Scout: Tim Ruskell
Region: Scouts everything east of the Mississipi “over the top” of the scouts who have smaller regions in that area. That means he’s a second set of eyes in the East.
Tenure: In 29th NFL season, fourth with the Titans.
Previous work: Served as director of player personnel for the Bears from 2010-11. President of football operations and general manager of the Seahawks from 2005-09. Assistant general manager of the Falcons in 2004. Regional scout and then director of college scouting for the Buccaneers from 1992-2000. Director of player personnel for the Bucs from 2001-03. Served as the director of scouting for the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL from 1985-86 after working as a scout for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1983-85.
College: University of South Florida.
Personal background: From Tampa. Lives in Chicago. Married with two kids.
Some Titans from his territory: Right guard Chance Warmack (first round out of Alabama in 2013), receiver Justin Hunter (second round of out Tennessee in 2013), cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson (third round out of UConn in 2013), defensive lineman DaQuan Jones (fourth round out of Penn State in 2014), linebacker Avery Williamson (fifth round out of Kentucky in 2014).
Assessment of note: "It’s just so rare to get a power dominant type of guard. In Seattle we had Hutch [Steve Hutchinson]. Obviously, there are those kinds of guys in the league and they have been a real impact type player for their teams because it allows you to do everything that you want to do. It opens up the whole playbook. It was rare because he was the best lineman I saw in my area and not only for what you see on the tape with his power and his ability to hit on the move and open up the running game, but his character. All of the guys at Alabama would talk to us about his influence on the team and how hard he worked. You rarely hear about a guy who worked so hard in the film room really studying the game and trying to get better. I was able to communicate that with the guys and it was a total team effort here. Every step of the way people did something different to add a piece to the puzzle. This is the culmination.” -- Ruskell, after the Titans drafted Warmack
GM Ruston Webster says: “I’ve known him for a long time. He’s a very good evaluator. He’s been a team president. He’s valuable for me.”