Mark Olson

Mark Olson enters his third season as a national scout after being promoted to the position in 2018. He previously spent 2016-17 as a regional scout for the Lions.

In his role as national scout, Olson is responsible for scouting college prospects primarily in the Western half of the United States. Following an 18-year career with the Atlanta Falcons, including three years as a national scout, Olson joined the Lions player personnel department as the team's regional scout in 2016.

Prior to his time as Atlanta's national scout, Olson served in a variety of roles with the Falcons, including western regional college scout and pro scout. As a pro scout, Olson was responsible for advance scouting, as well as evaluating players and assisting the Falcons with preparing for free agent acquisitions.

Olson originally joined the Falcons as a scouting assistant in 1998. His past experience includes stints with the Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. A native of Hudson, Wis., Olson graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls with a degree in journalism and later earned his master's degree in sports management from the University of Minnesota in 1997. Olson currently resides in Park City, Utah.