Detroit Lions Draft 2016: Defensive Back Metrics

NFL draft season produces a lot of times and measurements. Knowing which metrics matter can help you get a clearer picture of a player. I’ll use these metrics to identify defensive backs that the Detroit Lions should target in the upcoming NFL draft.

When trying to predict how Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn will approach the upcoming NFL draft, I believe we need to look at his experience, as well as what he’s said publicly. Coming from New England, Quinn has been around head coach and general manager Bill Belichick for the last fifteen years. Quinn credits Belichick as a major influence in his approach to football. Publicly, Quinn has said he will look to add players to the Lions roster that fit with this staff and what they look for in a player.

First let’s look at how he’s been influenced. Bill Belichick has publicly stated that the combine isn’t that important and that he doesn’t put much value in it. Former New England front office staffers have confirmed that this is true of Belichick, and that he only uses combine data as tie-breakers for players with similar grades. That being said, he, like most general managers, he is prone to tendencies. The biggest trend in the New England Patriot’s draft history, is that they favor players with high success in the 3-cone drill. This especially true with how New England views defensive backs (cornerbacks and safeties).

The “3-cone” is a NFL combine drill in which a player follows a path through 3 cones in an “L” shape. This is a timed drill that is designed to test a player’s agility, quickness, flexibility when changing direction, and body control. Preferred scores vary depending on position. According to the statistical website Mock Draftable , the average time for cornerbacks is 6.92, free safeties is 6.97, and strong safeties is 7.0. The Patriot’s use a benchmark is 6.92 for all defensive backs.

During his tenure in New England, Belichick has drafted 15 cornerbacks, with 14 of them having a 3-cone under seven seconds. He selected two defensive backs in last year’s draft, strong safety Jordan Richards in the second round, and cornerback Darryl Roberts in the seventh. Richards ran his 3-cone in 6.74 seconds and Roberts ran his in 6.66 seconds. In the 2015 combine, the fastest 3-cone was run by cornerback Justin Coleman with a time of 6.61. He was not drafted but is now on New England’s practice squad.

Another combine drill that seems to have a benchmark in New England is the “Vertical Jump”. The vertical jump asks a player to jump vertically from a standing position as high as they can. This drill is designed to test a player’s ability to explode using power generated by their leg muscles. Of the 15 cornerbacks drafted by New England, 13 have achieved a vertical jump of 35 inches or more.

When looking at the defensive backs drafted by the Detroit Lions during this coaching staff’s tenure, it is a relatively small sample size. Even in this small pool of players, like in New England, they also have comparable traits in specific measurable areas. For example, the Lions defensive backs all have a vertical jump of 34.5, only ½ inch under New England’s benchmark.

Another area where the Lions defensive backs are comparable is in the 20 yard shuttle, often referred to as the short shuttle. The short shuttle is a similar drill to the 3-cone in that it is designed to measure agility, explosion, and body control. But while the 3-cone measures these skills with a focus on quickness, the short shuttle’s focus in on speed. The defensive backs drafted by the Lions have short shuttle runs of 4.21 or faster.

The final area in which the Detroit Lions defensive backs have a common measurable is in the bench press. The bench press is a test of how many times a player can bench press 225 pounds. This tests a players upper body strength and endurance. This is not considered a critical test for defensive backs but there is a pattern among the Lions defensive backs. Each player completed a minimum of 14 repetitions in this drill.

So if we look at the patterns established in New England and in Detroit we can get an idea of which players in the upcoming draft are likely to be on Bob Quinn’s draft board.

The benchmarks:

• 3-cone drill = 6.92 and under
• Vertical Jump = 34.5 minimum
• Short Shuttle = 4.21 and under
• Bench Press = 14 minimum

In the next slide, I will look at players who have tested within these benchmarks and have also been given a draftable grade by CBS sports.

Next: Which players meet the benchmarks?