(45) ANTHROPOMETRIC AND COMBINE PERFORMANCE IMPACT ON DRAFT STATUS: 2022 NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE DRAFT

The National Football League (NFL) conducts an annual Combine to assess anthropometric and athletic ability for hundreds of collegiate football players as part of the NFL Draft process. General managers, coaches, and sport scientists use the information gathered during the Combine, in part, to make decisions on which players to draft onto their teams. While previous research has suggested that the Combine is minimally successful in determining player ability, the NFL continues to promote the Combine and players continue to subject themselves to testing in hopes of being drafted.

Purpose:  The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference between drafted and undrafted players in anthropometric and performance results among the athletes invited to the 2022 NFL Combine.

Methods:  Data from three anthropometric (Body Mass Index; Hand Size; Arm Length) and five performance tests (40 Yard Sprint; Vertical Jump; Broad Jump; 3-Cone Drill; 20 Yard Shuttle) of 315 collegiate athletes were analyzed from open-source databases. Independent t-tests were run on each test to explore potential mean differences (α ≤ 0.05) in drafted (n = 218) and undrafted (n = 97) players. Additionally, players were separated into positions (Offensive Line; Defensive Back; Defensive Line; Running Back; Linebacker; Quarterback; Tight End; Wide Receiver) and analyzed for potential differences within each position group. RESULTS: Differences existed for Body Mass Index (p = 0.03, Mean Difference [95%CI]: 1.22kg/m² [0.16, 2.28]), Hand Size (p < 0.01, Mean Difference [95%CI]: 0.20in [0.06, 0.34]), and Arm Length (p < 0.01, Mean Difference [95%CI]: 0.60in [0.23, 0.96]) with drafted players measuring larger than undrafted players. No differences were noted for any of the performance variables: 40 Yard Sprint (p = 0.25); Vertical Jump (p = 0.28); Broad Jump (p = 0.42); 3 Cone Drill (p = 0.72); or 20 Yard Shuttle (p = 0.98). When separated by position groups, the number of significant differences varied: Quarterback (0); Offensive Line (1: Hand Size [p = 0.05]); Wide Receiver (1: 40 Yard Sprint [p  < 0.01]); Defensive Backs (2: 40 Yard Sprint [p  = 0.04], Broad Jump [p = 0.05]); Running Back (2: Arm Length [p = 0.04]; 40 Yard Sprint [p  = 0.05]); Linebacker (2: 40 Yard Sprint [p < 0.01]; Broad Jump [p < 0.01]); Tight End (2: 40 Yard Sprint [p  = 0.03]; 20 Yard Shuttle [p  = 0.03]); Defensive Line (4: Arm Length [p = 0.04], 40 Yard Sprint [p < 0.01]; Vertical Jump [p = 0.04]; Broad Jump [p = 0.02]).Conclusions: The findings suggest that players drafted by NFL teams are anthropometrically larger than undrafted players, but do not have better performance metrics than undrafted players. This suggests that drafted players produce more absolute power and force than undrafted ones given the differences in body size. However, while differences vary by position, speed and lower-body power (in horizontal or frontal directions) are highlighted. Practical Applications: Strength and conditioning professionals may need to shift training priorities for smaller sized athletes to better prepare them for the NFL Combine, as it appears physically larger athletes are at an advantage to being drafted if performance metrics are equal. However, due to the variation between position groups, it is possible that short-term, performance training priorities should differ. Thus, individualized NFL Draft preparation programs should be implemented to maximize draft potential.

Acknowledgements: None