I’ve Created My Own College Football Prospect Ranking System
I want to take over in this space. I am going to take over this space. “My thoughts are valid because I am smart” – Trey Daubert. I have become enamored with this College Football stuff over the last year and a half. You Google some of these writers who create their own ranking system and guys with specific lists like Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List“, and I think I can do better. I actually kind of like the idea of the freaks list and keeping tabs on it throughout the year and how it updates. Keep an eye on the site because I will have something similar rolling out sometime this summer as a part of an effort to revamp the College Football coverage at Vendetta. I want to be great at this, and I am already starting to collect receipts.
Where does this all lead to? Well, I had a productive meeting with Trey and he challenged me to create my own ideas and things in this space to help myself stand out, among other things. Well, we are going to be trying something here, and it kind of grabs from different places on how they rank prospects, and I have molded it all into my own College Football prospect ranking system.
NFL.com has 5.5-8.0 and everything in between, 247sports.com uses grades all the way up to 110 (with the highest ever being graded at 105) but also uses stars. I don’t like using stars on players entering the NFL, so we are doing away with that. I want to kind of narrow all this down to a refined system, and I believe I have a pretty good idea of how I want it to look.
The Burroughs Method will consist of College Football prospects being ranked on a scale from 6.0-10.0. There is a method to my madness, so if you will enlighten me, I will walk you through it. I will be going over the breakdown of how each statistical ranking will work and how they would fall in terms of draft grades. I will give examples of grades per ranking at the bottom of the article.
It’s important to know and remember going forward that these grades are going to be handed out on how I scout prospects, but this can be molded into how you scout, as well. The range will be listed throughout the article, so when it comes time for you to look at prospects, you can place them in the ranges I list. I have a ton of things I look for by position, and I am sure others will scout with their own process.
6.0-7.0 (Day Three Picks)
We start off the Burroughs Method of College Football player rankings with the bottom tier of players. The 6.0 to 7.0 grade symbolizes players who are going to be more of a depth piece on a roster, with the higher you’re graded you could be developed into a rotational piece with upside, and the lower you are you are likely a training camp body. I wanted to keep this range a bit bigger since there is so much more room for players in this part of the draft. As we move higher up the list, the field for ranking shortens.
7.1-8.0 (Third Round Picks)
Next, we enter the real meat and potatoes of the NFL Draft scouting process. I would argue that this range is where teams make or break their drafts. The 7.1-8.0 scale is for players who are graded out as a third-round pick. I’m going to sound like I am repeating myself a lot throughout the rest of this piece, but if you are towards an 8.0 you could see this player sneaking into the second round of the draft, and vice versa with a 7.1.
8.1-8.5 (Second Round Picks)
The issue I had when I was mulling over the best way to set up the scales for my College Football prospect ranking system was that it felt like some of these grades could be viewed as a bit harsh. Like an 8.1 grade on a second-round pick feels way too low when you compare it to some of the grades coming up. But at the same time, if you have earned a higher grade on this scale, you are going to be viewed as more of an impact player early on with higher upside.
8.6-9.0 (First Round Picks)
Now we are talking about the top of the draft boards for NFL teams. The 8.6-9.0 scale is reserved for those who you believe deserve that fifth-year option. These are players a fan base is clamoring for in the first round, as they could help turn a franchise around. I had a handful of first-round grades from this year’s draft cycle, and I am excited to see where I will grade the incoming class of prospects using the Burroughs Method.
9.1-10.0 (Generational Talent, Top Of Class)
This scale is reserved for the players who you believe could be the number one overall pick in their NFL Draft cycle. If a player receives a 9.1 or higher, I am expecting them to potentially end up with a gold jacket at the end of their career. Landing a perfect 10.0 grade we will likely never see, but we have had some players in recent years who have been above this grade. If you are handing out a 9.1 or higher, it shows you have full trust and faith they will be a superstar in this league.
I also wanted to leave this part of my College Football prospect ranking system on the larger end because this is where we could find some hot takes down the line. This gives people the opportunity to really call their shot on a prospect by handing out a massive score. Someone like Andrew Luck would have been around a 9.5, Trevor Lawrence maybe like a 9.4, etc.
Ranking System Examples:
- Trey did the draft profile on Marvin Harrison Jr., and I would have graded him as a 9.3.
- Trey also did the profile on Brock Bowers, who I would have graded as a 9.0.
- Quinyon Mitchell would have earned an 8.8 prospect grade based on my draft profile.
- Jackson Powers-Johnson would have earned an 8.7 prospect grade based on my draft profile.
- Braden Fiske would have earned an 8.4 prospect grade based on my draft profile.
- Khyree Jackson would have earned a 7.9 prospect grade based on my draft profile.
- Laiatu Latu would have earned a 7.5 prospect grade based on my draft profile.
- Lastly, MarShawn Lloyd would have earned a 6.8 prospect grade based on my draft profile.
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