New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is unique in the NFL because he has complete control over everything. He not only controls the players on the field, but he is also in charge of the scouts responsible for adding players to the roster.
There's a fluid nature with the Patriots scouting and coaching departments, most notably with director of player personnel and Belichick's right hand Nick Caserio spending time as the team's wide receivers coach.
It's important that both the coaching staff and the scouts are on the same page because that is how the team is able to best acquire the correct talent, and not just accumulate random players.
"[The scouts] see the young players that we drafted [in practice], get a feel for the team," Belichick said after Wednesday's practice. "When they go out on the road they kind of compare those players to our players."
Belichick also agreed that it's good to have an on-roster comparison for players currently in college because that's an easy way to project an NFL role for the prospect.
The Patriots invested their 2016 draft capital on players that will likely see a larger role in 2017. Second round cornerback Cyrus Jones will likely take over for Logan Ryan. Third round guard Joe Thuney could take over for Josh Kline, or even start as a rookie.
Third round quarterback Jacoby Brissett will replace Jimmy Garoppolo, under the assumption Garoppolo will be traded next offseason. Third round defensive tackle Vincent Valentine could take over for either Alan Branch or Terrance Knighton.
The scouts come to the practices to see how the coaches use the players, and which skill sets thrive in the Patriots system, and then go "out on the road" to find other players that can be successful in New England.