While we wait for the 2011 season to be canceled, more words and tables about the 2000-2010 NFL Drafts and why the Steelers are so unbelievably awesome…
Just a few more odds and ends from my previous SL Time Machine post. Below is a table of each team’s CarAV by draft round from 2000-2010. Remember: as we approach 2010 the data become noisier and less reliable.
(Click on the table to make it bigger, readable. FYI: R_1 = round 1; rank_1 = team rank based on CarAV in first round; AVG = CarAV average for Rounds 1-7; AVG1_4 = CarAV average for Rounds 4-7; WIN_PCT = team winning percentage for 2000-2010. Finally, here’s the link to the data.)
A couple things…
The Ravens are the best team in the league at finding first-round talents throughout a draft. A quick glance at their CarAV-adjusted first-round hauls since 2000:
2000
Jamal Lewis (originally drafted 1.5, CarAV re-draft: 1.5)
Adalius Thomas (6.186, 1.12)
2001
Todd Heap (1.31, 1.27)
2002
Ed Reed (1.24, 1.2)
Anthony Weaver (2.52, 1.30)
2003
Terrell Suggs (1.10, 1.7)
Kyle Boller (1.19, 3.86)
2005
Mark Clayton (2.43, 1.22)
2006
Haloti Ngata (1.12, 1.2)
2007
Ben Grubbs (1.29, 1.22)
2008
Ray Rice (2.55, 1.3)
Joe Flacco (1.18, 1.5)
Not only does Ozzie Newsome do a swell job of identifying legitimate first-rounders, he’s also very good at unearthing top-32 talent after Round 1. (In looking at 11 drafts, Kyle Boller is the worst first-rounder, and he ends up being a third-round talent.) But the Ravens are among the league’s worst at getting value out their second-, third- and sixth-rounders, which sounds a lot like the criticism folks love to heap on Kevin Colbert.
Turns out, the Steelers are second behind the Ravens in finding first-round talent throughout the draft, and rank ninth, tenth and third in Rounds 2-4. Pittsburgh is 24th and 22nd in the fifth and sixth rounds, and 11th in the seventh.
Averaging Rounds 1-7, the Steelers rank fifth overall. In Rounds 1-4 they rank fourth, and 19th in Rounds 5-7.
Ultimately, the draft isn’t the be-all end-all. There’s also free agency, and perhaps most important (and most often overlooked): coaching. Historically, the Steelers are among the best in league in the former and the latter and rarely dabble in free agency, at least when it comes to breaking the bank for a proven player.
Feel free to add any other noteworthy nuggets from the table. In the meantime, pray that this lockout ends soon and enjoy the magic only Terry Bradshaw can bring to the silver screen (via PSAMP):
Related posts:
