of prospects that he's studied. When called upon to pick between two prospects, you can't just throw out a name off the top of your head. You have to consult your own sequence list constantly during these draft meetings. Here's my sequence list for the top 50 players in the 2013 NFL Draft:
