Document Type
Student Presentation
Presentation Date
4-23-2021
Faculty Sponsor
Kelly Chen
Abstract
The National Football League conducts an annual combine to measure the physical and mental ability of prospective college athletes. The extent to which the combine affects a player's draft position is disputed. The purpose of this analysis is to determine whether current NFL combine metrics influence a player's draft position. To do this, I constructed correlation matrices using Pearson coefficients, and future analysis will employ regression models. Analyzing what combine tests most affect draft stock for given positions may increase player earnings and performance. I found many of the current combine metrics to be heavily correlated. Along with this, there are apparent differences between metric averages of a first-round versus a seventh-round pick. This finding may imply the NFL combine does indeed predict draft position to some extent. Due to the heavy correlations between NFL combine tests, I recommend the NFL allocate resources into formulating new tests that measure different aspects of an athlete's ability.
Recommended Citation
White, Cade, "Is the NFL Combine an Accurate Predictor of Draft Position?" (2021). 2021 Undergraduate Research Showcase. 71.
https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/under_showcase_2021/71