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Locked on Chiefs: John Pollard talks data analysis and the NFL Draft

By Ryan Tracy

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 28: Defensive lineman Chris Jones of Mississippi State in action during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 28: Defensive lineman Chris Jones of Mississippi State in action during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The NFL combine kicks off on-field drills today. The results will drive fortunes to be made and lost in Indianapolis.

John Pollard is currently a Football Infomation Science Consultant. Previously, he was the General Manager for the Sports Solutions group at Stats, Inc. In our one-on-one interview, he explained the role of statistics, metrics, and analysis in modern football.

Living down the sterotype

One book (and subsequent feature film) which featured data-driven decisions in sports has clouded the process with doubt. The Cleveland Browns have a new leadership group that is infamously linked with the term Moneyball. Most fans associate Moneyball with “non-football guys pinching pennies.” For most teams, that couldn’t be further from the case.

Analytics and the use of data to predict and evaluate talent is simply finding new ways to look at data and draw real-world conclusions from it. The popularized view of sacrificing on-field talent for the sake of saving dollars is not due to big data analytics. The stigma comes from executives making poor decisions based on misinterpreting the data.

It is commonly thought that this is a new phenomenon in professional football. What Pollard explains is that roughly half of the NFL quietly uses analytics of some kind. The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the teams who use analytics as a tool in evaluating and improving the roster. Mike Frazier is the Chiefs’ Statistical Analysis Coordinator. He came to Kansas City with the Andy Reid/John Dorsey regime.

It is gaining ground but it is not a new concept for NFL franchises. The tools have been in use in the league for six to eight years, depending on the organization using it.

The insights provided by statistics analysis has been slowly growing. The recent emergence of Pro Football Focus has brought it to the forefront. It allows for the precise analysis of production on the field in ways that will only expand over time.

It has become an essential part of prospect evaluations going into the NFL draft. It will never replace watching film, but it does enhance it. Together with physiological analysis, there is now a whole new approach to evaluating prospective NFL talent.

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Locked on Chiefs is a daily podcast show that drills down to the bottom line and will give you a 360-degree view of the Kansas City Chiefs. Take a few minutes to hear about your Chiefs each day. We’ll cover the offseason, the draft and all the way to the Super Bowl and want to cover the topics you want to hear about. So reach out to us on twitter @LockedOnChiefs with questions and for up to the minute analysis and episode information.

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