CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Shortly after the 2023 NFL Draft concluded, Jared Kirksey barely had a moment to himself. That’s because he was already thinking about next year by the following day.
“It’s a process,” he explains. “May, June, July. Then, from August, we’re out from pretty much Thanksgiving.”
In other words, Kirksey is working nonstop. Some would call that grind. He, however, calls it something else.
“I’m thinking it is an obsession,” he smiles. “It’s an obsession you have to have innately to scout. You have to be obsessed about it.”
Another quality trait for the job is organization.
They need to be insanely organized. Fortunately for the Panthers, Kirksey is. As Carolina’s Director of College Scouting, Kirksey divides the country into six regions and designates a staff member for each one. Weeding through thousands of athletes is challenging, but this expedites the year-long process.
“They find the prospects they like, (then) they let the older top guys know, then It goes up the food chain as far as seeing those prospects because we want to see the prospects.”
Hopefully, by the time fall turns to winter, the Panthers scouting department will have seen them a lot. By then, they’ll know all their stats, but they’ll also learn something more important: What makes them tick?
“When we go to games, everything matters,” Kirksey said. “They could be from when the game happened, to who is playing (in) that game, where they are playing that game, whether it’s special teams, offense, defense, and so forth.
The talent is often obvious. But there are other instances where a player’s potential is up for debate. That’s when Kirksey might have to take a chance and go with his gut.
“You want to know what they can do and what they could be for you,” he says.
Kirksey admits there’s no foolproof method for his madness.
“Diamonds of the rough, they can be in every draft.”
But that doesn’t stop him from trying to get it right.
“The conversation continues until we make that pick.”
Sometimes, they win, and sometimes, they lose, but no matter what, the grind and the obsession never end.