Packers Draft Prospects to Know by RAS
Brian Gutekunst loves to draft elite athletes. Using the RAS table, here is which players at each position meet the athletic thresholds that the Green Bay Packers have desired.
By Paul_Bretl
In comparison to his predecessors, Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson, Brian Gutekunst's three drafts as GM of the Green Bay Packers is a small sample size. With only three drafts, not to mention Gutey throwing us curveballs each year with some of his selections, it can be quite difficult to gauge who he and the Packers might be interested in.
However, if there is one thing that we have learned about Gutekunst and the type of player that he prefers, it's that he loves high-end athletes--and while every team does, just about every pick by Gutey has been someone who is one of the better athletes at their respective position group.
To help quantify this, the Relative Athletic Scoring (RAS) table created by Kent Lee Platte is a very helpful tool and one that Packer fans should be familiar with. To put it simply, it's a way to compare players within their respective position groups based on their measurements and athletic testing from the Combine or their Pro-Days.
The scale ranges from 0 (really bad) to 10 (elite), with 5 being considered average. And because it compares players only within their own position groups, both a center and a wide receiver can have the same score of 9.3, for example, even though their testing numbers and measurements vary quite a bit.
Below, Kent describes RAS in his own words:
“For the past half decade, I have been working to provide a metric that can easily and intuitively gauge a player’s athletic abilities relative to the position they play and provide tools to contrast and compare based on known measurables.
To qualify, a player must have a total of six recorded metrics from any of the following: Height, Weight, Forty yard dash, Twenty yard split, Ten yard split, Bench Press, Vertical Jump, Broad Jump, Short Shuttle, 3-Cone.“
So how does this apply to Gutey and the Green Bay Packers? Well, out of Gutekunst's 25 RAS eligible draft picks, 21 of them have scored at least 8.0 -- which is considered "great" -- on the table. And it's 22 players if you want to consider Josiah Deguara a fullback. To take this one step further, of those 21 players, 13 of them have scored above 9.0, which is classified as "elite."
Now, even with the strong correlation, RAS is far from the be-all-end-all, and it's not predictive of NFL success by any means. It is one tool in your prospect evaluation tool belt. I also don't believe that Gutekunst is familiar with RAS, but for us on the outside, it's an extremely helpful tool when it comes to comparing athletic testing.
With that said, with 84 percent of Gutekunst's draft picks scoring 8.0 or higher, even in a three-year sample size, this isn't something that can be ignored either. RAS is far from everything, but it is something when discussing the Green Bay Packers.
By now, Pro-Days have been completed, and Kent has been busy crunching RAS figures. With such a strong connection between who the Packers pick and that player having a high RAS, I wanted to go through position by position and list the players that meet this threshold.
While 8.0 has been the line in the sand, so to speak, I wanted to take it a step further and narrow the list down even more. So I threw out the scores that didn't qualify and averaged out the ones that did, and came to an average RAS per eligible draft pick of 9.1. This is the benchmark that I'll be using for this exercise.
By no means are these the only players on the Packers big board, there are players with a RAS below 9.1 that Green Bay will draft, and some of the players that are listed likely aren't even on the Packers' board. If you don't see your favorite player on here, keep in mind this has nothing to do with film or production; it's simply how they tested athletically, which, as we've seen, holds a lot of weight with Gutey. So I'd say chances are that there are some future Packers on this list.
