Positional Need and Value
In NFL draft discussions, positional need and positional value are crucial concepts.
Positional Need
A straightforward concept, positional need refers to a team's lack of quality players at a specific position. A need exists if a team lacks starters or backups of sufficient quality. If a depth chart is fully stocked at a position, there is likely no need; trading away players may even be an option.
Positional Value
Positional value is more complex. However, most committed NFL fans intuitively grasp the concept. In football, the quarterback position holds the highest value. A great quarterback can lead to championships, even if the rest of the team is not exceptional. Conversely, building championship rosters is much more challenging without a great quarterback. In contrast, the long-snapper position has relatively low positional value.
While sophisticated methods exist for assessing positional value, we will rely on a graph published by Over the Cap. The graph assigns positional value based on draft strategy.
[Image of graph showing positional value]
The graph shows that quarterback is the most valuable position, while fullback, long snapper, punter, and kicker have low positional values.
Reacts Results
A Reacts survey asked Commanders fans which position they should avoid drafting in the first three rounds.
[Image of survey results]
Running back was the most popular answer, reflecting its relatively low positional value and the team's current depth in the position.
Defensive tackle was the second-most popular answer, not due to low positional value (it is in the lower-right quadrant of the OTC graph) but because the Commanders have two pro-bowl starters (Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen) and reliable backups (John Ridgeway and Phil Mathis). While the position could benefit from additional talent, it is conside