One of the most controversial aspects of the draft process is making prospect comparisons (Comps). Most people want them as they help conceptualize what a prospect is or could become. The main issue with comparisons is not setting up WHAT you are comparing. Is it a ceiling? Floor? NFL comparison? NCAA comparison? Prospect Comparison? This is an important question to answer when looking at a Comp.
For me, I am not an NFL expert in terms of where players have gone and what they have become. Instead, I compare this year’s prospects to my scouting reports of the past. Watching players often does remind me of past prospects I have scouted. So, with my experience analyzing the NFL Draft for 17 or so years, I’ll share those connections I’ve made.
Now a key is that these comps are NOT NFL COMPARISONS. I am comparing the players as PROSPECTS only. So even if they are compared to a high pick NFL “bust” doesn’t mean they will be a bust, but is a compliment.
Here is a general order of what I loo for when making comparisons:
- Draft Capital (Placing players approximately where they will go in the draft or at least around where I evaluate them)
2. Size/Athleticism (This leads into #3, but getting a similar size and athletic comparison usually fits to show similar upsides and fits)
3. Scouting Reports (Almost all my comps will come from 2004 or later when I started scouting the draft. I go back to my old Scouting Reports/Notes and often these comps fit like a glove to match up near exactly)
4. Play Style (Sometimes a general feel for how a player plays just reminds me of someone else. If the pull is strong enough, I’ll use it as the comp)
5. Comps from trusted sources (If I get REALLY stuck, I’ll look up some comps or ask people I trust to fill it out)
Below are the Comps I’ve created for the 2022 NFL Draft class. Once again, these are PROSPECT COMPARISONS comparing these players to prospects from the past, not NFL futures.
QB/RB Comps WR/TE Comps OL Comps DL Comps EDGE Comps
See more Comps here
Follow Shane on twitter @ShanePHallam for more NFL Draft content and Mock Draft.