Relative Athletic Score (RAS) being over-blown

[DaBruinz]

So, I just saw Evan Lazar's latest Patriots.com article covering the WR & TE. Lazar has latched onto RAS and is trying to sell it as the a good predictor as to what players will do in the NFL. I'm actually shocked that it's taken someone this long to run with it as much as he did, but also surprised that he's selling it the way he is.

Eight Takeaways From Wide Receiver and Tight End Workouts at the NFL Combine

On a night where a few wide receivers were disappointing, one wideout had a stellar workout at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night.

www.patriots.com

RAS is best for getting Combine info and comparing one player to another. It's not a good predictor of how players will do. If it was, well, players like Harry wouldn't be looking at their 3rd team in 5 years. Other players wouldn't be UDFA.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I don't see it that way. I think his point is that you want both good tape and good RAS; the conundrum lies when they diverge. That's his point #2 about Addison.

 

[Brotherblues]

I like the test about how quickly you can process information. Relatively new (14 years or so), seems to be gaining traction but isn't yet mainstream. Leaps and bounds a better predictor than the hot pile of garbage that is the wonderlic. Especially for QBs and DBs, the positions that most need to process several images and objects and react quickly.

 

[Patriot Missile]

I’m a bigger fan of ras when it’s combined with players skill and production on the field.

Sometimes you can find that gem if said player played in a weaker conference or bad team who may have got overlooked. Always a risk involved though.

By no means is it something you solely draft a player on. The De/Lb from Youngstown, Rivers come to mind. Adam Trautman etc. Obviously not the say all because it’s always a crap shoot when you draft just about any player. But fun to gauge and evaluate what might be.

 

[DaBruinz]

I don't see it that way. I think his point is that you want both good tape and good RAS; the conundrum lies when they diverge. That's his point #2 about Addison.

The problem is that having a good RAS doesn't mean a damn thing. Tom Brady's RAS is 1.48. Welker had CRAP RAS (2.08). Matt Light's RAS was a 6.7 Tyler Gauthier had a 7.99. The first is the GOAT. The next two were some of the best players in the league at their position. The last one is a foot note who didn't play a single NFL game. JoeJuan Williams has a RAS of 8.11. Most fans consider him a bust.

RAS just shows a comparison of the Combine Stats relative to other players who play that position.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I’m a bigger fan of ras when it’s combined with players skill and production on the field.

Sometimes you can find that gem if said player played in a weaker conference or bad team who may have got overlooked. Always a risk involved though.

By no means is it something you solely draft a player on. The De/Lb from Youngstown, Rivers come to mind. Adam Trautman etc. Obviously not the say all because it’s always a crap shoot when you draft just about any player. But fun to gauge and evaluate what might be.

Rivers is a weird case because he lost two entire seasons to preseason injuries, similar to Wynn.

 

[upstater1]

Kuntz the TE has a 100 score. Yet he couldn't break into the lineup at PSU, a school that likes to use all its TEs. Will be interesting to see where he goes.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

Kuntz the TE has a 100 score. Yet he couldn't break into the lineup at PSU, a school that likes to use all its TEs. Will be interesting to see where he goes.

"Not only did he have a 40-inch vertical, making him the tallest player (6-7 3/8) to record a 40-inch vert, but he also ran a 4.55 in the 40-yard dash. His short shuttle and three-cone times (4.12 and 6.87) were also elite."

He's apparently stiff and has dubious hands. But if he just wanders into the end zone and Mac throws a line drive at a 10 foot height nobody could defend him (assuming he can catch it of course).

 

[Jim Beankie]

The problem is that having a good RAS doesn't mean a damn thing. Tom Brady's RAS is 1.48. Welker had CRAP RAS (2.08). Matt Light's RAS was a 6.7 Tyler Gauthier had a 7.99. The first is the GOAT. The next two were some of the best players in the league at their position. The last one is a foot note who didn't play a single NFL game. JoeJuan Williams has a RAS of 8.11. Most fans consider him a bust.

RAS just shows a comparison of the Combine Stats relative to other players who play that position.

I really dislike overall RAS score unless it's over something arbitrary like 9.75. Problem is the size grade. Height/Weight has way too much of an influence on the overall score. Let's look at SloJo's RAS - I mean why would he get an 8.08 when his speed grades were pretty slow? Gauthier's high score was also due to height/weight. The only one I've seen where size wasn't too much a factor was Tyreek, whose height grade was 0.41 but still got a 9.39 due to non size grade scores. Tyreek should've gotten a 10, though.

 

[everlong]

Julian Edelman - MockDraftable

I like using this graph format. The fact that Branch, Dorsette and others come up as comparables is interesting and you know the Patriots are hasing this data out in some format too.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

Julian Edelman - MockDraftable

I like using this graph format. The fact that Branch, Dorsette and others come up as comparables is interesting and you know the Patriots are hasing this data out in some format too.

View attachment 50342

JSN is an obvious comp. I'd be all over him in the 2nd, if he makes it. I think I want OT or CB first.

 

[Mark Morse]

I agree with Lazar that the Patriots Draft brain trust led by Matt Groh seems to rely on this stat a lot.

 

[State]

This makes sense. Last year the team took a third-rounder in the first because of the player’s nearly off-the-charts RAS.

This year a highly productive player in Penn State’s Ji’ayir Brown, The Turnover King with 15 the past two seasons playing safety, is in the opposite boat. A first round football player with seventh round (at best) speed. Almost identical to Joejuan Williams at 4.65. We all know how that failed.

So what round is Ji’ayir Brown going to be taken? My guess is third or fourth. But this RAS is becoming gospel to draftniks.