AI in Football Development: Smarter, Faster, Better

Redefining Fit Based on What Matters Most

One way teams will use AI in the future is to better define the almost cliché football term “fit.” AI will take teams beyond where they are currently and allow them to weave in a wider range of system- and program-specific metrics, painting a more robust picture of each player on their draft or free-agency boards.

Ball example: Say you’re drafting in the top 15 of the 2024 draft, and you’re in the quarterback market. Your options are limited, but your paths are clear: take the best available QB or choose an athlete you like more at a different position and select a developmental QB later. AI will eventually help drive that decision by weaving in your scouting parameters, reports (written in whatever manner your scouts naturally do so), and valuation of key traits to create a holistic assessment that properly values and weights the physical and non-physical traits that matter most to you.

Examples of those intangible elements include how quickly the guys you like absorb and process information (and adjust to the varying complexity of information, which you can focus your interviews on discovering), eye discipline, and how well they trust what they see to the point where they know when and where to get rid of the ball.

Having that information could lead you… well, exactly where it led the Broncos. But how many evaluators (or coaches) are near or at Sean Payton’s level? And if he’s truly as rare as the numbers say, doesn’t it behoove any team that employs a guy like him to find a way to build its own assessment tool that can action his methodology—and be tailored and amended over time?

Trait assessment is just one lane. AI will also help predict how successful an athlete could be at executing key tasks in your system, as well as how valuable those tasks (and his traits) could be against a particular opponent. So, if you’re tasked with slowing down the Ravens’ rushing attack twice a year, you’ll be able to rank front-seven prospects based on a value that accounts for things like their past experience against downhill rushing teams, expected role (absorbing blocks vs. setting the edge), durability (joint load, stability), and physical traits.

From that, you can then compare those metrics against Baltimore’s roster to project success against different schemes (zone vs. gap) and matchups (double teams, etc.). By simulating linemen combinations, teams will gain a deeper understanding of how an athlete’s traits and film project to both their current fit and their potential for growth. That’s the kind of edge you want heading into draft night.

Game-planning Against Coordinators

Play-callers might be the group that benefits most from the infusion of AI into their processes.

Ball example: You’re the new Raiders offensive coordinator, and defenses like Jesse Minter’s, which excel at being adaptable and throwing multiple fronts at you, have traditionally given you some headaches. To help streamline game-planning, AI can deepen the level of tendency and answer identification by analyzing not just tape from his time as DC but also film and tendencies from guys who have influenced him, like Dean Pees and Wink Martindale.

It’ll also allow you to go deeper, factoring in the backgrounds of the coaches on his staff to help simulate how his scheme might evolve by weaving in other strategies from their coaching trees. Example: Say his staff includes a few guys from the Ryan coaching family. AI will help your prep by weaving in some goal-line simulations that try to overwhelm you with numbers and attack the s*** out of gaps. These kinds of advantages can be priceless when it comes to finding creative ways to take advantage of opportunity.

“Uncut Gems”

My personal favorite future use: AI helping eliminate some of the guesswork in succession planning.

Ball example: Imagine not just thinking Nick Caley was going to be a bastard to try and defend against, but using AI to help grow him into that while preparing him for the offensive coordinator seat—and allowing you to clear the pathway for him to move into that seat at the optimal time.

The advancements we talked about last time would play a major role here, helping a guy like him grow his comfort and acumen calling plays over time. These insights will provide a distinct advantage in helping front offices navigate the growth and valuation of emerging coaching talent, contributing greatly to their ability to properly plan for situations like:

• When to promote or proactively put something else on that talent’s plate to help drive growth and keep them happy (i.e., make them run or pass game coordinator).

• When to trust your gut and move on from someone.

• When to pass on replacing your hot top assistant who just landed a head coaching job with a retread, instead going with the home-grown talent you’ve gotten as prepared as possible for the jump in responsibilities.