Eric Stokes is entering his fourth season with Washington and his third as Washington's senior director of player personnel after serving as the director of pro personnel in 2021. In this role, he oversees the day-to-day operations of the personnel department.
Stokes joined Washington after spending five seasons with the Carolina Panthers in a variety of roles, including director of college scouting, regional director of college scouting and southwest area scout.
As the director of college scouting for the Panthers, Stokes oversaw a college scouting staff that was tasked with targeting and tracking draft-eligible prospects, as he worked with area scouts. He was responsible for the pre-draft evaluation process at the NFL Combine, pro days and visits by draft-eligible players.
Prior to joining Carolina, Stokes spent two seasons (2014-15) as the assistant general manager of the Miami Dolphins. In his role, Stokes assisted in all aspects of player evaluation and acquisitions at the professional and collegiate levels, including the daily management and makeup of the Dolphins roster as well as guiding the team's preparation for the annual NFL Draft.
From 2012-13, Stokes was the director of college scouting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Prior to joining the Buccaneers, Stokes spent 12 seasons as a member of the Seattle Seahawks scouting staff, working as an area scout (2000-01, 2005-09) and pro personnel assistant (2002-04) before serving as assistant director of college scouting from 2010-11. In that role, Stokes was instrumental in bringing in defensive standouts safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, linebacker Bobby Wagner and cornerback Richard Sherman.
Stokes played two seasons as a safety for the Seahawks after being selected in the fifth round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 1999 expansion draft before an injury cut his career short.
Stokes graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in sociology. He and his wife, Tisa, have three daughters, Erisa, Payton and Madison.
