Making sense of the NFL's (and the Panthers') in-season scouting processes

The college football season is now fully underway, which means the Carolina Panthers (and the rest of the NFL) will be sending their scouts back out on the road and back out on the hunt for the next wave of up-and-coming talent. But what about when you don’t see your team’s eyes back out there, especially at one of the biggest games of the year?

According to ESPN’s Jordan Reid, a whopping 24 NFL teams were in attendance for Saturday’s matchup between the No.1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs and the No. 14th-ranked Clemson Tigers. And some, per Reid, even had their general managers on hand at Mercedes-Benz Stadium—including Buffalo’s Brandon Beane, Chicago’s Ryan Poles, Green Bay’s Brian Gutekunst and New York’s Joe Schoen.

But the Panthers, to the confusion of quite a few folks, weren’t one of those 24 organizations. Fans were left questioning why their team, which has one of the more talent-deprived rosters in the league, may not have had feelers in Atlanta this past weekend.

Why weren’t they there? When will they end up checking out certain draft prospects? And when they do, what exactly are they looking for?

Well, those are actually pretty good questions. So, to get some insight into how teams approach these games, I asked a few experts—Pro Football Focus lead NFL draft analyst Trevor Sikkema and Damian Parson of Bleacher Report’s scouting department.

“Teams have a checklist and that list varies,” Parson said of the evaluation processes. “Some teams attend games to gather needed information. Some good to evaluate the player within the element of the game. Every team has their unique process and approach.”

Parson adds that attendance is often about location, location, location.

“In addition, it depends on the team,” he stated. “If an NFL team is close to the school they’re scouting, it is not as important because they can make a quick trip or visit.”

Sikkema has a similar sentiment.

“There is certainly value to being up close and seeing how guys play, especially against the top opponents,” he said. “But it’s different for every staff how much they emphasize that.”

Visits aren’t all about what goes on between the lines either. How a player conducts himself on the sideline when the game isn’t going their way can be considered.

“Sometimes it is a non-negotiable for building a team’s scouting report. But for others, it’s not too important in the grand scheme of building their board,” Sikkema said. “It really is subjective. Valuable in some way for sure, but how much varies.”

Sikkema said that gauging a player’s higher-ups is on the mind too.

“How do the coaches talk about this player?” he said. “Gathering background information on them before and after the game with those in the program; that’s some of why it’s important for teams to travel for these prospects.”

Now, what if a team isn’t in attendance for a “must-see” battle? What, if anything, could that mean?

Parson explains that a team not attending said games early in the season is significant only if the school they’re interested in has none left for the rest of the year.

“When teams have multiple marquee matchups scheduled, teams choose which game is their best chance to evaluate the top talent available,” he stated.

So, no need to worry, Panthers fans. Opportunities, as well as big games for nearby Clemson and Georgia, will come for your front office.

Clemson plays Appalachian State, N.C. State, and Florida State within the next month while Georgia will play Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Ole Miss. This gives Carolina plenty of chances to get as much information as they can.

While it’s understandable fans are anxious for their team to have a successful and legitimate braintrust they can trust in, the process of how they approach the draft and its potential prospects should be respected ahead of the NFL regular season and for the remainder of the college football campaign.