The HBO show Hard Knocks has become a staple of the NFL preseason ever since its premiere season in 2001, when the cameras focused on the Baltimore Ravens’ training camp. The show returns this week to follow the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks as they prepare to defend their title in the 2026 season.
A staple of the show is the last episode of each season when the audience learns which of the bubble players on the roster will make the team and who will get cut. If you are a young player that is trying out for your high school or club team, you might wonder what the key factors are that NFL coaches take into consideration when making the final cuts.
The first thing every young person should consider is the saying, “It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.”
The NFL has had numerous players who were undrafted when they entered their first training camp and ended up in the Pro Bowl. Probably the most famous is Kurt Warner, who went four years after college before making an NFL team and was bagging groceries at a store in Iowa after getting cut by the Green Bay Packers. However, when Warner finally made the St. Louis Rams roster, he incredibly led them to a Super Bowl championship in his second season and was the MVP of the NFL and the Super Bowl that year.
But it cuts both ways. For every feel-good story about players who were unheralded rookies that made the team with a great training camp, there are just as many heartbreaking stories of players who seemed to be can’t-miss prospects who unfortunately did miss.
So, what are coaches looking for when they evaluate players during the pre-season training camp? At the NFL level, the first thing you have to consider is that there are only 53 spots on the roster, and experts will tell you that 40 to 45 of those spots are pretty much locked. This means that all of the fringe players are really fighting for somewhere between 8 and 15 spots, not 53.
What can you learn from what they need to do to grab one of those valuable few spots? Here are four key takeaways to consider when you are trying out, whether it be for an NFL roster spot or a chance to play on the varsity at your high school.
- Brainpower: Most coaches will tell you that often the biggest difference between winning and losing a game is the team that makes fewer mistakes. Can you show your coach that you know the playbook better than the rest of your teammates and won’t make mental mistakes or blow an assignment that costs your team a game? Coaches want players they can rely on. Use your brain as much as you use your body.
- Versatility: If you are fighting for a roster spot, there is probably a pretty good chance that you won’t be replacing the star quarterback or point guard. You just want to make the team and get some playing time. Show the coach that you are flexible, can play lots of positions, and are willing to do the little things. Every football team needs good special teams players and every hoops team needs players who can grab a rebound and play defense. Be that player.
- Consistency: ESPN has created an empire around showing highlights of the flashiest plays of the day. That’s nice, but a coach will happily trade away the player who throws crazy behind-the-back passes that make for a great social media post and instead take the one who has a much better turnover ratio with their solid old-school two-handed chest passes.
- Coachable: One thing that holds lots of people back, not just in sports, but in life, is that they have a fixed mindset with the attitude that they are only as good as they are. Are you willing to make the effort to get better? Are you willing to listen to constructive criticism that will make you better? Are you willing to allow yourself to be vulnerable in working on the skills that you know you suck at? All of those things are traits of people with growth mindsets that coaches love on their squad.
