Broncos cornerback Drayton Florence has hung around a decade in the NFL by being a smart, steady pro.
Now that he’s closer to the end of his career than the beginning, he’s thinking about looking for them rather than being one.
Florence told Jeff Legwold of the Denver Post he wants to get into personnel when he’s finished playing.
“Just knowing what to look for in a player, I think I have that and would like to see what the opportunities are at some point,” Florence said. “I’ve been in the league 10 years, I’ve seen all types of different players, body types. You’ve got to get the right type of player to fit the scheme that you’re running.
“It will be an interesting task, I think it would be a good fit for me. A lot of guys really don’t do it, but I’ve been around football all my life. This is what I know. I’m not going to go try to be a chemical engineer when I’m done playing. This is what I’ve been doing. I want to stick to what I know.”
The Broncos are like many teams, whose front offices contain several former players, including director of player personnel Matt Russell, assistant director of college scouting Lenny McGill and area scout Cornell Green.
Florence said he looks at film differently now, thinking how he’d evaluate players as a scout.
“I probably look at it more now from a personnel standpoint when I’m breaking down my opponent. How they put their teams together, what kinds of players that have that fit or don’t fit,” he said. “In the preseason, especially, I kind of look at the defensive backs, the receivers and I’m always looking at the quarterbacks.”
A lot of players think the way Florence thinks, until they get into it.
The scouting world is a lot more of a grind than many realize, and especially if they’ve made a little money, it proves to be more work than many former players want.
It’s far from necessary to have played to evaluate, but smart bosses put together a blend of perspectives which includes former players, to make sure they get a broad range of opinions.
The pay’s not quite the same as playing, so Florence shouldn’t be in a hurry, but at least he has a plan.