The hirings are coming at a steady pace at One Bills Drive as GM Brandon Beane and his front office fill out their pro and college scouting staffs. On Thursday the club announced the hiring of Lake Dawson as Assistant Director of College Scouting.
"He's had a heck of a career," said Beane of Dawson. "He rose to a level of VP of Player Personnel. He's interviewed for multiple GM positions. To have a guy with his experience and leadership… it's a strong addition."
Dawson, 45, has 22 years of experience as both an NFL receiver (six years) and in college and pro scouting (16 years). He was a National Scout for the Cleveland Browns last year, but prior to that had a nine-year stint in the Tennessee Titans front office.
Over that span, Dawson went from Titans Director of Pro Personnel to Vice President of Football Operations to Vice President of Player Personnel. He worked alongside then Titans GM Ruston Webster managing day-to-day operations and all matters of personnel overseeing both the pro and college departments.
After his playing career was cut short by injury, Dawson began his scouting career as a pro personnel assistant with the Seattle Seahawks. Five years later he was named Seattle's Assistant Director of Pro Personnel.
As much as Dawson has proven himself as a strong talent evaluator, Beane sees Dawson's six-year NFL career as an inherent advantage for Buffalo's new Assistant Director of College Scouting.
"There's no question that you can't match what a player who understands what players goes through and what makes good players," said Beane. "In the interview we talked about what type of player are we looking for, high character. Lake understands that it is the guy on the field, but as the Assistant College Director, we're going to make sure our college scouts are working the background and the character on prospects. What type of man are we getting when we scout these guys?"
