logo
NFL NextGen Stats team unveils new draft website

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.'
___

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Former Longhorn punter earns record NFL contract
Former Longhorn punter earns record NFL contract

USA Today

time24 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Former Longhorn punter earns record NFL contract

Former Longhorn punter earns record NFL contract Micheal Dickson rewarded with massive extension Former Longhorn star Michael Dickson is once again the highest-paid punter in the NFL. On Tuesday, Dickson signed a four-year, $16.2 million extension with the Seattle Seahawks. His extension came less than 24 hours after Jacksonville Jaguars punter Logan Cooke signed a four-year, $16 million extension. During his NFL career, the Australian native has been a human highlight reel with his leg. In seven seasons, Dickson has averaged 48.2 yards per punt, including a career-best 50 yards in 2023. Since making his NFL debut, the 29-year-old has placed 42.1 percent of his kicks inside the 20-yard line. As Dickson has become one of the Seahawks' best players, his work ethic has not gone unnoticed. One coach he has impressed is special teams coach Jay Harbaugh. " He's certainly not taken for granted within this building," Harbaugh said, per the team's website. "We love him and are highly impressed by him all the time. Just think the world of him, his consistency as a performer, he's really a model, even though what he does is really different from a lot of other positions on the field. I think when you get past that if you're another player and you see who he is as a pro and what he does day in and day out, the mental approach, the care he takes for his body, his ability to take information, good or bad, and process it and then move on. It's really a great example for other players as well." Dickson's success in the NFL has come as no surprise for many in Austin. He averaged 45.3 yards per punt over his three years at Texas and was a unanimous All-American in 2017. That is partly why the former pro-bowler was a popular prospect coming out of college. With no signs of slowing down, a big 2025 campaign could be on the horizon for Dickson. When the regular season begins in just a few months, he will again be one of the Seahawks' most important pieces.

Receiver Terry McLaurin skips Commanders minicamp while looking for a new contract
Receiver Terry McLaurin skips Commanders minicamp while looking for a new contract

Yahoo

time34 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Receiver Terry McLaurin skips Commanders minicamp while looking for a new contract

FILE - Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin during the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, in Philadelphia, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton, File) ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Terry McLaurin is not at Washington Commanders mandatory minicamp as the team's top wide receiver looks for a new contract. McLaurin, who turns 30 in September, is only signed through the next NFL season. Advertisement 'Hey, sometimes football and business, they intersect and this is one of those times,' coach Dan Quinn said Tuesday. 'Terry is a fantastic teammate and really puts in the work, and we spent a lot of time with him already this offseason.' McLaurin has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving each of the past five seasons and fell only 81 short in his rookie year because he missed games because of an injury. A third-round pick in 2019 out of Ohio State who dealt with quarterback roulette for the quite some time after breaking into the league, McLaurin set career highs with 82 catches and 13 touchdowns with Jayden Daniels as the starter and Marcus Mariota the backup. Quinn downplayed McLaurin not being there, saying the good news is the wideout and QBs have already established strong rapport. He's leaving the negotiating part to general manager Adam Peters. 'The business side of things, Adam and their crew and Terry and his group, let them work through that,' Quinn said. 'But in the meantime, lots of stuff to do.' ___ AP NFL:

T.J. Watt, Terry McLaurin, and 3 other 2025 NFL minicamp holdouts
T.J. Watt, Terry McLaurin, and 3 other 2025 NFL minicamp holdouts

USA Today

time38 minutes ago

  • USA Today

T.J. Watt, Terry McLaurin, and 3 other 2025 NFL minicamp holdouts

T.J. Watt, Terry McLaurin, and 3 other 2025 NFL minicamp holdouts There's little useful information to glean from the first round of mandatory NFL minicamps. These practices are more of a mixer than a reveal of any real regular season insight. Rookies and free agent additions get the opportunity to kick the tires on their new team. Players on the cusp of the roster limit have the chance to jostle for position amidst a series of dynamic depth charts. These minicamps won't shed too much light on how a team's 2025 will go, but it can diagnose some problems early on. Notably, it gives the world at large an understanding of which important veterans are upset enough with their contract situations to incur some (relatively) modest fines by holding out. Missing one day of mandatory minicamp will cost a player $17.462. Missing all three days of camp will rack up more than $100,000 in fines. Some of these negotiating tactics will prevail and aging stars will get the last mega-deal they deserve. Others will merely dock their paychecks and create hard feelings between player and franchise. Let's look at who's skipping mandatory minicamp in 2025. EDGE T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers Watt is in the final season of a $112 million contract that has no guaranteed money remaining. While he's in no danger of being cut, he's also reaching his last opportunity to lock down a massive deal as his 31st birthday approaches. That could be enough to give the Steelers pause; while Watt is the center of a defense tasked with the herculean effort of covering for an anemic offense, he could be nearing an age-related decline. EDGE Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals Hendrickson accounted for 17.5 of the Bengals' 36 sacks last season. He's also, like Watt, in the final year of his contract and approaching his 31st birthday. Cincinnati has invested heavily in its offense, leaving the defensive end to shoulder a massive burden for a depleted defense. While the Bengals have an estimated $55 million in salary cap space for 2026, they may be concerned about their star player's ability to continue to wreck havoc up front on the wrong side of 30. That could also scare off suitors in trade talks -- though Hendrickson's monster 2024 could help his team recoup low-cost draft assets in any deal. WR Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders McLaurin was vital to Jayden Daniels' rookie of the year campaign. He was the Heisman Trophy winner's huckleberry in the red zone (an NFL-best 10 touchdowns from inside the 20) and pushed his young QB to a 133.0 passer rating when targeted. But despite using Daniels' inexpensive rookie contract to add veteran talent, the All-Pro wideout hasn't been a priority entering the final year of a three-year, $69.6 million extension that made him a bargain in the nation's capital. EDGE Shemar Stewart, Cincinnati Bengals Stewart is an unusual case. Rookies don't tend to hold-in to offseason workouts. But the first round pick isn't happy with the language of his rookie contract and refuses to sign until that's settled. He won't practice until he's got a signed deal. Thus, the Bengals could be without their prospective top two pass rushers this summer. Miami Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey Ramsey won't attend minicamp as the Dolphins continue to search for a trade partner willing to pony up for a 30-year-old, seven-time Pro Bowler. Players who aren't holding out/in

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store