Cornerback
Marco Wilson, Florida, 9.99
Paulson Adebo, Stanford, 9.56
Jaycee Horn, South Carolina, 9.99
Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia, 9.38
Nate Hobbs, Illinois, 9.61
Zech McPhearson, Texas Tech, 9.56
Patrick Surtain II, Alabama, 9.96
Brandon Stephens, Southern Methodist, 9.20
Jason Pinnock, Pittsburgh, 9.78
Ifeatu Melifonwu, Syracuse, 9.70
Jeremy Bell, Charleston, 9.64
Greg Newsome, Northwestern, 9.66
Robert Rochelle, Central Arkansas, 9.65
Edge
Jayson Oweh, Penn State, 9.92
Joe Tryon, Washington, 9.30
Kwity Paye, Michigan, 9.34
Carlos Basham, Wake Forest, 9.39
Elerson Smith, Northern Iowa, 9.72
Jaelan Phillips, Miami, 9.87
Joseph Ossai, Texas, 9.49
Josh Kaindoh, Florida State, 9.59
Payton Turner, Houston, 9.74
Janarius Robinson, Florida State, 9.33
William Bradley-King, Baylor, 9.17
Interior Defensive Lineman
Milton Williams, Louisiana Tech, 9.96
TaQuon Graham, Texas, 9.68
Jonathan Marshall, Arkansas, 9.99
Bobby Brown, Texas A&M, 9.82
Safety
Jevon Holland, Oregon, 9.54
James Wiggins, Cincinnati, 9.70
Caden Sterns, Texas, 9.59
Darrick Forrest, Cincinnati, 9.69
Tyler Coyle, Purdue, 9.83
Linebacker
Nick Niemann, Iowa, 9.51
Jamin Davis, Kentucky, 9.93
Buddy Johnson, Texas A&M, 9.22
Curtis Robinson, Stanford, 9.23
Baron Browning, Ohio State, 9.98
Pete Werner, Ohio State, 9.52
Jabril Cox, LSU, 9.73
Interior Offensive Lineman
Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma, 10.0
Quinn Meinerz, Wisconsin-Whitewater, 9.98
Drew Dalman, Stanford, 9.80
Chandon Herring, BYU, 9.84
Sadarius Hutcherson, South Carolina, 9.89
Ben Cleveland, Georgia, 9.63
Trey Smith, Tennessee, 9.91
Jordan Meredith, Western Kentucky, 9.35
Kendrick Greene, Illinois, 9.25
Offensive Tackle
Tommy Doyle, Miami (OH), 9.90
Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State, 9.74
Brady Christensen, BYU, 9.84
Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State, 9.28
Rashawn Slater, Northwestern, 9.71
Spencer Brown, Northern Iowa, 10.0
Samuel Cosmi, Texas, 9.99
Landon Young, Kentucky, 9.17
Quarterback
Feleipe Franks, Arkansas, 9.56
Running Back
Kene Nwangwu, Iowa State, 9.89
Jake Funk, Maryland, 9.76
Nathan McCrary, Saginaw Valley, 9.41
Travis Etienne, Clemson, 9.14
Elijah Mitchell, Louisiana, 9.51
Tight End
Kyle Pitts, Florida, 9.64
Brock Wright, Notre Dame, 9.20
Wide Receiver
Brandon Smith, Iowa, 9.16
Nico Collins, Michigan, 9.56
Jacob Harris, Central Florida, 9.88
Michael Strachan, Charleston, 9.22
Jalen Camp, Georgia Tech, 9.75
Tarik Black, Texas, 9.55
Simi Fehoko, Stanford, 9.18
Terrace Marshall, LSU, 9.76
BJ Emmons, Florida Atlantic, 9.22
Now that we've completed the list, I'll reiterate what I said above: RAS does not predict NFL success, and it doesn't mean that those not listed won't become excellent players. This article also doesn't mean that this is the extent of the players that the Packers could select; they will draft some players who scored below the 9.1 mark that I used. However, given how Gutekunst's first three drafts have gone, Packer fans should be aware of RAS and how it works.
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Born and raised in Green Bay, WI and I still call it home. After my family, watching the Packers, sharing my opinions on the team through my writing and interacting with other fans is my greatest passion. You can find me on Twitter at @Paul_Bretl.
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Comments (52)
splitpea1
April 12, 2021 at 11:20 am
I'm surprised Osa Odighizuwa didn't make the list. He's a great athlete. Maybe it's the weight?
Titletown222
April 12, 2021 at 11:53 am
Yes his height and weight brought him down substantially. He rates as very poor in this categories. His bench -25 reps was considered average for the position
LambeauPlain
April 12, 2021 at 12:17 pm
Probably the reason JOK, ILB Notre Dame isn't a top RAS....6'0" and under 220 lbs.
But what would keep ILB Parsons from a top RAS?
