NFL NextGen Stats team unveils new draft website
Many NFL fans spend the weeks leading up the draft poring over mock drafts to try to figure out which players their favorites teams are most likely to select.
Those projections quickly become obsolete once the actual draft begins with some predicted targets inevitably coming off the board before a team even makes its pick.
That was the motivation for the NFL's NextGen Stats team to create a new draft site that takes elements from the old draft preview magazines with the easily digestible information with the ability to adapt seamlessly with each move made before or during the draft.
'The draft magazine was so efficient at displaying information in a easy to digest way,' said Mike Band, the senior manager for research and analytics at NFL NextGen Stats. 'In a lot of ways as we've optimized for mobile experiences, we've lost that art of a dashboard-like experience. That was the impetus for this project, creating a digital magazine that could be updated live and evolve in a dynamic way and hopefully have really fun and engaging live features.'
The NFL Draft IQ site launched earlier this month to preview the draft was designed to be the ideal second screen during the draft starting Thursday night. The site includes team-by-team pages that list each team's picks in the next two drafts, moves they had made in the offseason, potential draft targets for each day of the draft, a mock draft tracker and historic tendencies for each general manager.
The site was created in less than three weeks from idea to the execution with help from Amazon QuickSight, building on the work the NextGen Stats team did in creating Combine IQ, which provided context and comparisons to the loads of data produced at the annual scouting combine.
Band has been posting potential first-round targets for teams for the past six years and has had a high rate with about three-quarters of the teams taking one of his potential targets.
That work used from looking at team needs, draft history, mock drafts, pre-draft meetings and other information leads to the potential targets on the Draft IQ site for each team for each day. Those will be updated throughout the draft based on who's left on the board and what needs have been met.
'It's a fun exercise to try to match these teams to players across different pre-draft interests, team needs,' Band said. 'A lot of teams have a lot of smoke screens, so you almost have to read between the lines in a lot ways.'
The team pages include tendencies for general managers, including how often they have traded up or down, whether they target certain positions in the prime rounds and if the GM has had patterns based on size, age or other attributes when picking players.
For example, Houston's Nick Caserio has used 31 of his 32 picks on players who came out of power conferences. The Bengals also tend to go that direction with all 22 of their picks in the first two rounds since 2014 coming from power conference schools.
Philadelphia's Howie Roseman has used 10 of his 13 first-round picks when running the draft on the trenches, while Detroit's Brad Holmes' picks have the highest average athleticism score from NGS since he took over in 2021.
'If you want to know who the last few picks were you can go to the draft tracker on NFL(dot)com,' Band said. 'But if you want to go deeper into every pick as it's happening and trying to anticipate the next pick and you want to sound smart at an NFL draft party and tip the pick without actually talking to Ian Rapoport, then follow along with Draft IQ.'
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
Bills RB James Cook present for team's mandatory practice amid contract concerns, AP source says
Associated Press ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills running back James Cook put aside his contract concerns — and avoided the potential of being fined — by attending the start of the team's three-day mandatory series of practices on Tuesday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because coach Sean McDermott isn't scheduled to address the media until later in the day. The Athletic first reported Cook was present at the team's facility. Cook's attendance comes after he went public with his desire to negotiate a contract extension while entering the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. He was the NFL's co-leader in rushing touchdowns with 16 last year, and skipped Buffalo's six previous spring practices and month-long workout sessions, all of which were voluntary. Cook was selected by Buffalo in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Georgia. His older brother is Dalvin Cook, best known for his six seasons in Minnesota and who spent last year appearing in two games with Dallas. In February, Cook informally began his public negotiation by posting the message '15 mill year' on his Instagram account. A month later, during an appearance on a podcast with former NFLers Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, Cook said, 'Pay me the big bucks,' and adding, 'I want to get what I asked for.' He also made the case for his fellow NFL running backs being underpaid in saying: 'I feel like we deserve to get paid,' and asking, 'How (are) we not valuable?' In April, Cook listed his Buffalo-area home as being for sale. General manager Brandon Beane has on several occasions noted how much he respects and values Cook, while also acknowledging the two sides aren't on the same page in contract talks. In late March, Beane specifically referenced Cook in announcing he was cutting off contract discussions to focus on the draft. 'Just because we don't have James signed today doesn't mean next year we still can't get him done before he gets to free agency,' Beane said. 'We want him to have success. We're rooting for him ... But we are where we are, and there's no hard feelings from us.' Cook proved to be the odd-man out in Beane's offseason binge of signing core players to multiyear contract extensions. The group was made up of quarterback Josh Allen, receiver Khalil Shakir, edge rusher Greg Rousseau, linebacker Terrel Bernard and cornerback Christian Benford. Cook's 16 touchdowns rushing matched a Bills single-season record set by O.J. Simpson, and he also scored two more receiving. He was part of a Bills offense that finished second in the NFL in averaging more than 30 points per outing. After scoring just two touchdowns rushing in each of his first two seasons, Cook's jump in production coincided with Joe Brady's first full season as Buffalo's offensive coordinator, and the team's initiative to have Allen rush less to reduce exposing him to injury. ___ AP NFL: recommended


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Should the Seahawks sign LB Germaine Pratt?
