Former Eagles scout John Middlekauf said something interesting on Twitter that may give you an idea how coaches and scouts see things differently.
Chad Hall: Scouts: Slow, Small, Not dynamic, avg athlete Coaches: Quicker than fast, Gets open, tough, High character.
— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) August 9, 2013
Coaches take a player and put him in their system. They find specific ways to use the player. They spend time working with the player in the classroom.
The scout is judging the player against other players he’s scouted. Obvious weaknesses such as size, speed, strength and things like that tend to stick out more and make it tougher for the scout to like the prospect.
I wonder who would have liked Danny Amendola more coming out, the coaches or the scouts? I’m guessing coaches. I was really disappointed when we let Amendola go, I thought his quickness in and out of his routes made up for his lack of top end speed. He reminded me of Welker a bit, as Welker creates absurd separation by getting in and out of his breaks quickly. I’d like to think Amendola’s career (injuries notwithstanding) have validated my feelings about him.
I tend to think that coaches have 2 ways of looking at players: skills and fit. Looking at a player without obvious superior skills and yet who is a good fit for what the coach wants to do, a coach might value a player more than a scout. On the other hand, a coach might see a player’s skill set as so superior, it doesn’t matter the fit, that coach will find a way to maximize the unique skills the player brings to the table.
Scouts I believe usually just look at the skills part of the equation.
Chad Hall was actually far from an average athlete. His 3 cone was 6.36 seconds, his 60-yard shuttle was good (10.70) and his short shuttle (4.0) was pretty strong. He was great in short areas, he just lacked long speed.