Giants scouts are mastering NIL era with touchpoints, AI, and adaptation

New York Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown offered high praise for the scouting staff during his press conference at rookie minicamp on Saturday, crediting their meticulous work for helping the team navigate the modern college football landscape of NIL deals and frequent transfers. Brown emphasized that the department has stayed "ahead of the curve" in the NIL era. "We've maximized our touchpoints.

Whether it's on school campus visits, multiple visits, All-Star game exposure, the 30 visits, but as well as a credit to our young guys," he told reporters. With many prospects now attending two or three programs, shorter tenures have reduced continuity with college coaches. To counter this, the Giants hired young scouting assistants familiar with the portal process.

This has allowed deeper evaluations of character and work habits beyond on-field talent. "We've hired some scouting assistants that come from the college landscape, and they know how these guys work during the portal process. When they actually have to negotiate portal deals, how are they with money before they get to us?

We kind of have a beat on who they are, their love of football, what drives them, what are their motivators," Brown said. "And we're not waiting until they're New York Giants. We know exactly how money is going to affect them.