National Football League Draft Research Articles

Implementing trades of the National Football League Draft on blockchain smart contracts

PurposeDemonstrate proof-of-concept for conducting NFL Draft trades on a blockchain network using smart contracts.Design/methodology/approachUsing Ethereum smart contracts, the authors model several types of draft trades between teams. An example scenario is used to demonstrate contract interaction and draft results.FindingsThe authors show the feasibility of conducting draft-day trades using smart contracts. The entire negotiation process, including side deals, can be conducted digitally.Research limitations/implicationsFurther work is required to incorporate the full-scale depth required to integrate the draft trading process into a decentralized user platform and experience.Practical implicationsCutting time for the trade negotiation process buys decision time for team decision-makers. Gains are also made with accuracy and cost.Social implicationsFull-scale adoption may find resistance due to the level of fan involvement; the draft has evolved into an interactive experience for both fans and teams.Originality/valueThis research demonstrates the new application of smart contracts in the inter-section of sports management and blockchain technology.

Escape Narratives and Regional Identity: A Case Study of the Story of Joe Burrow

This case study analyzes the news media’s framing of National Football League (NFL) quarterback Joe Burrow and his background during the 2019 football season, from the announcement of Burrow as a Heisman trophy finalist to the aftermath of his selection as the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. With his heightened visibility on the field, Burrow’s background was increasingly of interest to football fans and sports journalists. It was not Burrow’s fairly “typical” family background as the child of a football coach in a nuclear family that received the most attention, but the Appalachian town of Athens, OH, where Burrow was a high school student, that became an important narrative. Emerging theme analysis suggests that sports journalists often extended idealized narratives to frame Burrow as an overcomer of a systemic cultural background with which he did not immediately identify. That narrative often utilized stereotypical representations of rural Appalachia as a place dominated by cultural poverty, highlighted representations of engrained hopelessness and lack of agency in the region, and reinforced problematic understandings of the nature of structural poverty and the ways it may be effectively challenged. The research addresses gaps in the literature about the college student-athlete in nuanced conversations about race and class in athlete-to-career narratives and notes the ways an athlete may call on such mediated tropes to extend a narrative for possible community or self-benefit.

Does the Scouting Combine Influence a Player's Standing in the NFL Draft?

The annual scouting combine gives National Football League (NFL) teams an opportunity to assess over four days the skills of that year’s most promising college football players. The authors merge two data sets on over one thousand draft eligible football players spanning the ten-year period between 2014 and 2023 on their ultimate draft pick numbers and selected combine test results. Combine test results are converted to z-scores, that is, each participant’s number of standard deviations above or below the average performance in that year’s particular combine test. Wide receivers’ standing in the NFL’s draft correlates well with combine test results in the 40-yard dash. However, the authors find little-to-no relationship between combine test results and draft pick status over the last five years (let alone the last ten) for defensive backs, running backs, and defensive linemen who participated in, respectively, the vertical leap, broad jump, and bench press repetitions.

“All the Makings of an Eventual NFL Starter:” Racial/Ethnic Disparities in a Decade of National Football League Draft Profiles as Revealed by Natural Language Processing

Student-athletes are often treated differently and inequitably based on their race/ethnicity. For example, Black student-athletes often face unjust stereotyping and discrimination because they are seen for their athletic achievements over their academic achievements compared to White student-athletes. Using in-game broadcast data, Black athletes are also discussed differently than White athletes, with disparities in how broadcasters focus on players’ physical and cognitive abilities. The current paper draws on and extends this literature by using natural language processing techniques to identify how experts communicate about different National Football League (NFL) prospects. A decade of data (2014-2023), including nearly 4,000 draft profiles, suggested writers attending to Black draftees used fewer positive emotions in player narratives than writers attending to White draftees. Narratives of White players also mentioned the NFL more than narratives of Black players, revealing a possible disparity in perceived belonging to the league. Implications for theory and equity in sport are discussed.

