Get a whole new perspective on scouting and NFL decision-making and listen to this show before the draft tonight. 

The NFL Draft begins today and rather than talking about prospects, I spoke with two experienced NFL football operations and personnel people about scouting, management, and strategy of building a team. This is easily one of my five favorite shows this year.

Alan Dandar is the co-founder of Dynamic Sport solutions. His site SmashDraft.com is an excellent tool worth checking out if you’re an NFL fan or media. Dandar has been a statistical consultant with the Minnesota Timberwolves, a player personnel assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles, a director of football operations and Princeton, and a special assistant to the recruiting coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Temple.

Dandar’s responsibilities bridged the gap between studying tape and analytics concepts. He’s well-versed in both areas and provides a terrific perspective on both sports operations and the corporate world.

Dan Hatman is the co-founder the Scouting Academy. Dan is a former scout with the Giants, Eagles, and Jets. Scouting Academy offers a wealth of education to media, fans and aspiring scouts. He has a staff of former players, coaches, and personnel management from the NFL. Scouting Academy has partnered with the Senior Bowl for the 2016 event.

Session highlights:

• Our experiences with operations management and evaluation processes.
• Comparing and contrasting NFL organizations as business entities with other non-NFL organizations.
• Where leadership gets it wrong in the NFL.
• Opportunities with initial and continuous training
• The trust dynamic and lack of it in the league.
• Identifying the correct team infrastructure to develop.
• Inefficiencies within NFL operational structures–deployment and responsibilities of scouts.
• The positives and negatives of the NFL as an insulated business environment.
• The role of analytics in the league and discerning quality analytic studies as a reader and fan in the media.

Check it out before the draft and get a whole new perspective on the process.

 Like what you heard. Looking for a draft guide on the skill positions? Get the 2015 Rookie Scouting Portfolio – available now. Better yet, if you’re a fantasy owner the Post-Draft Add-on comes with the 2012 – 2015 RSPs at no additional charge. Best, yet, 10 percent of every sale is donated to Darkness to Light to combat sexual abuse. You can purchase past editions of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio for just $9.95 a