2013 Senior Bowl: Jim Schwartz, Lions to coach in game

The Detroit Lions' coaching staff will have a unique opportunity to evaluate upcoming talent as Jim Schwartz and his staff have accepted an invitation to coach in this year's Senior Bowl.

Coaching in the Senior Bowl affords a staff a chance to get to intimately know incoming 2013 draft talent over the course of a week -- how they handle instruction, where player's strength's lie and getting a feeling for players outside of a purely scouting scenario. It's a rare opportunity for coaches to have hands-on experience with incoming draftees.

The 2013 Senior Bowl will be the second time in five years Jim Schwartz and his staff will be coaching. They last coached the North team in 2010, in a game that foreshadowed the signing of running back Joique Bell, who became a member of the Lions in 2011. A small-school prospect, Schwartz and his staff spent a week with Bell -- a player he remembered when Detroit were in need of RB help last season.

Schwartz and his staff will be coaching against the Oakland Raiders, the other team to accept coaching honors. The 2013 Senior Bowl will take place on Jan. 26 in Mobile, Ala. and will be broadcast on the NFL Network.