Sporticast 444: You Are Not An NFL Scout
On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including Shedeur Sanders' shocking NFL Draft slide.
The Colorado quarterback, whose father is Deion Sanders, was projected by some to be an early first round pick. Instead, he was taken on Saturday in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns. It is by far the biggest draft slide of any top prospect in modern NFL history, and it became the enduring story of the three-day event. It also cost him tens of millions of dollars in rookie salary.
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The hosts talk about the real reason behind the disconnect between where Sanders was projected to be drafted, and where he was ultimately selected. Media 'experts' like ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. work off of many of the same data points as NFL evaluators–game tape, pro day performance, advanced analytics–but there are some proprietary inputs, such as a player's performance in pre-draft interviews. In the case of Sanders, the proprietary inputs likely steered teams in a different direction. They also discuss the main goal of experts like Kiper, whose mock drafts are viewed by millions of fans in the run-up to the draft. Is he trying to do just his own analysis, or also trying to filter in the analysis of NFL experts.
They discuss the draft ratings, which will be strong thanks in part to the rounds-long mystery surrounding Sanders' future home. They also talk about the Jacksonville Jaguars making the other surprise of the draft, trading a bunch of future draft capital to select Travis Hunter, Sanders' college teammate.
They also talk about the $3 billion stadium project that will see the Washington Commanders return to D.C. The team has a deal in place that includes $850 million in public money, one of the largest public subsidies ever given to a U.S. stadium project.
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The episode wraps with an eyebrow-raising deal between the NCAA and Genius Sports.
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