Former Dallas Cowboys Scout Preaches Importance of Senior Bowl

A former Dallas Cowboys scout is now in charge of the Senior Bowl, and believes it's vital for making draft-day decisions.

American Team safety Jalon Kilgore of South Carolina lines up during American Senior Bowl practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Former Dallas Cowboys scout Drew Fabianich took over as the executive director of the Senior Bowl this season, following Jim Nagy's departure. Nagy, who spent seven years in the executive director role, accepted a position as the general manager of football at Oklahoma.

Fabianich spent 18 years with the Cowboys and is excited to be heading up the Senior Bowl. He claims it's a great opportunity for players to prove themselves as they go against the best players in the nation.

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"It's the best against the best," Fabianich said via Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com. "What I enjoyed about it was getting together as a group, plus we split it up by position, flipped it, we talked about those guys at the end of the week. This brought guys value here. A perfect example was DeMarcus Ware… I think this put him over the edge."

Fabianich said the Cowboys decided to take DeMarcus Ware over Shawn Merriman, based on the extended look former head coach Bill Parcells had with Ware during the Senior Bowl.

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He stated that players in the NCAA, no matter how good the team is, will find themselves going up against someone who won't make it to the NFL. During these practices in Mobile, however, nearly everyone is seen as a potential NFL player.

Cowboys have had success with Senior Bowl prospects

South squad quarterback Dak Prescott of Mississippi State looks to pass the football during the Senior Bowl. | Chuck Cook-Imagn Images

Dallas has had success with Senior Bowl prospects, with 2016 MVP Dak Prescott standing out. In addition to Prescott, they scouted DeMarco Murray, Zack Martin, Osa Odighizuwa, and Jake Ferguson in Mobile.

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The past couple of seasons, they selected Marist Liufau and Donovan Ezeiruaku, who were standouts during their respective Senior Bowls.

This year, the Cowboys are likely to keep their eyes on defenders as they look to rebuild that side of the ball.

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