Coldworld
April 12, 2021 at 06:28 pm
He has a 9.78 rating. Only reds were bench press and shuttle.
jannesbjornson
April 12, 2021 at 12:27 pm
The bench press doesn't tell you if they know how to tackle and wrap up. The TB defense for example.
HankScorpio
April 13, 2021 at 05:11 am
Coaching and practice inform how a player tackles and wraps up. That can, and does, start well before a player is drafted. It continues until the day they retire.
There are teams that do those things better than others consistently. I don't believe it is because they have some secret sauce on their draft boards. It is because their defensive coaches do a better job of emphasizing those things in practice. Teams that are consistently bad at those things need to examine their coaching staff more than their roster makeup, IMO.
CheesyTex
April 12, 2021 at 12:23 pm
Have to wonder if Paulson Adebo accidentally being listed twice is an omen of things to come...
packer132
April 12, 2021 at 02:37 pm
Adebo is listed once.
LeotisHarris
April 12, 2021 at 06:31 pm
Yeah, but Adebo was *perceived* to be listed twice, so I think that's solid harbinger territory!
Coldworld
April 12, 2021 at 07:27 pm
Harbinger would be a good look into the future.
stockholder
April 12, 2021 at 12:25 pm
Terrace Marshall Wr is a 976. As strong as the Wr class is. If you take the. over-all average. It's not as strong as you think. Barman is above the 8.00 cut-off. As many DT are. This is one year I wouldn't go by the RAS. He may look like Tarzen but play like Jane. Also Kings was way up there too. Just saying.
jannesbjornson
April 12, 2021 at 07:07 pm
How is the Hi-Raz R Josh Jones fairing these days? Football players show up on the Film.
Big_Mel_75
April 13, 2021 at 08:46 am
Eating chips with Jason Spriggs on a couch somewhere as they were both Combine Warriors...
Coldworld
April 13, 2021 at 10:40 am
Just resigned on a one year by the Jags. Had some injury issues last year but still played 63% of their snaps.
Razer
April 12, 2021 at 12:26 pm
Many of the greats did not possess elite athletic stats but they brought football instincts, grit and dedication to each and every game. I like stats and numbers to given me measurement metrics but a good scout should be able to assess the players who know how to play football. Then we might be able to pick the Micah Hydes instead of Josh Jones, or Kamal Martin instead of Oren Burkes or Elgton Jenkins instead of Jason Spriggs.
This is the measure of your scouts.
LambeauPlain
April 12, 2021 at 05:32 pm
That is a razor sharp comment with top examples.
Coldworld
April 12, 2021 at 06:32 pm
If RAS measures equalled guaranteed winners, the Raiders would have been the Patriots before Brady was out of college.
HankScorpio
April 12, 2021 at 07:31 pm
Elgton Jenkins had a RAS of 9.24
hobowilly
April 12, 2021 at 11:06 pm
thx razer i see you keep your blade sharp. In addition, I sure wish GB mgmt would move on from mistakes, but they still appear to be holding on to players that are essentially relegated only to special teams. Just to add, i believe in Gutey much more than ole Ted and certainly young MLF rather than MM. Sorry to have stated the obvious.
Moreover, all they have to do is hit on 2 or 3 picks this Spring, but let's be painfully honest it would be a huge surprise if they choose at least one starter in their first two picks, just say'n. I predict they'll only choose 8 or possibly 9 players and there's about a 75% chance they choose BPA with their first choice, but they will move in the draft. Hint: they believe they have a starter in King, so look for them to go either Oline or Dline first. Hah, if a top 15 player on their board falls to the mid twenties, GB will go after him!
mnbadger
April 12, 2021 at 12:29 pm
Thanks Paul, this list has so many names that aren't on many big boards. As stated, certainly not the end all/be all, but if scouts have players rated closely, I may almost go with the lower RAS.
That would mean somebody is performing about the same on game day, with less raw ability. Thus, tougher and more heart.
Those are the dogs I want on my side in a scrum.
If RAS is high and scout take is high, obviously take that player first. Can't wait for draft night. GPG
Stroh
April 12, 2021 at 10:51 pm
"scouts have players rated closely, I may almost go with the lower RAS.
