An original Tom Coughlin hire who has sat in the Jaguars draft room from the team’s first pick to its most recent, has been named NFL “Scout of the Year.” The award was presented to Tim Mingey (pictured left), who has spent the past 16 years scouting college football for the Jaguars.
“Tim is without question one of the best scouts in the NFL,” Jaguars General Manager Gene Smith said. “Tim is as good a person as he is a professional, and he sets a high standard for others to follow. I’m truly honored to work with Tim and I’ve certainly learned a lot from him over the past 15-plus years of working together.”
Mingey received the award last week in El Paso, Tex., where NFL scouts had assembled to evaluate talent in the “Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Challenge” that was played on Saturday. The award was presented by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is named in honor of C.O. Brocato, a veteran of 35 years of scouting in the NFL. Brocato is currently the director of college scouting for the Tennessee Titans.
“I’m proud and flattered,” Mingey said. “I’m a little humbled because there are other guys out there more deserving than I am.”
Mingey was hired by the Jaguars in 1994 following a long career as a college recruiting coordinator at Tennessee, West Point, Miami of Ohio, East Carolina and Western Michigan. With the Jaguars, Mingey has spent most of his time scouting the Southeast.
“How many miles?” he said when asked to put a mileage total to his scouting career. “Maybe 35,000 miles a year times 16.”
In his travels, he found players such as all-time Jaguars leading rusher Fred Taylor.
“Yeah, I guess the best player I scouted who played for the Jaguars is Fred. When Fred ran that electrifying 40, everybody looked at each other, as if to say, wow!” Mingey recalled of Taylor’s pro-day workout at Florida.
His formula for scouting hasn’t changed through the years. He looks for something special in a prospect.
“Something off the tape where there’s a flash or a sudden movement or explosion,” Mingey said.
He recalls a Miami pro day of a few years ago when the field was littered with players who flashed.
“The best day to see talent on the field at one time was at Miami when (Kellen) Winslow, (Vince) Wilfork, (Sean) Taylor and those guys came out,” Mingey said.
His peers regard him for his thoroughness.
“You have to have self-discipline. You have to do something every day, whether you’re out scouting, looking at the Internet or talking to someone on the phone,” Mingey said.
His thoroughness has allowed Mingey to remain a constant in the Jaguars personnel department through three regimes. He’s worked for three directors: Rick Reiprish, James Harris and, now, Smith.
“He’s highly respected and has developed trusted contacts on college football staffs throughout the country. It’s great to have one of our own recognized like this because Tim has built an outstanding reputation league-wide through his work ethic and integrity,” Smith said.
“Part of our job is to find out about people. You have to find out what’s real,” Mingey said.