Drafting Approaches: Best Player Available vs. Needs-Based
There are two schools of thought NFL franchises adhere to when they make their draft selections: you can either rank all of the prospects before the draft, regardless of position, and then pick the best available player (BAP) remaining when your pick rolls around, or you can focus on selecting the draft’s top players at positions where your team lacks quality players. Is one of these two approaches better than the other?
A good case for BAP is Jadeveon Clowney, who is projected by most to be selected by the Houston Texans with the first overall pick. Clowney is far and away the most talented player entering the NFL this year, but does he fill a vital need for the Texans? Not really, as Houston already has the best defensive end in the entire NFL in J.J. Watt. They could use a quarterback much more than another defensive end.
If the Texans do opt for a QB and pass on Clowney, there is little doubt the Rams will snatch him up. Does this mean the Rams are in dire need of an improved pass rush? Quite the contrary: with Robert Quinn and Chris Long, St. Louis possesses an elite pass rushing duo. Even with entrenched starters at both defensive end positions, Clowney is hard to pass on.
But if you turn a blind eye to your team’s weakness and draft strictly according to BAP, it is difficult to build a well-rounded team. It is also important to remember that scouting departments are far from infallible: often highly-regarded college players never live up to their pre-draft grades once they turn pro.
As with most situations regarding two extremes, a combination of the two is the most effective. It is believed that most franchises use a tiered approach. They group players into “elite”, “above average”, and “average” categories, and take their pick of the players remaining in the more valuable tiers that fill their needs.
In the end, it doesn’t matter much if players are picked according to BAP or whether they fill a need. All that matters is if they can produce.
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