Should the Seahawks sign LB Germaine Pratt? Cornerback Jaire Alexander wasn't the lone notable NFL player to be released from his contract on Monday. The Cincinnati Bengals cut ties with veteran linebacker Germaine Pratt. Could the Seattle Seahawks have interest in adding an off-ball defender of Pratt's caliber? Pratt requested a trade away from the Bengals in February, but a deal never materialized. The former NC State standout finished 10th in tackles last season with 143 takedowns. Those workhorse numbers could always appeal to a defensive-minded head coach like Mike Macdonald. The Seahawks currently have Ernest Jones IV and Tyrice Knight at off-ball linebacker. Jones was re-signed earlier this offseason after recording 94 tackles in 10 games last year. Knight, a fourth-round rookie, exploded onto the scene late, totaling 88 tackles. Though Pratt's tackle numbers were great, the analytics indicate he performed rather poorly last season. Pro Football Focus credited him with a lackluster 53.4 grade in coverage. Coverage used to be Pratt's strong suit, so it's a potential warning sign that he's declining with age. The Seahawks have an ascending linebacker in Knight on an affordable rookie contract. Signing Pratt would potentially stunt his growth, and it's doubtful he'd agree to come to Seattle in a reserve backup role. Ultimately, the Seahawks shouldn't show any interest in signing Pratt.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bills RB James Cook present for team's mandatory practice amid contract concerns, AP source says
FILE - Buffalo Bills running back James Cook talks on the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. The Bills won 48-42. (AP Photo/David Dermer, File) ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills running back James Cook put aside his contract concerns — and avoided the potential of being fined — by attending the start of the team's three-day mandatory series of practices on Tuesday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because coach Sean McDermott isn't scheduled to address the media until later in the day. The Athletic first reported Cook was present at the team's facility. Advertisement Cook's attendance comes after he went public with his desire to negotiate a contract extension while entering the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. He was the NFL's co-leader in rushing touchdowns with 16 last year, and skipped Buffalo's six previous spring practices and month-long workout sessions, all of which were voluntary. Cook was selected by Buffalo in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Georgia. His older brother is Dalvin Cook, best known for his six seasons in Minnesota and who spent last year appearing in two games with Dallas. In February, Cook informally began his public negotiation by posting the message '15 mill year' on his Instagram account. A month later, during an appearance on a podcast with former NFLers Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, Cook said, 'Pay me the big bucks,' and adding, 'I want to get what I asked for.' He also made the case for his fellow NFL running backs being underpaid in saying: 'I feel like we deserve to get paid,' and asking, 'How (are) we not valuable?' Advertisement In April, Cook listed his Buffalo-area home as being for sale. General manager Brandon Beane has on several occasions noted how much he respects and values Cook, while also acknowledging the two sides aren't on the same page in contract talks. In late March, Beane specifically referenced Cook in announcing he was cutting off contract discussions to focus on the draft. 'Just because we don't have James signed today doesn't mean next year we still can't get him done before he gets to free agency,' Beane said. 'We want him to have success. We're rooting for him ... But we are where we are, and there's no hard feelings from us.' Advertisement Cook proved to be the odd-man out in Beane's offseason binge of signing core players to multiyear contract extensions. The group was made up of quarterback Josh Allen, receiver Khalil Shakir, edge rusher Greg Rousseau, linebacker Terrel Bernard and cornerback Christian Benford. Cook's 16 touchdowns rushing matched a Bills single-season record set by O.J. Simpson, and he also scored two more receiving. He was part of a Bills offense that finished second in the NFL in averaging more than 30 points per outing. After scoring just two touchdowns rushing in each of his first two seasons, Cook's jump in production coincided with Joe Brady's first full season as Buffalo's offensive coordinator, and the team's initiative to have Allen rush less to reduce exposing him to injury. ___ AP NFL: