Mark Olson enters his 29th NFL season and 11th with the Lions after joining the club in 2016. He was promoted to Assistant Director of College Scouting in 2026 after most recently working as a regional scout. In his current role, Olson works closely with the Director of College Scouting, Brian Hudspeth, on all aspects of draft preparation and prospect evaluations. In his role as a regional scout, Olson was responsible for scouting college prospects in the western portion of the United States.
Before the Lions, Olson spent 18 seasons as a member of the Atlanta Falcons' personnel department, including the last three as a national scout, where he was responsible for cross-checking the entire country. Before 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 advanced scouting as well as evaluating players and assisting Atlanta with preparation for free agent acquisitions.
Olson originally joined the Falcons as a scouting assistant in 1998. His experience includes stints with the Washington Commanders, 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, where he also worked in the recruiting department. He and his wife, Sehba, reside in Park City, Utah.
