Now that the 2013 NFL Draft has come and gone, let’s see how I did this year with my predictions.

Running Back – I predicted Knile Davis from Arkansas going in the fourth round based on how he did at his combine.  I was close, as Kansas City chose him late in the third round to help compliment Jamaal Charles.

Wide Receiver – I thought Ryan Swope from Texas A&M would go in the third round.  He ran the second fastest 40 for wide receivers and had big time quarterbacks throwing to him the last couple years.  He did get drafted, but it wasn’t until the sixth round by the Arizona Cardinals.  He must have had a few drops in his career.

Tight End – I went with a local pick for me and chose Jake Stoneburner from the Ohio State University going in the sixth round.  I felt with his speed and quickness pretty high with the tight ends, it would overlook the fact he was hardly used by the Buckeyes.  It wasn’t and he wasn’t drafted.  I think he was signed as an undrafted rookie by the Packers.

Tackle – Lane Johnson of Oklahoma had some awesome measurables for a tackle, the crown jewel of the offensive lineman.  I felt he was going in the first round and the first round he did go, getting picked fourth overall by the Philadelphia Eagles.  We have no clue if he is going to be good or not, but getting picked this high at least got him a good rookie contract.

Guard – I’m always baffled by where NFL teams draft guards.  In the past some have had great measurables and not been drafted, while others have stunk up the combine and been drafted rather high.  Jonathan Cooper of North Carolina had some good combine results, but he also must be a heck of a guard as he was drafted in the first round by the Arizona Cardinals with pick number 7.  I guessed the fifth round.  At least he got drafted.

Center – Brian Schwenke from California was the stud at the combine for centers.  Once again, a position that obviously looks for more than just numbers, I guessed he was going to go in the sixth round and he ended up going in the fourth by Tennessee.

Defensive End – In the four drills Trevardo Williams of UConn participated in, he ranked no lower than 3rd in any of them.  A little light for a DE, I thought he would go in the third round and he was taken fourth by the Houston Texans to team up with J.J. Watt.

Defensive Tackle – I liked Brandon Williams from Missouri Southern St. for no other reason than he did the most bench presses of all the DT’s.  I thought he would go in the fourth round (I seem to like that round) and he went late in the third to the Baltimore Ravens.

Outside Linebacker – The NFL teams like outside linebackers to be fast and this year no one was faster than Zaviar Gooden of Missouri.  He also tested well in everything else and I thought he would be a second rounder.  Turns out he was liked by Tennessee in the third round.

Inside Linebacker – Not super excited by this group, I picked the fastest of the crop going in the fourth round (there’s that round again).  Jon Bostic of Florida was that guy and Chicago coveted him enough to grab him in the second round.  I’ll have to do more analyzing about why I’m picking the fourth round all the time.

Safety – Shawn Williams of Georgia was the safety I was going to go with.  I felt he would go in the third round and BINGO I got one right.  He ends up going to the Bengals in that round.

Cornerback – Run yourself in the 4.4’s or faster and you are almost guaranteed to be drafted if you play cornerback.  Desmond Trufant of Washington ran a 4.38 and I called a first round in his future.  I was correct, getting picked late in the first by the Atlanta Falcons.  Obviously wanting to shut down some of these quarterbacks they face a lot in their division.

What can we take away from this?  Here is what I can gather.  I haven’t calculated the exact percentage, but regardless of position if you are invited to the NFL combine AND you rank in the top 5 of any of the combine tests you have to perform (not the position specific drills), you have roughly a 70% chance of getting drafted.  Give or take.

So bust your butt!  At some point, I’ll do the exact number, but you have to like those chances.  Some positions will be higher or lower, but that is some nice data for you.

Photo courtesy of zennie62 on Flickr