We use SPARQ data to find trends in Trent Baalke's draft strategy.
Before the 2016 draft, I examined at how teams like the 49ers, Seahawks, and Eagles leveraged athleticism as a part of the drafting strategy. The analysis leveraged SPARQ, a composite metric used by coaches like Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly to measure athleticism. I was mostly curious as to whether Kelly’s personnel philosophy would influence Baalke’s talent-acquisition strategy in this year’s draft.
Thanks to Zach Whitman’s work, we now have three full years of SPARQ data for most, but not all, draftees.