Relative athletic score

[Kiwibrown]

So a twitter user called @mathbomb has created a metric called RAS or relative athletic score. It grades players on a scale of 0-10 based on all their athletic and size metrics. 

 

Quote

"Relative Athletic Scores take player measurements and put them on an easy to understand 0 to 10 scale compared to their position group. A final score is then produced which is also on a 0 to 10 score to show overall athleticism for a draft prospect. This data can be used to chart trends over time, showing that overall athleticism is likely a contributing factor to player success in the NFL."

https://relativeathleticscores.com/
 

Here is some more explanation. 

 

 

Quote

 

The System

So how does it work? RAS is essentially a ranking system, so it roughly correlates to percentile. While I always say that 5.00 is average, that doesn't quite describe it accurately. A better way to describe that 5.00 middle mark is that it is the score for the average player at that position. Shouldn't that be the same thing as an average, you ask? Why no, no it is not. It's an oddity of studying these measurements so much, but in most cases the actual mathematical average (the mean) tended to be a good deal above what the average player at a position would score. So for instance, a player who had an actually average score may end up with a 7.50 for that measurement. That wasn't what I wanted at all. I used an incredible amount of math to get to the current system, you guys, and I don't mean incredible as in "wow, that's amazing!" but more in the "wow, that's overly complex and cripplingly unexplainable" kind of way. Using the calculations as they are now, we get to see what the average player at a position scored at each measurement (closer to a statistical median than a mean).

 

 

 

Quote

 

Now it's pretty simple. The actual numbers correspond loosely to percentile, so a player with a 9.87 score for his 40 time managed to be in about the 98.7th percentile of his position group for that measurement. The final number -- the one we actually refer to as the player's RAS -- is gained by averaging the individual scores for each player at a position. This raw average is then compared to the raw averages for every other player at the position to come up with the final Relative Athletic Score for a player.

It isn't a perfect system, and like the measurements themselves, there are plenty of outliers. What it gives us, though, is a way to put a number on a player's measurements as a whole when compared to several hundred other players at their position over the past 17 years (2000-2016). It's a lot of data and I'm continually adding to it. Adding more data does affect existing scores, but not very much. After adding over 1,500 players this offseason, the biggest change was only about 4%, with most scores being affected by about 1%.

 

https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2016/5/16/11678686/relative-athletic-scores-what-they-are-and-why-they-work

Here is an interesting example of one, Christian McCaffery



Another interesting Panther, this one from the past



Bench is one of my bug bears as it doesnt relate to playing in the nfl. No one lies on their back and pushed 225 pounds off them. 

High explosion, agility and speed are more important,  c mac excels at these.

Height isnt really an advantage or disadvantage for a runningback either, this is a problem with ras.

A comment on ras vs sparq

cam erving scored a 9 in ras, while a 75% (7.5) in sparq. He was better with long speed and worse with explosion, this could be part of why he gets beat like a drum, but is always in frame when chasing down a long int. Sparq is said to value explosion over speed while adjusting for size.

RAS

Cameron Erving

Florida State

9.4

9.32

Cameron Erving: 23rd, 0.7, 75.5% sparq

Grades for the AFC North









We drafted more explosively relative to our division.  


Drew forbes is at the top of the scale. He is a RAS beast, especially for explosion. If he takes to the coaching, has good bend and balance, we may have one of the steals of the draft. 



C/f another a pro bowl G from the Packers under Campen



 Next Check out Myles




He also has a good RAS




out of 1000 ranked defensive ends, Myles Ranks 2 all time. 

and where ever you are





Sachi, RIP,  had a similar draft philosophy to Dorsey when it comes to drafting athletic players. My boy Dayes, doesnt even score a 1. Perhaps Dorsey may value athleticism more however with players like forbes, avery all being in the 9s for athletic testing.

 

As a disclaimer, advanced athletic testing like this is only part of the puzzle, it doesnt negate, charecter and film, Dorsey is said to prefer film over athletic testing, but does draft explosive athletes. They need to go hand in hand, especially in the 1st round. 

I have had 3 hours sleep post night shift. So im kind of just saying words now. 

I hope there was something interestin in there for you



 

one comp I made was that Corey Coleman compares to OBJ athletically. 



 

Odell Beckham Jr.

8.13

 

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	Arm length	Hand size	40-yard dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert jump	Broad	BP
5 ft 11 1⁄4 in (1.81 m)	198 lb (90 kg)	32 3⁄4 in (0.83 m)	10 in (0.25 m)	4.43 s	1.57 s	2.58 s	3.94 s	6.69 s	38 1⁄2 in (0.98 m)	10 ft 2 in (3.10 m)	7 reps

 

They are somewhat similar, but, OBJ is a heck of a lot better. Further demonstrating the athletic ability is only a part of the puzzle.  

Edited May 19, 2019 by Kiwibrown
More edits than Tayne would believe.

[candyman93]

Nice stuff.

 

Drew Forbes is a guy to really keep an eye on. Campen is famous for developing mid / late round offensive linemen. Forbes is going to give Corbett a run for his money.

[bruceb]

8 minutes ago, candyman93 said:

Nice stuff.

 

Drew Forbes is a guy to really keep an eye on. Campen is famous for developing mid / late round offensive linemen. Forbes is going to give Corbett a run for his money.

