press releases

National Scouting Announcement

Reese's Senior Bowl Announces National Scouts

Wed, Jul 24, 2019

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 24, 2019

 

REESE’S SENIOR BOWL ANNOUNCES FOOTBALL STAFF CHANGES

 

Mobile, AL- The Reese’s Senior Bowl is excited to announce its football staff for the 71stannual game to be played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama on January 25, 2020.  For the second consecutive year, the nation’s premier college all-star showcase will be staffed entirely by scouts with previous experience in the National Football League.  Included in this year’s scouting department are the game’s first former NFL player, Mike Young, and first female, Kathleen Wood.  

The veteran scouting staff with a collective 81 years of NFL experience will consist of Brian Adams (Midwest), Bill Dekraker (Northeast), Young (Midlands), Wood (Southeast), Josh Cox (Southwest), and Brad Forsyth (West).  In addition, the Senior Bowl has added Tanner Chastain, Jeb Boudreaux, and Matt Kelly as in-house scouting assistants.

  

Statement from Reese’s Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy:

 

“First, I would like to thank last year’s scouting staff of Zac Bocian, Jim Jauch, Ryan Kessenich, and Seth Turner for helping assemble a roster that included 10 first-round picks and 93 total players drafted, which represents 37% of the 2019 NFL draft. That group, along with scouting assistants Dante Fargnoli and Jack Gilmore, did an excellent job evaluating players and setting a high standard for years to come.

During my time in the NFL, I worked alongside Brian Adams, Bill Dekraker, and Brad Forsyth on the road and all three of them bring a level of professionalism and expertise that will greatly benefit the Reese’s Senior Bowl.  Josh Cox is a younger scout that came highly recommended and he has good connections in the southwest.  

Everyone associated with our great game is thrilled with the additions of Mike Young and Kathleen Wood. Mike has attended our Senior Bowl Scout School and helped out during game week in the past so we know the quality of both his character and his work.  One of our goals at the Reese’s Senior Bowl is to help educate and train former NFL players (in scouting) and making Mike part of our team is a good first step in accomplishing that.

Kathleen’s list of references included numerous NFL general managers and it did not take long (during the hiring process) to realize how passionate and knowledgeable she is about the game of football.  The Reese’s Senior Bowl is committed to diversity and inclusion and we hope Kathleen’s experience with us this season will help her reach her ultimate goal of becoming a full-time NFL scout.

Our mission will always be to provide the 32 NFL clubs with the most talented rosters possible and I am confident this year’s scouting staff will do exactly that”.  

 

SCOUTING STAFF BIOS

 

·      Brian Adams (Midwest Regional Scout)- Adams is the senior member of the group with 32 years of NFL experience in college scouting at various levels with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, and Buffalo Bills.  

 

·      Bill Dekraker (Northeast Regional Scout)- Dekraker entered the NFL in 1995 as a personnel assistant with the Washington Redskins and he served as an area scout in the West, East, Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions with the Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Jets.  

 

·      Mike Young (Midlands Regional Scout)- Young played linebacker at the University of Illinois and spent four years (2001-04) with the Arizona Cardinals.  He worked with the New York Jets in 2018 as part of the NFL’s Nunn-Wooten Fellowship program and also attended the Senior Bowl Scout School.

 

·      Kathleen Wood (Southeast Regional Scout)- Wood’s NFL scouting experience includes training camp internships with the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles as part of the league’s Nunn-Wooten Fellowship.  In 2018, she was also selected to be part of the NFL Women’s Careers in Football Forum.  

 

·      Josh Cox (Southwest Regional Scout)- Cox spent four years with the Cleveland Browns, including the past two as the team’s southwest scout.  He served as a training camp intern for two years with the Kansas City Chiefs while working in recruiting at the University of Alabama.

 

·       Brad Forsyth (West Regional Scout)- Forsyth spent 20 years as an area scout with the Buffalo Bills and one year in the same capacity with the Miami Dolphins.  Most recently, was the director of player personnel at the University of Colorado.