:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/6307823/20130108-caldwell_fb.0.jpg)
The Jacksonville Jaguars have hired David Caldwell as their new general manager and plan to introduce him at a press conference on Thursday afternoon. For the 2012 season, Caldwell served as the Atlanta Falcons director of pro player personnel and was Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff's right hand man. Prior to his promotion as the director of pro player personnel, Caldwell served as the Falcons director of college scouting.
Caldwell came up through the ranks the way you would like a person running a football team to come up, especially one that will be shaping the talent on your roster. His NFL scouting career began in 1996 as a scouting assistant for the Carolina Panther under then general manager Bill Polian. Caldwell served as a go-between for the college scouting director and area scouts while focusing on preparation for the NFL draft.
Caldwell got his start as a scout in 1998 for the Indianapolis Colts serving as a regional scout covering the Midwest and West Coast regions under general manager Bill Polian once again. He remained a scout with the Colts for the next seven seasons before being promoted to the Western regional scout in 2006 covering the Pac-12, Big-12, and Big-10 conferences. Caldwell had a hand in shaping the Super Bowl XLI champion Colts roster.
In 2008, Caldwell was hired by the Atlanta Falcons to be their director of college scouting, overseeing the Falcons area and college scouting staff. Caldwell also assisted in scouting the top talent in the country and putting together all of the available information to Dimitroff to make the drafting process as efficient as possible.
Caldwell was supposedly instrumental in the Falcons trade up for wide receiver Julio Jones and is said to be built in the mold of Dimitroff, whom he served under for the past five seasons. Not afraid to get difference makers and understands and addresses the needs of a team.
The first round picks of the Falcons under Caldwell as the director of college scouting for the most part have all been hits. Matt Ryan, Sam Baker, Peria Jerry, Sean Weatherspoon, Julio Jones, and Peter Konz (2nd round pick in 2012) are all at least solid starters for the Falcons.
Caldwell, just 38 years old, is a John Carroll University graduate where he played outside linebacker for the Blue Streaks football team where he was teammates with Chris Polian and Greg Roman.