Scouts Views on OL prospects (Bob McGinn)

[Chocolate Lab]

Every year I become less and less impressed with NFL scouts. I can only judge by the ones that talk to the media or the ones that have become media guys, but Wow, they say a lot of things that come across as underwhelming analysis.

I guess the pool of people to pick from when hiring a scout is limited. First, they probably need to have a background playing football which eliminates a large percentage of the population. Then you take out all of the people that became coaches and the remaining pool of talent is small.

At some point, and maybe it already here, teams are going to start looking at people that didn't play football but have superior analytical skills. Maybe money-ball in baseball is an example of analysis over gut-instinct.

What was it this time that so underwhelmed you?

And how would you apply sabermetric type analysis to offensive linemen? I'm curious.

 

[DFWJC]

Every year I become less and less impressed with NFL scouts. I can only judge by the ones that talk to the media or the ones that have become media guys, but Wow, they say a lot of things that come across as underwhelming analysis.

I guess the pool of people to pick from when hiring a scout is limited. First, they probably need to have a background playing football which eliminates a large percentage of the population. Then you take out all of the people that became coaches and the remaining pool of talent is small.

At some point, and maybe it already here, teams are going to start looking at people that didn't play football but have superior analytical skills. Maybe money-ball in baseball is an example of analysis over gut-instinct.

Not sure, but I suspect guys like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, and so many others would not be very highly regarded if you were GM...pre-draft that its.

I've been saying for awhile. I wsh we had a real time draft data base that when Dallas (or picka team) was on the clock, we all made the pick. At each round. Then it was recorded, and we could all look back and see how we did.
Humbling, I would predict.

 

[xwalker]

Not sure, but I suspect guys like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, and so many others would not be very highly regarded if you were GM...pre-draft that its.

I didn't say that it should be based on physical measureables only.

I've been saying for awhile. I wsh we had a real time draft data base that when Dallas (or picka team) was on the clock, we all made the pick. At each round. Then it was recorded, and we could all look back and see how we did. Humbling, I would predict.

Would you grade relative to the actual picks or based on the how the player performed in their 1st two or three years in the league?

 

[Rack]

I didn't say that it should be based on physical measureables only.

Would you grade relative to the actual picks or based on the how the player performed in their 1st two or three years in the league?

Why would anyone grade any other way? The NFL draft is to build your team for the immediate and slightly distant future. Grading a draft any other way would be a waste of time.

 

[DFWJC]

I didn't say that it should be based on physical measureables only.
Ok

Would you grade relative to the actual picks or based on the how the player performed in their 1st two or three years in the league?
The latter. Where they were drafted means little to me.

bolded...

 

[xwalker]

Why would anyone grade any other way? The NFL draft is to build your team for the immediate and slightly distant future. Grading a draft any other way would be a waste of time.

Many draft analysts and draftniks like to tout how many players they predicted in each round vs how many were actually picked in those rounds.

 

[Rack]

Many draft analysts and draftniks like to tout how many players they predicted in each round vs how many were actually picked in those rounds.

Ah, gotcha.

Separating the "This is where they should go" with the "This is where I predict they'll go" methods.

I'm more concerned with what kind of player they'll end up being, but I can see the value/competitiveness of predicting where you think they'll get drafted (regardless of personal feelings toward a player).