The Tennessee Titans came away with six players in the 2023 NFL draft, but exactly how do those players measure up in terms of athleticism?
It’s an important question to ask in today’s NFL, and especially when the Titans run an offense that needs offensive linemen who can move.
Thanks to Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb on Twitter), there’s actually a way to measure athleticism with his creation of Relative Athletic Score (RAS). Here’s a quick explanation of it via Joe Rivera of The Sporting News:
Relative Athletic Score (RAS) is a metric that takes all of a player’s NFL Combine measurables — height, weight, wingspan, hand size, athletics and drill results — and boils them down into one number, on a scale of 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest). The metric also takes position into account, to make sure that positions are judged against each other accordingly. Hence the “Relative” part of the name.
Of Tennessee’s six picks, Platte had five of them with a RAS score, with the only exception being quarterback Will Levis, who did not do enough measurements in the pre-draft process to qualify.
Now, a look at the RAS scores of the other five (note: zero is the lowest possible score, while 10 is the highest).
OT Peter Skoronski: 9.30
Peter Skoronski was drafted with pick 11 of round 1 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.30 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 91 out of 1294 OT from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/56VMF0ecSn pic.twitter.com/LYWYbFieyK
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 28, 2023
QB Will Levis: N/A
While Levis didn’t register a RAS, Shaun Calderon pointed out in his scouting report for the Kentucky product that he does possess plus-athleticism and the ability to take off and run with the ball.
The Kentucky legend presents a legitimate threat on the ground, as well.
He may not have that game-breaking gear or anything like that, but he is athletic and big enough to have a package of plays designed for him in the run game.
Levis would be at his best in an NFL offense that utilizes play-action so he can take advantage of overly aggressive defenses with his athleticism and arm strength.
Will Levis was drafted with pick 33 of round 2 in the 2023 draft class. He does not qualify for a #RAS due to a lack of measurements. https://t.co/hPqk4JQCpG pic.twitter.com/zg5ip1djTb
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 28, 2023
RB Tyjae Spears: 7.51
Tyjae Spears was drafted with pick 81 of round 3 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 7.51 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 435 out of 1745 RB from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/QAi6TPxMVA pic.twitter.com/HOnJAYlXYT
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2023
TE Josh Whyle: 8.98
Josh Whyle was drafted with pick 147 of round 5 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 8.98 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 114 out of 1105 TE from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/74bp9vlBYc pic.twitter.com/ImbVM6iE0v
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2023
OT Jaelyn Duncan: 9.01
Jaelyn Duncan was drafted with pick 186 of round 6 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.01 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 129 out of 1294 OT from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/mBwwcovYnJ pic.twitter.com/ASKgCzb8Se
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2023
WR Colton Dowell: 9.78
Colton Dowell was drafted with pick 228 of round 7 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.78 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 67 out of 3062 WR from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/HlJBgVkueQ pic.twitter.com/JJnSjgDbgN
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2023