Analysis
6/24/21
3 min read
Stories Worth a Look or Listen: Top QB Prospects for 2022 NFL Draft
Each week, the 33rd Team shares some links and information regarding NFL stories, articles and podcasts we find valuable…
Move the Sticks with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks
Episode: Early Look at Top College Prospects & Most Improved Teams
Three things you need to know:
- Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler is projected by many as the No. 1 QB in the upcoming class. Last season he had his ups and downs. He went through some adversity in his first season as a starter (got benched). Has a very good arm and can make all the throws.
- Malik Willis from Liberty is a QB to watch, one who could rise up draft boards fast. Impressive arm and athleticism combination. Brooks thinks Willis can be a guy that rises up the boards similar to the way Trey Lance did last year.
- Most improved teams: San Francisco 49ers (in large part due to players returning from injury), Denver Broncos (success will come down to QB play), New England Patriots (great free agent additions on offense and defense), and Dallas Cowboys (Dak’s back plus help on defense).
What Is Nick Chubb Worth to the Cleveland Browns?
Author: Brad Gagnon
Three things you need to know:
- Because he was a second-round pick, Nick Chubb doesn’t have a fifth-year option and would be an unrestricted free agent next March at the age of 26.
- Only Nick Chubb and Derrick Henry have rushed for over 2,500 yards over the past two seasons, but Chubb actually had a slightly higher YPA and broke tackles more frequently in 2020.
- Six running backs cost their teams over $7 million last year, but none of those teams made the playoffs. In 2019, none of the ten most-expensive backs played in the playoffs.
Flying Coach
with Sean McVay and Peter Schrager
Three things you need to know:
- Per Troy Aikman, football is now the only sport where you can’t practice it the way you play it. Additionally, the short NFL schedule doesn’t allow players to use game reps as development.
- On every team, the head coach and quarterback need to have the resilience and leadership to fight through adversity because everybody else in the building will look at them.
- Out of high school, Aikman was the top recruit for Jimmy Johnson-coached Oklahoma State. Aikman turned down Johnson both when he committed to Oklahoma and again when he transferred to UCLA, but he got no choice when drafted first overall by Johnson and the Cowboys.
Using Pro-Adjusted Wins Above Average to examine positional value in the NFL Draft
Author: Zach Drapkin
Three things you need to know:
- Pro-adjusted wins above average (PAWAA) uses the same methodology as PFF’s college wins above average, but instead of using players’ college positional weights it uses positional weights that were found using NFL data.
- The following positions are ranked as the top three positions in terms of PAWAA for 2020 (in order): quarterback, cornerback, wide receiver.
- According to the PAWAA for the 2021 draft class, the Cincinnati Bengals made the correct selection in Ja’Marr Chase over Penei Sewell, because Chase generated more positional value in college (0.705) than Sewell (0.252).
