When I started working in scouting in the early 1980’s, the scouting season came to an end right after the NFL Draft. One of the main reasons for that was the availability of film/tape. Unless a scout was making a school call, his access to tape was minimal at best. With technology the way it is now, tape is as far away as a scout’s laptop.
The almost three months between the Draft and training camp used to be downtime, but not any longer. Except for a few weeks for a vacation, those summer months now mean getting a head start on the fall.