Ravens used analytics to help guide parts of 2021 draft strategy

The Baltimore Ravens have been a team that has used analytics in a multitude of ways. Whether it’s fourth-down decisions or two-point conversion tries, Baltimore has leaned on analytics much more than some NFL teams.

That strategy continued during for the Ravens’ during the 2021 NFL draft. On “The Lounge Podcast“, general manager Eric DeCosta said that an analytics project helped steer some of their 2021 draft day decisions.

DeCosta revealed that he asked Sarah Mallepalle, who works in the analytics department for the team, to find out who were the best outside wide receivers in college football. He also said that two of the top ten names that he received from her after she completed her project were Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace.

When talking about Bateman and Wallace, DeCosta said that both players fit what the team needed in different ways. The fact that the general manager asked for a report on outside receivers falls in line with what Baltimore needed on their roster, as the Ravens already had plenty of slot receiver options.

Analytics has taken the league by storm, and Baltimore seems to be capitalizing on it. While analytics certainly aren’t everything, the fact that they’ve trickled into not only decisions on game day, but also personnel decisions show just how popular the strategy has become among some NFL organizations.