A Decade of Drafting-Conclusions

Note:  You can find the entire Decade of Drafting series complied here.  It will also appear in the side bar.

The conclusions for a Decade of Drafting are summarized in the chart below.  As you can see, the Colts grade out highest, producing more games played, more starters and a stunning 90% of all Indianapolis draft picks make the team.  This is consistent with Bill Polian’s philosophy of ‘singles’ drafting.  He wants to avoid the big mistake.  The Patriots had the highest number of Pro Bowls per draft, thanks in part to Tom Brady.  The Patriots also had a terrible run, finishing fifth each year from 2006-2008.  The Steelers got a boost by taking Ben Roethlisberger, while the Ravens were punished for taking Kyle Boller.  Below the chart is a year by year break down of each draft.  The Colts and Eagles had 82 picks each.  The Ravens had 81.  The Steelers 75.  The Patriots had 89 picks in the decade.

As you can see, the Colts have consistently drafted better than even the best drafting teams in football.  They get more production out of their drafts than the other teams, despite consistently drafting near the bottom of the first round.