Teaching Information Synthesis Using the National Football League Draft

Teaching Information Synthesis Using the National Football League Draft

You are drafted: the role of employee and manager human capital on employee career advancement

PurposeThis study examines how managers' human capital, time spent with employees and employees' human capital can influence employees' career advancement. While research tends to find a positive relationship between human capital and career advancement, less attention is paid the effect of managers' human capital on employee careers. A combination of human capital and social capital theories is used to develop hypotheses.Design/methodology/approachA five-year sample of American football players selected in the National Football League (NFL) draft is used to test the hypotheses. Archival data for human capital, social capital and career success measures are used, and OLS regression analyses test the hypotheses.FindingsThe authors find employees with higher levels of human capital experience greater career advancement. Managers' human capital moderates this relationship and the length of time worked together by the employee–manager dyad. The relationship between employees' human capital and career advancement is strengthened when managers have high levels of human capital.Practical implicationsThe results of this study indicate that individuals with higher levels of human capital and social capital have greater career success. When individuals have higher levels of human capital it is important for them to determine how long they should work for a particular manager before advancing in their careers. Individuals with higher levels of human capital may need lees time working for a manager than those with lower levels of human capital before advancing in their careers.Originality/valueThis study contributes to careers and human resource management research by examining the moderating impact that manager human capital and time employees spend with a manager have on the relationship between employee human capital and employee career advancement.

Age at League Entry and Early All-Cause Mortality among National Football League Players

Background: A growing body of research suggests that American football players are exposed to higher cumulative head impact risk as competition level rises. Related literature finds that head impacts absorbed by youth, adolescent, and emerging adult players are associated with elevated risk of long-term health problems (e.g., neurodegenerative disease onset). Most National Football League (NFL) players enter the League as emerging adults (18–24 years old), a period of continued cognitive and overall physical development. However, no prior research has studied the effect of age-at-entry on long-term NFL player health. Hypothesis/Purpose: This study assesses whether early NFL player age-at-entry is associated with increased risk of early all-cause mortality, controlling for player position, BMI, year-of-entry, birth year, and NFL Draft round (expected ability upon League entry). Study Design: This retrospective cohort study included 9049 players who entered the NFL from 1970–2017 and subsequently played at least one game. The variables whether deceased, age-at-death, age-at-entry, and controls were collected from Pro Football Reference website, a leading data site for American football that has been used extensively in the literature. Data collection began on 13 July 2017, and follow-up ended on 1 July 2018. Statistical analysis was performed from 10 March 2020 to 3 August 2020. Data was validated by checking a large sub-sample of data points against alternative sources such as NFL.com and NFLsavant.com. Methods: Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to examine variation in death hazard by NFL player age-at-entry, conditional upon a full set of controls. Results: Conditional on controls, Cox regression results indicate that a one-year increase in age-at-entry was significantly associated with a 14% decreased hazard-of-death (H.R., 0.86; 95% CI, 0.74–0.98). Among relatively young entering players, the increased hazard appears to be concentrated in the first quartile of players by age at League entry (20.2 to 22.3 years). Players not in this quartile exhibited a decreased hazard-of-death (H.R., 0.74; 95% CI, 0.57–0.97) compared with players who entered at a relatively young (first quartile) age. Conclusion: An earlier age-at-entry is associated with an increased hazard-of-death among NFL players. Currently, the NFL regulates age-at-entry only indirectly by requiring players to be 3 years removed from high school before becoming NFL Draft-eligible. Implementing a minimum age at entry for NFL players of 22 years and 4 months at beginning of season is expected to result in reduced mortality. What is known about this subject? There are no prior studies on the effects of NFL player age-at-entry on early mortality risk. What this study adds to existing knowledge: This study determines whether entering the NFL at an age of physical and physiological development is related to early mortality risk.

Molecular Deficits Relevant to Concussion Are Prevalent in Top-Ranked Football Players Entering the National Football League Draft.

