You often hear or read around draft time about the hours and hours that NFL scouts log out on the road evaluating college prospects. This fall, get ready for weekly updates as 49ers.com tracks 49ers college scout Todd Brunner in his very own Brunner's Blog. Find out what it's really like out on the road scouring college campuses for the new crop of talent!
I left you last week in Baltimore where I was going to attend the Williams Mary/Maryland game. Maryland looked okay, not great. When 1A teams play 1-AA teams it's almost a preseason game of sorts, especially when it's the opener. They want to get the kinks out because they should win the game. There are the rare circumstances when they don't, like last week Richmond beating Duke and Montana State beating Colorado. They took those games too lightly I'd guess and probably overlooked that there is a lot of talent at 1-AA schools.
On Sunday I drove down to Norfolk, Virginia and made camp there for three nights. My first stop was Elizabeth City, North Carolina. That was my first time at the school as it was added to my area this year courtesy of our southeast scout Matt.
My visit there was on Labor Day so the roads were empty which made it a nice and easy trip and I got to interview the players as well as watch tape. They have two guys there that I was curious to see. One was a defensive lineman who has potential because of his size. They've also got a linebacker who views himself as a safety.
I then went on to Hampton University which is one of the top schools in I-AA. They had a handful of guys I looked at, about nine which is the reason why they are one of the top schools in I-AA. They've got a transfer from Miami who will be looked at by the majority of the scouts in the league because of his speed. They've got a wide receiver who is not as fast as Jerome Mathis who was drafted out of their two years ago and went to the Pro Bowl this last year as a returner, but this kid has the potential to be a better receiver than Mathis.
I also hit Norfolk State. They have a tight end prospect there who along with the players at Hampton will warrant a second look later in the year.
I made the 400 mile trek home to get back for my daughter's first day of school on Thursday. She's in second grade and I've made it an annual thing to be home for her first day of school. I walked her to the bus stop, was there when she came home on the bus, and took her to soccer practice. It's my one day to do all the things I don't get to do most of the year.
I'm going to the Rutgers game today. They are playing Illinois and it's only 40 minutes away so it's a short trip for me. Rutgers has got a handful of guys, two of which have a good chance of going on the first day of the draft.
So far in the last three weeks, I'd say I've done about 30-35 reports which means I've got more than 100 to go. I've sent those into the office and they print those out so that Scot and David McCloughan can take a look at them.
I'll head out Sunday morning to Penn State, home of Michael Robinson and Anthony Adams, and I'll check in again next week!
