Interactive Visualization Illustrates Uncertainty of NFL Draft

Society and Culture

Society and Culture

Interactive Visualization Illustrates Uncertainty of NFL Draft






April 19, 2017
• Atlanta, GA








Click image to enlarge




Next week, 253 players will hear their names called over the course of three days in the 2017 NFL Draft. For many, it will be the beginning of a long and lucrative career in professional football. For most, it will be the highlight in an increasingly competitive business.

An interactive visualization created by a team of researchers in the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Interactive Computing illustrates just how fleeting the career of a professional football player can be and how difficult it can be for teams to differentiate between the superstars and the busts.

The visualization, which catalogues each of the 32 teams’ draft picks from 2007-16, indicates with a green icon a player who is currently active on the team that drafted him. A blue icon indicates a player still in the league, but playing on a different team, and a red icon indicates a player that is no longer active in the NFL.

A quick glance at all 32 teams’ charts presents a healthy dose of red in comparison to the green and blue, illustrating the brevity of the average NFL career. An analysis has shown that the average length of a career decreased by about two years, from 4.99 years to 2.66, from 2008-14.

Only one team, the Carolina Panthers, have more than one player still active on their roster from their 2007 draft.

From a team perspective, the ebb and flow of a given franchise’s success can be traced within the colors of the visualization.

The Atlanta Falcons, owners of an 11-5 record and a near Super Bowl championship this past season, have experienced their fair share. After a 13-3 season in 2012, their third straight season of double-digit wins, they surprised many by slipping to four, six, and eight victories over the ...

Read More