Kunces, LJ, Keenan, J, Schmidt, CM, and Schmidt, MA. Molecular deficits relevant to concussion are prevalent in top-ranked football players entering the National Football League draft. J Strength Cond Res 35(11): 3139-3144, 2021-Characterization of blood variants in athletes entering the highly competitive contact environment of professional football can help us understand the risk for brain injury. When coupled with longitudinal follow-up of future concussion incidence and trajectory, it may provide additional insight into factors that influence brain injury. We observed the metabolic phenotype of collegiate football players entering the 2016 National Football League (NFL) draft. The principal aims were to characterize the molecular status of individual athletes and quantify the prevalence of athletes with multiple concurrent molecular deficits. Blood was taken from 30 elite American collegiate football players 7 weeks before the NFL scouting combine and 15 weeks before entering the NFL draft. Average results revealed suboptimal values in Omega-3 Index (avg ± std, 4.66 ± 1.16%), arachidonic acid:eicosapentaenoic acid fatty acid ratio (29.13 ± 10.78), homocysteine (11.4 ± 3.4 µmol·L-1), vitamin D (30 ± 11.4 ng·ml-1), and red blood cell magnesium (4.1 ± 0.8 mg·dl-1). Using sport-optimized reference ranges from previously published research, 10% presented with 3, 40% presented with 4, and 50% of athletes presented with 5 suboptimal values at once. We conclude molecular deficits in this cohort entering the NFL draft were common, with a significant number of athletes presenting with multiple suboptimal levels. The significant commonality of the suboptimal biomarkers is relevance to brain health and function. This data warrant extensive metabolic phenotyping and consideration of prophylactic precision nutrition countermeasures by the multidisciplinary staff for athletes entering contact environments.

THE 2020 NFL DRAFT: DUAL-CAREER (DC) MESSAGING ON EDUCATION, FAMILIES, GENDER, AND RACE UNDER AMERICAN CAPITALISM

This paper is an examination of the 2020 National Football League (NFL) Draft and how the virtual prism created due to the COVID-19 pandemic provides insight on the dual career identities of collegiate football players that are drafted into the NFL. The virtual prism created by the COVID-19 pandemic is a moment for cultural studies to take up seriously, namely because of the clear tensions and synergies between academic and athletic prowess, racial inequality in higher education, racial socialization, the continued racialization of the vocational realm, and media biases. Our method involved an analysis of secondary compiled data from the NFL. In our data analyses, we focused on the idea of credited season, player eligibility, team graduation rate. We also used athlete triangulation information to advance our understanding of the dual career, family, masculinity, and race. Ultimately, we conclude that NFL players possess a comparable set of academic/professional skills that effectively help them transition from sports activities to the world of labor. Following our theoretical advancement(s), we discuss the practical application of our work and provide recommendations for scholars and practitioners on dual-career identities and player development dynamics.

In Case You Haven't Heard…

The National Football League (NFL) announced April 15 that Mental Health America (MHA) will be one of four national nonprofit organizations featured in its 2021 “Draft‐a‐Thon,” a fundraiser that drives awareness and action to close critical gaps at the intersection of pandemic recovery and this nation's hardest‐hit communities. The Draft‐a‐Thon will raise funds on behalf of Mental Health America and three other nonprofits: the CDC Foundation, The Education Trust and Feeding America. The money raised for Mental Health America will ultimately benefit MHA and its affiliates across the country, with a particular focus on MHA programs that reach people of color. “We couldn't be happier that the NFL has chosen to spotlight Mental Health America for this event, and that they've recognized the vital role mental health plays in healing the country,” Paul Gionfriddo, president and CEO of Mental Health America, said in a statement. “As the vaccine rollout continues, we must address the impact that COVID‐19 has had on mental health.” The Draft‐a‐Thon will be featured across live NFL Draft coverage on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio and the NFL Network April 29–May 1 and will showcase Mental Health America's work throughout. For more information, visit https://nfl.com/DraftaThon.

