Each year, in the run-up to the NFL draft, we produce the RotoViz Scouting Index (RSI). The RSI aggregates and compiles NFL prospect rankings from a variety of more traditional scouting outlets. This accomplishes a few things:
- It saves time. No need to check rankings on several sites; we’ve done the work.
- It reveals the general consensus. No need to guess which players are held in high – or rising – esteem; we’ve done the math.
- It checks our bias. We do love statistical analysis, but it’s important to consider what the more traditional football community thinks about a given player. The consensus opinion is what will largely determine a player’s NFL draft stock and initial fantasy value, which is especially important for dynasty rookie drafts. It’s also possible we’re missing something; seeing which players the film community holds in higher regard might prompt us to look more closely at a prospect.
2021 Calculation and Sources
The outlets that will contribute to the RSI calculation are CBS, DraftTek, TheDraftNetwork, and ESPN.
A player’s RSI score will be calculated as follows:
- Determine a player’s positional rank for each outlet — with a maximum rank of 15.
- Sum each player’s ranks and divide by the number of sources
- Scale to 100
- If a player is not ranked by a given source he is assigned a 15 for that source
This rewards/penalizes players for being/not being ranked at multiple sources without overweighting sources that rank fewer players. It also does a better job of addressing the variance in the number of players being ranked by each site than simply reviewing average ranks.
2021 QB Rookie Scouting Index
| Player | School | HT | WT | RSI | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Lawrence | Clemson | 6’6″ | 220 lbs | 100 | 1 | 1 |
| Justin Fields | Ohio State | 6’3″ | 223 lbs | 94 | 3 | 2 |
| Zach Wilson | BYU | 6’3″ | 210 lbs | 94 | 3 | 2 |
| Trey Lance | North Dakota State | 6’3″ | 224 lbs | 88 | 4 | 4 |
| Mac Jones | Alabama | 6’2.5″ | 217 lbs | 84 | 5 | 5 |
| Kyle Trask | Florida | 6’5″ | 239 lbs | 80 | 6 | 6 |
| Jamie Newman | Georgia | 6’3″ | 235 lbs | 74 | 9 | 7 |
| Brady White | Memphis | 6’3″ | 215 lbs | 57 | 15 | 8 |
| Ian Book | Notre Dame | 6’0″ | 210 lbs | 55 | 15 | 8 |
| K.J. Costello | Mississippi State | 6’5″ | 222 lbs | 55 | 15 | 9 |
- Kyle Trask ranks sixth in the first version of the RSI. However, Trask ties with Trevor Lawrence for the most total yards per game, leads the class in touchdowns per game, and averaged 10.95 adjusted yards per attempt. Given his collegiate production, there’s reason to believe he’s being underestimated and could be the second-best passer behind Lawrence.
