The Arizona Cardinals continue to make changes to their front office as they hire Detroit Lions’ director of college scouting, Dave Sears, as assistant general manager under Monty Ossenfort .
of #AZ Cardinals have adopted #lions Sources say the university director will scout Dave Sears as assistant general manager under new GM Monty Ossenfort. It’s a bit of a surprise considering his two strong internal candidates, Adrian Wilson and Quentin Harris, who interviewed for the GM position.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 21, 2023
Sears has been the director of collegiate scouting for the Lions since 2019, and had been an assistant in that role two seasons prior. He reunites with Ossenfort.
The person holding that position is not only responsible for doing homework on all prospective draft prospects, but is also responsible for organizing the team’s draft committee.
The Lions’ recent draft class had rookie prodigies like defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who recorded 9.5 sacks and three interceptions. Third-round pick Kirby Joseph led the team with four interceptions. Sixth-round pick James Huston has eight sacks in seven games.
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Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Building offensive lines is one of Sears’ specialties, scouting successful players such as Penay Sewell, Frank Lagnow and Jonah Jackson. The best player Sears successfully scouted was wide receiver Amon La Sainte. Brown, the Lions’ 2021 fourth-round pick, led the team with 106 receptions, 1,161 for his yards and six touchdowns this season.
Sears has been a regional scout for the Lions’ Player Personnel Department since 2007.
His background continues to be extensive as he was a scout for the Washington Commanders (formerly the Redskins) for four seasons from 1997-2000. He was a scout for the Houston Texans for seven seasons (2000-06).
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Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images
One head coach candidate with ties to the Cardinals’ new assistant general manager is Demeko Lyons, defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. Demeco Lyons was his second-round pick by the Texans in the 2006 draft and is a player Sears knows well during his time in Houston. Ryans has an interview scheduled with the Cardinals this week.