That would mean somebody is performing about the same on game day, with less raw ability. Thus, tougher and more heart.
Those are the dogs I want on my side in a scrum."
Maybe, maybe not. But one thing is the would have a lower ceiling. Athletic ability, or RAS generally equates to a higher overall potential if both play hard and smart. That is the reason they do all the Athletic tests in the first place. But there are always exceptions one way or another.
Leatherhead
April 12, 2021 at 12:44 pm
A big hog that can close up the middle is probably more useful that a smaller athlete. I mean, I get that a 6'4'' 345 pound guy is maybe not a great athlete, but he's damn hard to move out of the way.
I agree that RAS really seems to mean something to Gutekunst, and so those names the author listed might actually end up on the Packers.
jannesbjornson
April 12, 2021 at 07:12 pm
They don't want that true NT holding inside position. The last three years have shown us the light front 3-4. It doesn't work. If they want a penetrating front they have to go with 4-2/5-2 looks or get a dynamic MLB to run a 4-3.
Stroh
April 12, 2021 at 10:57 pm
With Barry bringing the Rams D, they will basically line up with 5 on the LOS. Whether that's 2DL and 3 OLB or vice versa. It also means one ILB and 5 DBs.
There's a good chance Savage will be playing the STAR CB (slot) . Meaning they could need another Safety that plays the deep safety along with Amos.
Turophile
April 12, 2021 at 01:27 pm
You are missing TE Sammis Reyes who has a RAS of 10.00. 6'5", 260, 4.65 40 from International college, He was a basketball player with a 40" vertical jump and deserves to be on this list as a late round developmental possibility.
https://relativeathleticscores.com/ras-information/?PlayerID=20840
Coldworld
April 12, 2021 at 06:48 pm
Yes! 6’5 and 260, 31 reps. Just hasn’t actually played football at all (he’s Chilean) as he came to the US on a basketball scholarship.
However, my understanding is that he has not been deemed draft eligible. He is apparently a street FA per the league. We could already have signed him therefore.
jannesbjornson
April 12, 2021 at 07:15 pm
Maybe Rollins knows the guy?
HankScorpio
April 12, 2021 at 08:10 pm
Rollins had a 4.71 RAS. Sure wish the Packers had not bent their rules for him.
jannesbjornson
April 12, 2021 at 10:50 pm
Rules? A Basketball player with one year as a safety in the MAC.
PackEyedOptimist
April 12, 2021 at 02:00 pm
And here I've been banging the drum for Creed Humphrey with pick 29 and I didn't even know he had a 90+ RAS, much less a 10!
Coldworld
April 12, 2021 at 06:35 pm
Center is the lowest rated position by far in terms of RAS thresholds. It’s generally not elite athleticism but the smarts that have been valued. Also why the position least picked in the first round historically.
jannesbjornson
April 12, 2021 at 07:44 pm
Some pundits argue Center is the Best Value when selected in the first round. Guys like Nick Mangold, Frederick, Eric Wood, Alex Mack, Pouncey, all down the line, become pro bowlers and ALL-PROs. Not a big Strikeout ratio when pulling these guys in. Even Lindsley, a five pick started as a rookie. Kelly, Ragnow and Bradbury recent picks. A guy like Humphrey is a big ,fast dude. He would start right off the bat and fill a big void in the O line. Patrick is best to stay at RG. Jenkins, too valuable on the left flank. I would not be surprised with an OT and a Center going in the first two rounds to Packertown.
HankScorpio
April 12, 2021 at 08:30 pm
When was the last time you watched a game and said boy, the OC sure made the difference. That is the reason not many OCs are drafted in round 1. OTs make up 40% of the OL but way more than that when it comes to first round picks.
Drafting for value positions with premium picks is a tried and true formula.
jannesbjornson
April 12, 2021 at 08:44 pm
Ask Seattle how they felt when Mack left town or Frederick's illness threw the fabled Cowboy O line in a tizzy.
The point is the Pack have to fill in a spot where an ALL PRO just vacated and the other ALL PRO from that group will be in rehab until December. Better find replacements of equal calibre.
Stroh
April 12, 2021 at 11:04 pm
I can virtually guarantee they won't use a high pick on a Center. They have in house candidates or could use a mid to late rd pick on OC. But they damn sure won't use a 1st or 2nd.
HankScorpio
April 13, 2021 at 04:43 am
I definitely agree that OL is a very important spot. But saying they need to spend a high pick to replace a 5th round OC is not a particularly dazzling point. The Packers have gotten quality OC play for the better part of two decades now from Scott Wells, Mike Flanagan, JC Tretter and Corey Linsley. Not one was a first round pick. Only one of them was picked before day 3.
In fact, 1994 was the last time the Packers drafted an interior OL in round 1. Moving on to other non-value positions: No FBs in recent draft memory. 2006 was the last LB. 2000 was the last TE. They have drafted 2 Safeties since 2014. Do I need to say no punters, kickers and long-snappers? In round 1, we're talking lots of DL, edge rush, OT, WR or QB. Rounds 2-3 don't skew quite as heavily. And they shouldn't. But they still do skew to those value positions.
There have been hits and misses amongst those picks. But they stick to drafting the important spots early and fill in the rest later. They get it, even if you don't.
Thegreatreynoldo
April 13, 2021 at 03:09 am
Selecting a center in the teens or twenties in the first round almost always means the team took the best center prospect available.
So first round centers should have a high hit probability. OL have high success rates in general.
PackEyedOptimist
April 13, 2021 at 04:21 pm
Hey CW, my point is, I liked Humphrey at 29 BEFORE I knew he had a high RAS. I've never seen a better center prospect; I think he'll be a Pro-Bowl center his entire career. What it would do for the Packers is it would give them basically the same/complete #1 offense from last year. I like several other rookie centers (Dickerson and Meinerz) but I think they will have a harder time adjusting to starting immediately in the NFL. I think Humphrey will be great immediately. There will be some decent right tackle prospects even in the fourth round, while Turner fills LT until Bakh returns.
Fubared
April 12, 2021 at 03:08 pm
Hey Gutt, a novel Idea. Get a drink or three and sit down eliminate all those athletes like King who were injury prone in high school and college. Thats a start.
Next find our which of these prospects have a decent IQ, wont screw things up, dont need to be coached up over and over again. Last check their speed and size. 6'1 and 180 doesnt make a defensive back last long in the NFL. Too short too weak.
Now put down your note pad and understand, you just mirrored exactly what Spielman would do for the Vikings. Draft people who can play on day one, have size and strength and dont make a lot of stupid ass mistakes.
fastmoving
April 12, 2021 at 04:06 pm
Who the hell is Gutt? And that was even your sentense with the "most" sense. But IQ. Sounds like orange neandertal "logic". Pick up a note pad,, science is not the enemy, Just for the weak and crazy like Rex Ryan and that kind of looooser guys..... Of course AR was a great pick, he played from day one!! Skate where the puck was, smart like hell. You need every note pad you can get....
Thanks god we are a draft and develop team. The best in football buy the way. Love was a no brainer, for what more can you ask.
jannesbjornson
April 12, 2021 at 07:18 pm
As Belichick said, he wants smart football players with leadership skills. Think fast, on the fly, make the play.
Minniman
April 12, 2021 at 03:36 pm
RAS = Lycra Olympics Laudables
My biggest bug-bear with the metrics of the RAS are that they measure an athletes capabilities for a movement pattern that they are expecting to execute. I think that the truer measure of football athleticism is seeing how an athlete anticipates and reacts with a new movement pattern that they were not pre-planning to execute...... that is true football athleticism.