When Lions Were Kings: The Detroit Lions and the Fabulous Fifties by Richard Bak

Reviewed by: When Lions Were Kings: The Detroit Lions and the Fabulous Fifties by Richard Bak Randy Snow Richard Bak. When Lions Were Kings: The Detroit Lions and the Fabulous Fifties. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 2020. Pp. 372. Illustrations. Notes. Index. Appendices. Hardcover: $39.99. In his latest book, author Richard Bak provides an in-depth look at the Detroit Lions teams of the 1950s. They played in four National Football League (NFL) championship games during the decade, winning three of them, all against the Cleveland Browns. For many of today's Lions fans, that may come as a bit of a surprise, seeing as the team has only won a single playoff game since 1957. The book begins with how the team was put together. The nucleus of the team was established in 1950 with the acquisition of three pivotal players that included back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners and a quarterback for the ages. End Leon Hart, the 1949 Heisman Trophy winner from Notre Dame, was selected by Detroit with the first overall pick in the 1950 NFL draft. Hart won three college football national championships with the Fighting Irish in 1946, 1947, and 1949. Halfback Doak Walker, the 1948 Heisman winner from Southern Methodist University (SMU), was also acquired in 1950. He had been selected in the first round of the NFL draft the year before by the NFL's Boston Bulldogs, so the Lions had to make a trade for him. The Lions also had to make a deal with the Cleveland Browns of the rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC), who held Walker's AAFC rights. Quarterback Bobby Layne of the University of Texas Longhorns was also acquired by Detroit via a trade in 1950 with the New York Bulldogs, where he played during the 1949 season. Walker and Layne grew up together and played high school football together at Highland Park High School in Texas. Lions Assistant Coach Buddy Parker was elevated to head coach in 1951 after Bo McMillan was forced to resign. Parker had played for the Lions during the 1935 season, when the team won its first NFL title over the New York Giants. Prior to coming to Detroit, he had been a player/coach with the Chicago Cardinals. In the 1951 draft, Parker [End Page 120] selected two future Hall of Famers—linebacker Jack Christianson and guard Dick Stanfel—as well as a pair of ends, Dorne Dibble and Jim Doran. Other future NFL superstars on the 1950s Lions teams included end Cloyce Box, guard/tackle Lou Creekmur, halfback Bob "Hunchy" Hoernschemeyer, linebacker Joe Schmidt, defensive back Yale Lary, halfback Terry Barr, defensive back Dick LeBeau, defensive end Darris McCord, linebacker Wayne Walker, and guard Les Bingaman. There was also running back Howard "Hopalong" Cassidy, the 1955 Heisman Trophy winner, and future hall-of-famer Alex Karras. The Detroit teams of the 1950s featured ten future hall of famers and three Heisman Trophy winners. The book is meticulously researched and even explores other aspects of life in Detroit during the 1950s. One chapter is devoted to the subject of racism. The Lions featured mainly white players during the decade. One of the exceptions was fullback John Henry Johnson, who was signed in 1957 from the 49ers. He had been a member of San Francisco's famed "Million Dollar Backfield." Another surprisingly interesting chapter is all about trading cards of the 1950s. There is a great collection of pictures featured in the book that includes many trading cards of Lions players during the decade. In fact, every chapter of the book is edged with parts of those trading cards, giving it a very unique look. Bak vividly captures the sights and sounds of Briggs Stadium on those cold December games. He also takes readers right inside the huddle, the locker room, and even the bars of Detroit with Bobby Layne. Whether you remember those Lions teams of the 1950s or not, this book is required reading for every fan of the Detroit Lions. It will remind you that there was a time when the Detroit Lions really were the kings of the NFL. Randy Snow www.theworldoffootball.comPro Football...

Analysis of National Football League preseason injuries resulting in roster cuts: a retrospective review

Background: The National Football League (NFL) schedule consists of 16 regular season games and four additional preseason games each season. The structure of the NFL preseason allows franchises to evaluate 90 players in four games to determine which 53 should make the final roster. The purpose of this study was to investigate preseason injuries in NFL players and to identify risk factors for being cut from NFL teams after preseason injury. Methods: This study was a retrospective review of all injuries suffered by NFL athletes during the 2014 through 2019 NFL preseasons. The data were compiled using publicly available injury reports published on multiple websites. Results: We identified 110 injuries during the period of study involving players that were later cut from an NFL team during the preseason. The incidence of a preseason injury before being cut from the team was 1.59 per 1000 athletic exposures. The majority of NFL players who were cut after being injured were undrafted free agents (69 players, 63%). Rookies (38 players, 35%) most commonly were cut after being injured. Most athletes cut from NFL teams after preseason injury did not play another year in the NFL (82 players, 75%). The lower extremity was the most frequently injured body area, accounting for 45% (49 players) of all injuries. Conclusions: No prior NFL experience and being undrafted in the NFL draft were two common characteristics identified among athletes that sustained preseason injury and were later cut from the roster. Level of Evidence: Level III.

