Finding The All-SPARQ: Impact Defensive Tackles In The 2017 NFL Draft

[waving monkey]

Earlier this week we re-introduced you to a metric called SPARQ, which is a single number designed to summarize a player's athleticism. The number is calculated with a proprietary formula that incorporates player weight, bench press, broad jump, vertical jump, forty-yard dash, ten-yard split, short shuttle and 3-cone drill.

In yesterday's post about defensive ends, we combined the SPARQ metric with metrics for the college production of edge rushers to see which draft prospects would emerge as the most productive AND most athletic.

Today, we're going to repeat that exercise for defensive tackles. In January this year, we looked at the college production of the defensive tackles in the 2017 draft class. To do that, we used a metric called the 'Production Ratio' that adds up sacks and tackles-for-loss and divides the sum by the number of college games played. The resulting ratio is one tool among many - albeit a pretty good one - that measures the playmaking potential of front five players coming out of college.

The following table summarizes both the SPARQ and the Production Ratio for this year's defensive tackles (click on the blue column headers to sort):

link/http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2017...-tackles-in-the-2017-nfl-draft-dallas-cowboys

 

[Alexander]

Not so sure we are all about SPARQ ratings consistently. We were with Byron Jones and a few late rounders like Nzeocha.

But then you look and see where Elliott and Prescott finished with their SPARQ ratings.

It matters overall, but I don't think they use the score as a hard and fast cut off with higher picks.

 

[xwalker]

Earlier this week we re-introduced you to a metric called SPARQ, which is a single number designed to summarize a player's athleticism. The number is calculated with a proprietary formula that incorporates player weight, bench press, broad jump, vertical jump, forty-yard dash, ten-yard split, short shuttle and 3-cone drill.

In yesterday's post about defensive ends, we combined the SPARQ metric with metrics for the college production of edge rushers to see which draft prospects would emerge as the most productive AND most athletic.

Today, we're going to repeat that exercise for defensive tackles. In January this year, we looked at the college production of the defensive tackles in the 2017 draft class. To do that, we used a metric called the 'Production Ratio' that adds up sacks and tackles-for-loss and divides the sum by the number of college games played. The resulting ratio is one tool among many - albeit a pretty good one - that measures the playmaking potential of front five players coming out of college.

The following table summarizes both the SPARQ and the Production Ratio for this year's defensive tackles (click on the blue column headers to sort):

link/http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2017...-tackles-in-the-2017-nfl-draft-dallas-cowboys

Analyzing college stats is a waste of time. There is too much variation in competition. The one stat that I do like to look at is INTs for DBs.