Player evaluation trends
Analysts are spotlighting advanced predictive traits in prospect evaluation—examples include deep tackle‑breaking and yards‑after‑contact metrics used to profile running backs. (x.com) At the same time, NFL teams are adopting AI tools like PlaybookAI to pre‑screen traits before interviews, indicating clubs are blending quantitative signals with scouting workflows. (x.com)
Football scouting is moving toward a two-step screen: first measure the traits on film, then decide what to ask in the room. (espn.com) For running backs, evaluators are leaning harder on contact-based production that shows what happens after blocking ends. Pro Football Focus said six Football Bowl Subdivision backs in the 2025 class cleared all three of its filters: at least 3.8 yards after contact per carry, at least 64 missed tackles forced, and at least a 117.0 elusive rating. (pff.com) Those numbers try to isolate runner-driven value from line play and scheme. Fantasy Points described yards after contact per attempt and missed tackles forced per touch as ways to see a back’s “inherent running ability” more clearly than raw rushing totals alone. (fantasypoints.com) Teams are building similar filters with artificial intelligence before prospects ever sit for interviews. ESPN reported on April 12 that clubs can use computer vision tools from companies including Teamworks and SkillCorner to estimate speed and movement traits from college film, even when a player skips combine testing. (espn.com) The National Football League has already folded that software into its own scouting calendar. Microsoft said coaches and scouts from all 32 clubs used an Azure AI Foundry-powered app during the 2025 National Football League Scouting Combine to get real-time insights on more than 300 prospects, and the 2026 event was branded the National Football League Scouting Combine presented by Microsoft Copilot. (news.microsoft.com) (nfl.com) The pitch is speed and scale. SkillCorner says its artificial intelligence and computer vision models now cover more than 150 competitions worldwide and are used by more than 250 teams, leagues, and federations across sports. (skillcorner.com) The limits are still clear inside front offices. Minnesota Vikings executive Rob Brzezinski told ESPN the technology is “still in its infancy stages,” and the same report said teams are using it as another input rather than letting software make draft decisions on its own. (espn.com) (football.realgm.com) That leaves scouts in a different job than even a few years ago. The first pass is increasingly numerical — broken tackles, yards after contact, film-derived speed bands — and the human work starts with deciding which numbers actually travel to Sundays. (pff.com) (espn.com)