The First Update to 'Can Changing His Management Style Help Shahid Khan Win a Super Bowl?' and its Research

In May 2020, “Can Changing His Management Style Help Shahid Khan Win a Super Bowl?” was written to evaluate the management style of Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan and the likelihood of it leading to a Super Bowl championship. As of December 28, 2020, the Jaguars’ on-field position is even worse than the aforementioned paper originally stated. This is because the team has secured the #1 overall pick in the 2021 National Football League (NFL) Draft (Smith, 2020). However, the depths of Shad Khan’s on-field failures may have led to an amazing triumph, as the #1 overall pick has led to multiple franchises winning Super Bowls.

Return to Play and Performance After Primary ACL Reconstruction in American Football Players: A Systematic Review.

Background:Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common sports-related injuries, and they can have a negative impact on players’ ability to return to play (RTP). There is a paucity of literature focused on RTP after ACL reconstruction (ACLR) in collision sports.Purpose:To characterize the impact that an ACL injury has on the ability to RTP and the post-ACLR performance level in American football players.Study Design:Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.Methods:An electronic search was performed using the following databases: the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Embase, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Included studies were written in English; were published since the year 2000; examined only American football players; and reported on RTP, performance, and/or career length after primary ACLR.Results:The initial search yielded 442 unique studies. Of these, 427 were removed after screening, leaving 15 studies that met inclusion criteria. An additional 2 studies were identified in these studies’ references, yielding a total of 17. The rate of RTP after ACLR for football players was 67.2% (1249/1859), and the mean time to return was 11.6 months (range, 35.8-55.8 weeks). Although considerable heterogeneity existed in the study design and outcomes measured, in general, a majority of football players experienced greater declines from their preinjury performance level than controls over the same time period.Conclusion:An ACL injury negatively affected football players’ ability to RTP and their post-ACLR performance. The degree of effect varied by several factors, including playing position, preinjury performance level, and National Football League Draft round. These results may be used by physicians and football players to develop reasonable expectations for returning to play and performance after an ACL injury.

The Relationship Between the National Football League Scouting Combine and Game Performance Over a 5-Year Period.

Cook, J, Ryan, GA, Snarr, RL, and Rossi, S. The relationship between the National Football League scouting Combine and game performance over a 5-year period. J Strength Cond Res 34(8): 2492-2499, 2020-There has been doubt on the ability of the National Football League (NFL) Scouting Combine to predict successful future game performance. This study analyzed data from athletes who participated in the Combine between 2013 and 2017 (n = 1,537) and their subsequent year's performance in the NFL. Data from 6 athletic measures were normalized for each athlete when compared with all other athletes (avgCZ) and athletes of the same position (avgPZ). Correlational analysis was used to ascertain whether the physical performance tests were associated with subsequent year's game performance (avgS). A multiple linear regression was performed to examine whether individual event Combine performance could predict the subsequent year's avgS in the NFL. Of the 35 correlations found when examining relationships, only 2 correlations were found to be moderately strong, avgCZ-avgS2 (r = 0.320), avgPZ-avgS2 (r = 0.332), whereas most were found to be weak (r < 0.3). Furthermore, data analysis suggests that Combine measures can only explain approximately 2.6% of the variance in avgS 1 year after the Combine when using 3 (vertical jump, bench press, and PRO) performance tests as predictors. The primary results of this study suggest that the NFL Combine lacks predictive ability when examining first year game performance. Furthermore, it also lacks correlational strength when examining relationships between performance and subsequent 5-year performance in the NFL. Caution should be used if coaches, general managers, and other front office staff are considering the use of Combine data as a possible selection for the upcoming NFL Draft.

“A Breath of Fresh Air”: Media Framing of a Unique National Football League Draft Pick

In the 2016 National Football League (NFL) Draft, Moritz Böhringer became the first international player ever selected without having previously played in North America. The current study examined media coverage of Böhringer during the process of him being identified as an NFL prospect, working out for NFL scouts, being drafted, and trying to make an NFL roster. Ultimately, Böhringer was framed as an international experiment that produced serious interest from NFL teams and created a “feel good” story for fans. The study contributes to the broader understanding of sport, media, race, and nationality, illustrating how Böhringer—despite being a foreign athlete in a quintessentially American sport—was presented as a “breath of fresh air” that provided welcome relief from the “bad apples” in the league.

