Ypsilanti — If the NFL Draft is the engine that fuels a franchise’s long-term success, the scouts are the ones in the boiler room shoveling the coal.
Operating outside the peripheral of fan and media interest, it’s through the tireless effort of the scouts that a front office is equipped with the necessary information to make well-reasoned decisions in the draft. Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn understands this well, because before he ascended to his current role, he was shoveling coal.