Senior Bowl 2013: Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders to coach

The Senior Bowl announced today that staffs from the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders will handle coaching duties for this year’s all-star game.

The Raiders coaches will be in charge of the North team while the Lions manage the South team. The game, played annually in Mobile, Ala., takes place on Jan. 26. It is the week of practices leading up to the game where NFL prospects can show their skills off to NFL teams in attendance.

This will be the second time Lions head coach Jim Schwartz has been the head coach of the game. His Lions staff coached the North team in 2010. He was on the Titans staff during the 2006 Senior Bowl.

“I think there is some insight involved in getting to know those guys over a course of the week,” Schwartz said in a release. “And it can confirm some of our scouts’ evaluations that have already worked very long and hard into getting guys evaluated this fall season. It can also maybe give us a different perspective on some other guys. Maybe we get a little bit more time with some other guys.”

The Lions didn’t draft a Senior Bowl attendee in the 2010 draft.

For the Raiders, taking a coaching spot could be beneficial. Oakland has a first-round pick for the first time since 2010. Due to the Carson Palmer trade, the Raiders don’t have a second-round selection and won’t have a fifth-round pick after trading for linebacker Aaron Curry. The close evaluation period could help the Raiders hit on the picks they’re currently scheduled to have.

“It gives us a chance to get a solid evaluation on these players,” Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said. “We get a better feel on them because we see them in meetings, we work with them in practice, and we can determine whether their personality would fit well in our locker room. It’s an opportunity to get an in-depth feel on a lot of those guys.”