A 10-year Evaluation of the NFL Combine. Do Combine Results Correlate with Career Longevity for NFL Offensive players?

Abstract Background: The National Football League (NFL) combine has been found to play a significant role in NFL draft decisions. Previous studies have demonstrated correlations between a player’s combine metrics

DATA‐DRIVEN DRAFTING: APPLYING ECONOMETRICS TO EMPLOY QUARTERBACKS

We show that firms can employ data‐driven methods to improve their hiring decisions. Specifically, we use data available to National Football League (NFL) teams prior to the NFL draft to estimate econometric models that predict the future performance of drafted quarterbacks. As our methods are replicable, stakeholders can use them to improve the draft's efficiency and help it accomplish its mission to promote competitive balance. Furthermore, data‐driven methods such as ours can help firms avoid biases against employee characteristics that do not affect future job performance. (JEL L83)

Recurrent Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears in the National Football League: A Case-Control Study.

Background:Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common in American football players. The risk of subsequent ACL reinjury to either the ipsilateral or the contralateral knee in National Football League (NFL) draftees with a history of successful ACL reconstruction before entering the NFL remains unknown.Hypothesis:NFL athletes with a history of successful ACL reconstruction before being drafted will likely demonstrate increased risk of subsequent ACL injury when compared with a control cohort consisting of players of similar positions and draft class.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:Detailed orthopaedic evaluations of NFL Combine participants from 2006 to 2012 were obtained to identify players entering the NFL draft with a history of successful ACL reconstruction. A control cohort was created in a 2:1 ratio, consisting of players matched by position and draft class.Results:Of the 2016 players invited to the NFL Combine during the study period, 100 met the inclusion criteria. A total of 26 subsequent ACL reinjuries (12 ipsilateral, 14 contralateral) occurred in 25 players (25%) while playing in the NFL, with injuries occurring at a mean of 22.1 months after the NFL draft. In comparison, 18 of the 200 (9%) carefully matched cohort players without history of prior ACL injury sustained a new ACL injury during this time period (P < .001).Conclusion:NFL athletes with a history of successful ACL reconstruction before being drafted into the NFL have a significantly higher rate of subsequent ACL reinjury while playing in the NFL when compared with a carefully matched cohort of players without a history of prior ACL injury.

Are Molecular Deficits Relevant to Concussion Present in Collegiate Football Players Entering the NFL Draft?

PURPOSE: Factors that influence individual susceptibility to brain acceleration forces or poor outcomes in brain injury are not well understood. Characterization of molecular variants in athletes entering a highly competitive contact environment may provide additional insight into factors that influence the longitudinal followhoney-up of concussion incidence and its trajectory. We examined the metabolic phenotype of collegiate football players entering the 2016 National Football League (NFL) draft. The principal aims were to observe and characterize the molecular status of individual athletes and to quantify the prevalence of athletes with multiple concurrent molecular deficits. These will serve as baseline measures, as concussion incidence and trajectory of this cohort of athletes is followed in their NFL careers. METHODS: Blood samples were taken from 30 elite American collegiate football players seven weeks before the NFL scouting combine, and 15 weeks before entering the NFL draft. RESULTS: Of 74 analytes, results revealed mea undesirable values in Omega-3 Index (4.66%), AA:EPA fatty acid ratio (29.13), homocysteine (11.4 μmol/L), vitamin D (30 ng/mL), and magnesium (4.1 mg/dL). Using reference ranges optimized for athletic performance, no athlete had 0, 1 or 2 abnormalities in blood values; 10% had 3, 40% had 4, and 50% of athletes had 5 undesirable values. CONCLUSIONS: Molecular deficits in this cohort entering the NFL draft appear to be common. Historical evidence exists showing that the molecular deficits observed in this study have mechanistic correlations with concussion trajectory and outcome. A more thorough examination of molecular features that contribute to poor outcomes in concussion may open the door to precision nutrition and clinical countermeasures, not only in football, but in any sport in which acceleration forces to the brain may be present. Supported by WellnessFX