The scouting process for collegiate prospects with NFL aspirations is getting more and more intense as both big-time college programs and the NFL scour the country (and overseas) to find the next blue-chip prospect for their respective organization.

One of the most respected and recognized high-school scouting services, Rivals.com, added two sixth grade football prospects (Tyson Thornton and Daron Bryden) earlier this year acknowledging that both players will be monitored, even though the two talents are roughly a decade away from being NFL eligible.

Times are changing and the ability to get a leg up on the competition in the NFL via the scouting department has never been more intense. Scrutinizing and zeroing in on the most realistic evaluation of any prospect now requires plenty of man hours and still the results are hit-or-miss.

Rivals.com exposes the top talents at the high-school level while a litany other NFL Draft services diagnose collegiate players considered pro worthy. The two dominant names in the industry that he NFL uses are the BLESTO and National scouting reports. Each report is highly confidential and strongly guarded from being exposed to anyone outside of the NFL. Stories of criminal action being taken to those individuals who share these (secret) documents are wide spread in the industry. NFL agents anxiously await the same reports which in turn can help them dial in on the next prospect they want to sign.

Once the files of the names on the list begin to surface more around the internet leads to the once wide scope of NFL Draft prospects beginning to be narrowed down. There is no exact science to scouting and even the impeccable qualities possessed by both the BLESTO and National scouting reports overrate some players and leave other eventual NFL stars off the their coveted list.

The college seasons begins with NFL scouts building up their frequent flyer miles as they visit different college campuses armed with their own evaluations and either the BLESTO or National report tucked in the sleeve of the scouting folder. Most NFL teams have regional scouts who over the years know the terrain and staffs of the colleges they cover. The general manager will also pay a visit to certain games usually the one that has a heavy dose of NFL draft available prospects.

Even after all this the process for scouting prospects is months away from being finalized.

In the next volume, we’ll discuss how the scouting process takes a leap forward after the season is concluded.