Or push him or himself to C.

[buno67]

2 hours ago, bruceb said:

Or push him or himself to C.

No way Forbes is center material. IMO the dude has everything you want in a tackle. I rather him give Hubbard a run for his money this season. I really want to know how Forbes fell through the cracks of DI football. Dude has to be at least 6'4 270 coming out. With how well he moves and how violent he is and him playing his freshmen year and then being a starter his 2nd year, that its not like he took years to develop and grow. The dude had to have those same traits in HS..

[candyman93]

2 minutes ago, buno67 said:

No way Forbes is center material. IMO the dude has everything you want in a tackle. I rather him give Hubbard a run for his money this season. I really want to know how Forbes fell through the cracks of DI football. Dude has to be at least 6'4 270 coming out. With how well he moves and how violent he is and him playing his freshmen year and then being a starter his 2nd year, that its not like he took years to develop and grow. The dude had to have those same traits in HS..

He played high school in Bonne Terre Missouri. Not exactly a hotbed for talent lol

[Kiwibrown]

The 2007 NFL draft was very strong with multiple players achieving multiple all pros using PFRs 

Calvin Johnson av 78, all pros 3, RAS 10 

Joe Thomas AV 83, all pros, 6, RAS 9.37

Adrian Peterson AV 94, As 4, RAS, 9.66

Patrick Willis AV 95, all pros 5, RAS, 8.5

Marshawn Lynch AV 74, all pros 1, RAS 7.84

Darrelle Revis AV 90, all pros 4, RAS 10

Eric Weedle AV 80, All pros 2, RAS, 5.1

Marshal Yanda  AV 80, APs 2, 9.03

ryan Khalil  AV 74, APs 2, RAS, 9.13

Eric Weddle has a strong career but is only a mediocre athlete according to RAS, while surprisingly Willis scores relatively low for someone who was so successful in a short period of time. 



1998 NFL draft

Randy Moss AV 123, APs 4, RAs 9.67

alan Faneca, AV 113, APs 113, RAS 3.16

Charles woodson AV 108, APs 3, RAs not recorded

1999

Champ Bailey AV 111, APs 3, RAS 9.94

Edge James AV 114 APs 1, RAS 9.99

Ricky Williams AV 76, APs 1, RAS 9.73


1997

Tony G av 97, As 6, RAS 8.12

Walter Jones AV 97, APs 4, RAS 8.59

Ronde Barber AV 110, Aps 3, RAS 2.86

Darren Sharper AV 87, APs 2, RAS 9.01

Jason Taylor AV 117, APs 3, RAS 9.51

Sam Maddison AV 86, Aps 2, RAS 5.13

From a RAS perspective this class is relatively weak, Tony G an all time great, along with Walter jones, were low to mid 8's. Barber had a long career, is a bottom third athlete. 

scoring over 9 is strongly correlated with top performance in a respective draft class, but isn't necessary. 2 of 20 players were below 4 and achieved multiple all pros. It turns out being an extremely good athlete is beneficial to your chances of becoming an all pro. 

There is also an exhaustive list of players who score 9 or higher that have no business being in the NFL. Ricardo louis, Mingo etc.

One last comparison. 

Rashard Higgins

WR

2016

1.82

1.65

Higgins is a bottom 2% athlete by this metric

 

 

Ricardo Louis

WR

2016

9.25

9.23

Louis,is atop 92% athlete. 



 

Edited May 19, 2019 by Kiwibrown

[LETSGOBROWNIES]

There’s definitely a difference between being a good football player and being athletic, but there’s definitely a minimum threshold of athleticism needed.

This RAS is just a part of the equation.

[ditchdigger]

TLDR; Mack Wilson is a stiff.

[bruceb]

5 hours ago, ditchdigger said:

Mack Wilson is a stiff.

Probably can be impactful on ST if nothing else.

[MistaBohmbastic]

@Mind Character Kai Nacua sighting

[Kiwibrown]

38 minutes ago, MistaBohmbastic said:

@Mind Character Kai Nacua sighting

Anyone else reckon his numbers were fudged? For a guy with solid instincts he ddint seem that athletic.

[AkronsWitness]

38 minutes ago, Kiwibrown said:

Anyone else reckon his numbers were fudged? For a guy with solid instincts he ddint seem that athletic.

If your thinking, your slow. So if a player doesnt have it between the ears it doesnt matter what their athletic profile is. Look at Corey Coleman for example. Kai was probably in that same mold. A player with great intelligence and football IQ is much harder to find than a great athlete. 

[NudeTayne]

2 hours ago, MistaBohmbastic said:

@Mind Character Kai Nacua sighting

😠

[Rod Johnson]

23 hours ago, Kiwibrown said:

Anyone else reckon his numbers were fudged? For a guy with solid instincts he ddint seem that athletic.

I'm amazed he put up those testing numbers.  I didn't think it really showed up on his tape.  Maybe some guys lose more athleticism when they put on the pads than others.

Kinda reminds me of Takitaki honestly.  I didn't see a physically dominant LB when I watched his Wisconsin tape, and draft guys say that's his best tape.  I don't mean to be a buzzkill, I really want to believe the scouting, but I wouldn't match his numbers with the eye test.