He absolutely knows these Hall of Famers and offers information that Fitterer puts to good use.

Bradway scouted 13 games last fall near his New Jersey home, mostly home games at Maryland, Navy, Temple and Rutgers. But it gave him in-person access to see Ohio State, Wisconsin, Boston College and Cincinnati, giving him a chance to see some of the same prospects who are in the Senior Bowl this week. But he also made some movies, including filing a report on Pickett, perhaps this year’s top quarterback prospect. Bradway will also be back in Charlotte in a few weeks when they meet for scouting meetings to prepare the board for this year’s draft.

Along with having a veteran’s perspective on scouting issues, Bradway’s experience as an executive has served Fitterer well as he navigates his second year on the job.

“He was great for me, he just talked about things and how to deal with different situations in the building,” Fitterer said. “Because being a general manager isn’t just a football job. You realize how much it’s about budgeting, problem solving and managing the other aspects of the building. He’s been great, because anyone been through it and dealt with it and he can tell you about it, and he can also teach you how to take time off to play football.”

Fitterer said one thing Bradway taught him was the importance of communication throughout the operation, encouraging him to have regular meetings with heads of different departments in hopes of having the organization on a single page.

“When I talked to Scott about meeting regularly with the administrators, it was a way of connecting with the whole building,” Bradway said. “If you’re going to say we’re all in this together, you’re going to have to show it. It was good and everyone felt like they were in on it.”

Bradway isn’t shy about sharing that kind of knowledge, as he admits he wished he had known more when he took the Jets job. Scouts are not necessarily programmed for collaboration, but GMs often need to be facilitators first and assessors second.

“There aren’t a lot of tangible results when you’re GM on certain days,” Bradway said. “When you’re a scout, you watch a movie, you go back to the hotel room, you write a report, you send it off and I accomplished something today. When you’re a general manager, you might say, what have I. You’ve probably done a lot of stuff, but it’s not something you can hang on to, and all these other people are having fun, doing what you were doing before.

“It’s quite a challenge. But Scott is a really good man, and he’s smart, and he works hard. People on the road, they have reputations, some good and some bad, but his has always been really good. I’m just excited, with him and Dan (Morgan, the assistant general manager of the Panthers), there’s a lot of good, strong people in this building.”