On Monday it was announced that George Paton, general manager of the Denver Broncos, would be hiring his old colleague from the Minnesota Vikings, Kelly Kleine, and in doing so are making her the highest-ranking female scouting executive in NFL history, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Her title with the Broncos will be, “Executive Director of Football Operations and Special Advisor to the General Manager.”
“Kelly is a rising star in the NFL, and we’re fortunate to add someone of her caliber to the Denver Broncos,” Paton said of the hire. “Having worked with her for nine years in Minnesota, Kelly had a strong understanding of all aspects of football operations and player evaluation along with outstanding leadership qualities. She will be a tremendous resource with her experience on the pro and college sides as well as her knowledge of out grading scale and football calendar.”
This past season with the Vikings, Kleine had the title of “manager of player personnel and college scout” but she got her start with the team as a scouting intern prior to the 2013 NFL Draft and has worked hard to climb her way through the ranks.
She has spent time as the team’s college scouting director as well, which according to Sporting News included responsibilities such as evaluating the Vikings’ current roster as well as college prospects, attending pro days and managing the team’s grading system.
It is clear that Kleine is truly exceptional, as the Vikings’ well-respected general manager, Rick Speilman has continuously heaped praise on her in recent years. He even said she was “twice as good” as her male counterparts during a 2017 interview with Sporting News.
“The biggest thing when you’re trying to bring anyone up through an organization is to educate and train them,” Spielman said. “One thing we always try to identify are self-starters who have the work ethic and attention to detail where you can trust them to carry out whatever assignment is given them. In our eyes, it’s not about being a man or woman or what religion or race you are. It’s who is the most qualified regardless.”
Speilman hasn’t changed his tune whatsoever in the four years since, and continued to praise her throughout this year’s pre-draft process.
“She’s a critical part of everything we do,” Spielman said via an interview with the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. “Everything revolves around her in the office on the college side. She makes sure everything is ready for our meetings. She runs the draft board. She does a lot of things and directs a lot of traffic. We probably couldn’t function without her in the room.”
It seems like Paton has made yet another home run move, and it also appears she should have no problem getting her feet under her, considering how chaotic her first opportunity in Minnesota was.
“She came in toward the end of the draft process and had to hit the ground running because we were already in full gear in our preparation,” Spielman said via the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. “Most people would get overwhelmed. Especially if they weren’t on that side of the business previously. She was not overwhelmed at all. In fact, she wanted more, and the more we gave her, the more she wanted to take on. She earned her respect.”