Entering his eighth year in the Saints player personnel department, Director of Pro Scouting Ryan Pace is responsible for managing the entire pro personnel department on a daily basis.

In addition to overseeing the club’s staff of pro scouts, Pace’s legion of responsibilities include recommending player acquisitions by scouting current and future NFL free agents, monitoring the waiver wire and evaluating players from other professional leagues. Another ongoing effort is researching possible trade opportunities.

A key responsibility for Pace is supervising the advance scouting of upcoming opponents – including their personnel, tendencies and schemes. The pro personnel department also constantly evaluates current Saints players.

Pace took on his increased duties after being promoted to his current position in 2007. He served as one of the club’s pro scouts from 2004-06, with his efforts including evaluating veteran free agents, scouting upcoming opponents and evaluating college players in preparation for the NFL Draft.

Pace had served as a scouting assistant for two years starting in 2002. His well-rounded experiences included evaluating players from around the league as well as prospects from NFL Europe, the Arena Football League and the CFL. Pace also tracked player movement, scouted college players and assisted in the preparation of the draft room.

In 2008, he was selected by the club to attend the Stanford Business School’s Executive Education NFL-Stanford Program for Managers, an educational program and honor known across the league as an important training ground for promising executives.

Pace joined the Saints in 2001, assisting in the coordination of all operations on game days, training camp and with the Louisiana Superdome. Married (Stephanie), Pace was a four-year letterman at defensive end at Eastern Illinois (1995-99) – serving as team captain as a senior – and graduated with a degree in marketing.