Lions' college scouting director Sears taking new position with Cardinals

Allen Park — The Detroit Lions were able to retain offensive coordinator Ben Johnson but will be losing a key piece of the front office this offseason.

A little more than three months before the 2023 NFL Draft, the Lions will be in need of a new college scouting director. Dave Sears, who has served in the role since 2019, is departing to become the assistant general manager for the Arizona Cardinals.

Three sources familiar with the situation confirmed the pending move with The Detroit News.

In Arizona, Sears will reconnect with the team's recently hired general manager Monti Ossenfort. The two previously worked three years together with the Houston Texans, where both served as college scouts.

Sears left Houston to join the Lions in 2007 as a regional scout before earning a promotion to assistant director of college scouting in 2017. He eventually took over as the team's college scouting director in 2019.

As college scouting director, Sears has played an integral role in the team's draft process, rubber-stamping the area scouts' evaluations and serving as a key voice in general manager Brad Holmes' decision-making process, along with coach Dan Campbell, assistant general manager Ray Agnew, senior adviser John Dorsey and senior director of personnel Lance Newmark.

Detroit's current assistant director of college scouting is Brian Hudspeth. He joined the team in 2018 as a national scout and just completed his first season in that role. Working in the NFL since 2001, he's had previous stops with Atlanta, Houston and Tampa Bay.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers