We are one of the best drafting teams over the last ten years

This will trigger a few of the anti-Jerry crowd, but using the PFR Approximate Value metric (AV), we have been the 4th-best drafting team since 2012. AV basically looks at the value of any single player through the seasons played. This doesn’t mean that a player with a higher AV is better or more valuable than a player with a lower AV, but as an aggregate group, the higher AV players have more value than the lower AV players. One can measure a player’s career against a constant based on where that player was taken in the draft. I’m a old math nerd so I find this interesting.

The top ten teams by this metric since 2012 are:

1. Seattle (single best draft class)

2. KC (every draft with a positive AV)

3. Baltimore

4. Dallas

5. Green Bay

6. Philly

7. New England

8. New Orleans

9. Tampa Bay

10. Washington

The top eight have had some combination of good talent evaluation, good coaching, good front office management, and overall stability. Numbers 9 and 10 have drafted good players but their lousy coaching and front office has seen players leave for greener pastures.

This metric was developed in 1960. The players with the highest AV since 1960 are:

1. Tom Brady (blows away the field)

2. Drew Brees

3. Peyton Manning

4. Brett Favre

5. Jerry Rice

6. Fran Tarkenton

7. Tie between Reggie White and Aaron Rodgers

9. Bruce Smith

10. Ray Lewis

The greatest single season by AV ever was LaDainian Tomlinson’s ridiculous 2006 year.

1. LaDainian Tomlinson (2006)

2. Three-way tie between Marshall Faulk (1999), Lamar Jackson (2019), O.J. Simpson (1975)

5. Aaron Donald (2020)

The worst teams? Jets, Browns, and …49ers??? Yes.

Other notes: Since 2012, the first round has produced more starters than rounds 4, 5, 6, and 7 combined. In 2012, we decided to draft Morris Claiborne instead of Fletcher Cox, the player with the highest AV in the first round. I’m still salty over that.

If there is anyone who is still an apologist for Jason Garrett, please explain how we could be such a good-drafting team yet see such little post-season success.