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Rookie Class Evaluation | Over the Cap
overthecap.com
Metrics Utilized
Metric #1: Snap counts, and the Snap Index
Why is this important? Every team has to fill a large number of snaps for the 22 positions on the field at all times. The more of these snaps that can be filled by cheaper rookie contracts, the more cap dollars that can be allocated to superstar veterans.
How is this being measured? The first step starts with each individual player. The fractions of the snaps on his side (offense, defense, or special teams) that he played in his first four accrued seasons for the team that first acquired his services (either by drafting him or signing him as a UDFA) are summed together. This sum produces a Snap Index for the player, in a range with a minimum of 0 (no snaps contributed) and a maximum of 4 (100% of the snaps contributed each season). As an example, in Von Miller’s first four accrued seasons with the Broncos, his snap count percentages on defense were 79.8%, 89.9%, 47.8%, and 84.3%. The sum of .798, .899, .478, and .843 equals a Snap Index of 3.018.
The second step involves summing up the Snap Indices of all players acquired in the same rookie class (both drafted players and UDFAs) to create a Snap Index for the rookie class as a whole. This Snap Index can then be compared to other rookie classes to see which teams got the most out of the players they secured in the rookie acquisition process. A third step can also involve summing up the rookie class Snap Indices for an entire team or a specific GM or front office to get a broader look as to how that group is doing in this regard.
Note that snap counts are only added from years in which a player accrued a season. As an example, even though Josh Gordon played 22.1% of the offensive snaps for the Browns in 2014, because he failed to accrue a season that year due to multiple suspensions, those snaps are disregarded in this equation. This occurrence is most common with players that are briefly activated off the practice squad for a few games, but not enough to meet the minimum number of six games on the active roster that’s required to accrue a season.
Snap Indices
Each player is assigned a snap index by adding the portion of snaps he parcipitated in for his original team during his first four accrued seasons, lying in a range between 0 and 4. The rookie class snap index is then calculated by summing up all the players' snap indices that belonged to the rookie class in question.
