Ahead of the start of the 2026 NFL Draft tonight, we wanted to share a recent study we did showcasing Wolf Sports’ scouting track record compared to NFL teams since 2017. It stacks up our board next to the actual NFL selections in every round.
ProFootballReference’s wAV (Weighted Career Approximate Value) was the measure used for players. This is far from a perfect determining criterion for the success level of NFL players. However, wAV is used by NFL teams further supplements Wolf Sports’ best-in-media track record.
Some takeaways:
- A Proven, Long-Term Advantage: Over an eight-year period (2017-2024), Wolf Sports outperformed the actual NFL Draft picks with a 63.1% overall win rate across 1,933 direct slot-by-slot comparisons.
- Total Consistency Across the Board: The evaluation model isn’t just getting lucky in specific pockets; Wolf Sports holds an advantage over the NFL average in every single draft round (7/7) and every single year (8/8) studied.
- Measurable Value Gap: On average, the players ranked by Wolf Sports produced a Weighted Approximate Value (WAV) of 14.0 per slot, compared to the NFL’s average of 12.3. This creates a steady +1.7 wAV advantage per pick over the league.
- Dominance Is Not Outlier-Driven: The consistent edge is maintained by a high volume of hits rather than a few lucky superstars.
You can check out the Wolf Sports 2026 NFL Draft Big Board here, which includes other consensus-defying rankings like Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds, Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood, and Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard being higher than they’ll be drafted tonight.