The NFL draft will kick off later this month and it will be the first one in a long time that plays out without Tom Modrak paying close attention to what happens.
Modrak died on Tuesday at the age of 74. The cause, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, was a neurological condition diagnosed late last year.
Modrak was the executive director of the BLESTO scouting service at the time of his death and he first broke into the football scouting world in a part-time job with the Steelers in the early 1970s. He then joined BLESTO before getting a full-time job with the Steelers.
Modrak spent two decades in that scouting role before being hired as the General Manager of the Eagles. He held that role from 1998-2001 and served as the vice president of college scouting for the Bills from 2001-11.
Our condolences go out to Modrak’s friends and family on their loss.