Get to Know the Packers' Scouts
Whether Brian Gutekunst makes dramatic changes to the Packers’ player philosophies or not, the draft is always going to represent the biggest avenue of talent acquisition in Green Bay.
But who makes the draft a possibility? In large part, it’s the small army of scouts crisscrossing the country to help the team craft informed opinions on any and every player up for selection.
Here’s a quick look at each of the scouts working behind the scenes to find the next Packers star.
Matt Malaspina - Director of College Scouting
Malaspina has a rich scouting background and an impressive career to date that’s full of interesting twists and turns and connections to the Packers. But none of it is as interesting as the fact that he played for a Canadian Football League expansion team called the Shreveport Pirates in 1994, where he was coached by none other than Packers legend Forrest Gregg.
The Pirates joined the CFL as part of an ill-fated expansion by that league to the United States, which also included teams in Baltimore and Las Vegas.
You can see a couple good shots of Gregg doing his thing doing this awesome promo video for the 1995 season.
Sam Seale - National Scout
NFL Network may not have enough footage to do a full episode of “A Football Life” on Sam Seale, but the story is interesting enough to merit some consideration.
Born in Barbados, Seale played his college ball at tiny Western State College in Colorado, where he led his team in both rushing and receiving twice. He also was an All-American track athlete and picked up a degree in political science.
In a 10 year NFL career, Seale played both offense and defense, returned punts, and played for four of the five teams in California.
As a scout, Seale handled the West Coast region for the Packers from 1995 through his promotion to national scout this year. He was recognized as the Scout of the Year in 2017.
According to his IMDB profile, he’s a Libra.
Chad Brinker - Assistant Director of Pro Scouting/Salary Cap Analyst
Brinker was a star for Ohio University in the late 1990s and early 2000s, finishing his career with 2,826 total yards, 74 of which came on this sprint against Miami (OH) in 1999.
He joined the Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2003 but couldn’t crack the active roster. He spent the 2004 NFL Europe season with the Cologne Centurions, but a concussion ended his playing career.
Brinker worked as a pharmaceutical sales rep after his days as a player came to an end and also worked as a radio color analyst for Ohio football. He joined the Packers as a scouting assistant in 2010 and was promoted to his current position two years later.
Richmond Williams - Pro Scout
A former scouting intern, Richmond Williams came to the Packers after a college playing career at Iowa, where he teamed up with former Packers defensive tackle Colin Cole.
“Student-athlete” is sometimes a misnomer, but Williams certainly fits the bill. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and added a certificate in entrepreneurship.
Luke Benuska - Pro Scout
The Packers like to take college offensive tackles and turn them into guards. Apparently, college tackles also turn into pro scouts, because that’s the career path Benuska has followed.
He lined up as a tackle for Texas Christian University for 22 games, playing a role on the squads that won Alamo Bowl and Peach Bowl titles.
Prior to his college career, Benuska was a high school tight end, catching passes for San Marino High School in California.
Benuska joined the Packers as a scouting intern in 2016 and was promoted to his current position in 2017.
Joe Hueber - College Scout
Hueber is a little bit unusual among the Packers scouting staff in that he didn’t play college football.
Rising through the ranks on the personnel side exclusively, Hueber joined the Packers as a scouting assistant in 2015 after three years working in recruiting for the University of Pittsburgh. He worked in the same capacity at the University of Minnesota while getting his undergraduate degree in sports management.
Pat Moore - College Scout
A rare westward traveler on the highway between Green Bay and Cleveland, Moore joins the Packers after four seasons with the Browns.
Moore is a well-traveled former coach whose resume includes stops at Illinois Wesleyan, Western Carolina, Auburn, Louisiana Tech, and finally Fordham, where he worked in a variety of capacities on defense and special teams before trying his hand at NFL scouting.
He holds master’s degrees from both Western Carolina and Auburn.
Mike Owen - College Scout
Owen scouts the northeast region for the Packers, which is the very definition of hanging around his old stomping grounds.
A native of Riverhead, New York, Owen was working as a coach at his high school alma mater before joining the Packers’ staff in 2012.
Owen lined up at linebacker and tight end during his four-year college career at Syracuse. You can see him blocking in the video below (wearing 85).
Charlie Peprah - College Scout
Here’s the only thing you need to know about Charlie Peprah:
His grandfather, I.K. Acheampong, was a former head of state of the West African republic of Ghana, who came to power in a coup d’etat in 1972, ruled until 1977 and was executed in a revolution in 1979. The series of events prompted Charlie’s parents to emigrate first to Europe and then to the United States, where his father began attending school at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.
I don’t know how you follow up a story like that, so here’s Charlie Peprah returning an interception for a touchdown against the Chargers in 2011.
Charles Walls - College Scout
Walls was briefly a member of Old Dominion’s relaunched football team, playing two games during the team’s inaugural season in 2009 before a career-ending injury forced him to the sidelines for good. Walls worked as a student assistant coach and graduate assistant from 2010 through 2012, then joined the Packers in 2013.
As with many of the Packers’ scouts, Walls’ off the field life is almost more interesting than what he does in football. In 2013, Walls worked as an intern for Randy Forbes, the U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 4th District. He’s currently working on a masters degree in public administration.
Brandian Ross - College Scout
Ross’s professional football journey began in Green Bay, where he joined the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He spent nearly two seasons on the practice squad before former Green Bay personnel man Reggie McKenzie added him to the active roster in Oakland, where he played 44 of his 45 games as a pro. He ended his NFL career with two interceptions, including this nice theft of Kyle Orton.