Measurements that I’d like to see recorded:
Eye sight tests - especially for CB’s and LB’s ............ OK, and referees ;)
Rationale: slow to see is slow to react
Eye hand co-ordination - especially for linemen (O & D)
Rationale: first point of contact is with the hands. Win this and get first advantage in a leverage battle
Eye-hand speed and accuracy - as above, especially for linemen
Hip flexibility and range of motion - all D players
Rationale: hip flexibility helps maintain speed through changes of direction for non line players. For line players it allows them to get lower and win leverage battles
500lb deep squats - compliment to bench press and a true indicator of strength through range of motion for the lower body
Notable other measurements:
1) reaction time - eye\hand, dodge, eye\feet
2) balance (proprioception) - how does the athlete diagnose and adjust to being off-balance
Stroh
April 12, 2021 at 11:19 pm
An athlete doesn't diagnose or think about adjusting if off balance. An athlete has proprioception, meaning if he's off balance his body automatically adjusts to compensate and get him back in balance. It's all neurologically done by the nervous system without thinking, it doesn't even reach the brain. That is the essence of proprioception.
That degree in Ex Phys and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist at work for you.
Minniman
April 13, 2021 at 02:08 pm
Thanks for the reply Stroh, yeah, I covered a lot of territory in my posting above and didn’t want to bloat it with deep dives into respective underlying mechanisms.
Totally agree that specifically for proprioception (perception or awareness of the position and movement of the body) that these are executed from the nervous system (due to to frequency and time intervals required) but they are originally trained and benefit from ancillary or associated patterns that can be recruited.
To my original point, one thing that almost everyone agrees is an attribute of elite athleticism is the concept of fluidity - they are almost always described as having a fluid motion. What I’m saying is that football, being a combative sport, needs both this AND reactivity out of its elite participants (and the RAS exercises don’t accurately cover the second part).
P.S as someone with strength and conditioning training it must make you wince seeing just bench press as the only raw strength metric. Surprising too that flexibility is overlooked.
BrianMaafi
April 12, 2021 at 06:27 pm
No Dyami Brown Paul?
8.39
HankScorpio
April 12, 2021 at 08:04 pm
Robert Rochelle, 9.65
HankScorpio
April 12, 2021 at 07:58 pm
There is no single one thing that is determinitve when it comes to the draft. Sticking to exclusively drafting from the top 20% of RAS scores is probably a bit extreme. The list of Packers draftees that scored in the 7s includes some pretty distinguished names: Keith McKenzie, Kevin Clark, Brian Williams, Jordy Nelson, Bryan Bulaga, Aaron Rodgers, Casey Heyward and Nick Collins headline the class of 44 from '87 to present.
Remember the NFC CG when the Bucs looks like they were running circles around the Packers at time? I do. That's why I pay attention to these numbers.
BAMABADGER
April 12, 2021 at 09:26 pm
RAS as in Raspberry.
hobowilly
April 12, 2021 at 11:18 pm
Yes Paul, i did find you on twitter first this morning, but reading your full article here was truly fine, thanks! It can be fascinating to make a good prediction guess @ what Gutey and his team are going to do. I'm so grateful they go about their business without a lot of fanfare. That is, you'd have to have ESP to figure out who GB is truly working hard to get. Most draftees report GB does go through their process with them, but they can't tell if GB is ultra high on them or not. Plus, i like the way Gutey doesn't comment on players GB didn't draft. Lastly my most humble observation is how GB mgmt highly values character in a player and seems to want to know how they will or will not fit in the locker room. I admire that greatly!
The_Justicar
April 13, 2021 at 06:17 am
At corner both Marco Wilson and Jaycee Horn are 9.99. Horn will be gone by the packers first pick, Wether it was coaching or the player or both...Wilson was brutal last year. That 9.99 was super impressive especially after an ACL tear in 2018 but he was probably the worst corner in the SEC last year.
Doug_In_Sandpoint
April 13, 2021 at 08:09 am
Uh-oh. Rondale Moore’s RAS is 8.51. Probably dinged for height and weight. I’m a Purdue alum so I’d love to see him in GB. But I also did grad school at Northwestern so Newsome would be a great addition too. Lucky for all of you I went to such football powerhouses. To bad I didn’t matriculate at Alabama or Ohio State though.
greengold
April 13, 2021 at 10:25 am
Paul, I really appreciate this list. As a total draft geek, very much so!
I counted 15 players on that list that I'd be super happy for the Packers to select, to varying degrees, and not one of them is a "must have." Not one.