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Mark Azevedo and David Blackburn will take part in the NFL’s Front Office & General Manager Accelerator Program.

The NFL’s Front Office & General Manager Accelerator Program, which will take place during the next league meetings in Dallas on December 11–13, has extended an invitation to two members of the Ravens’ player personnel department to participate.

David Blackburn, director of college scouting, and Mark Azevedo, assistant director of player personnel, will take part.

The NFL’s 2022 launch of the accelerator program is a component of their ongoing efforts to improve the pipeline of diverse candidates at all levels. Clubs were asked to submit nominations for players who had passed muster with an NFL selection committee.

42 applicants from the fields of assistant general manager, football operations, and player personnel were chosen to have the chance to network with club owners and executives prior to the hiring cycle.

Candidates will engage in a variety of personal and professional development activities in addition to networking, such as mock interviews conducted by previous general managers and leadership workshops with outside specialists. Personal development workshops have been added for the first time to address candidates’ general well-being and psychological readiness for job applications.

Blackburn worked as a national scout for two years and as a West area scout for seven years before being promoted to the position of director of college scouting for the Ravens in 2022. In 2007, he made his debut with the company as a player personnel assistant.

After being elevated to assistant director of player personnel in 2022, Azevedo collaborated closely with Joe Hortiz and George Kokinis, the team’s two directors of player personnel. Azevedo, who is currently in his 19th season with the Ravens, has overseen the signing of rookie free agents since 2014. In addition, he has held positions as coordinator of player personnel, assistant director of college and pro personnel, and Northeast area scout for the company. In 2005, Azevedo started working for the Ravens as a player personnel assistant.