Looking at Draft Picks, their College Majors, and NFL Success (1 Viewer)

[Liebo]

I'm not willing to base my fantasy strategy around this or anything, but I find it interesting nonetheless.

http://batsarenotbugs.blogspot.com/2012/05/theapplication-of-undergraduate-majors.html

 

[Kleck]

In all the years I've followed the draft, I've never seen anyone break down the players' majors like this. Nice work, man. Really, nice work.

 

[Kleck]

It appears that Criminology is the best major for college football players, as it has the highest success rate for majors with over five first rounders and boasts Pro Bowlers such as Patrick Willis and Jason Babin. The only colossal bust who majored in the field was Erasmus James, who was a Sociology major as well.

I knew one of Erasmus James' tutors. This person worked for the firm I was with at the time, and it was not uncommon for me to see this person doing his work for him. From what I've heard, James never did any of his own work, and that goes back through High School as well.

 

[Liebo]

Thanks for the feedback. I was always interested in seeing what players majored in and it was really hard to find any previously-written information on the subject.

I would definitely believe that Erasmus James didn't actually do most of his work. I doubt he was the only player to skate by academically. If I was put in a situation where I could have tutors do my work for me I would at least major in something like biochemistry though instead of sociology and criminology assuming the tutors can provide me with materials to adequately study for tests.

 

[bonesman]

So, not looking good for Tannehill.

 

[Liebo]

So, not looking good for Tannehill.

Indeed. This study definitely raises some red flags for Tannehill and Griffin. Luck's major of architectural design could be an issue but there were no other such majors drafted in the first round from 2004 through 2012. I would be wary of History major David Wilson as well. On a more positive note, business majors Blackmon and Weeden both have pursued academic tracks amenable to NFL success, and past results suggest that General Studies participant (major seems too legitimate a title for someone studying such a field) Trent Richardson shouldn't fare too poorly in the pros either.

 

[johnadams]

General Studies participant (major seems too legitimate a title for someone studying such a field)

 

[Monty Burns]

Sociology has more "Academic Rigor" than Finance????

 

[Liebo]

Sociology has more "Academic Rigor" than Finance????

I'm definitely not going to claim that this is the most methodically-sound scholarly article/blog post out there. I will say that as an econ major I have always had some resentment towards my finance classmates majoring in the easier yet more lucrative field of study. I would be hard pressed to convincingly argue that sociology is actually harder than finance.

 

[JAA]

Great read

Conclusions The Redskins were foolish to pick Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins, not because it creates unwelcome competition or prevented the team from addressing other pressing needs but because the NFL track records of Political Science (RG3) and Kinesiology (Cousins) majors are particularly poor, with none offering a Pro Bowler from the first round. Political Science has been the worst performing major since 2004 and includes the likes of Brady Quinn within its ranks. It appears that Criminology is the best major for college football players, as it has the highest success rate for majors with over five first rounders and boasts Pro Bowlers such as Patrick Willis and Jason Babin. The only colossal bust who majored in the field was Erasmus James, who was a Sociology major as well.These results suggest that the easiness hypothesis has defeated its profitability cousin. Most successes in the NFL are highly concentrated within a few majors which stretch across the profitability spectrum. These are mostly linked by the fact that they are all relatively easy compared to other potential academic tracks. There is some support for the Swahili hypothesis, as several schools exhibited considerable levels of scholarly homogeneity. Chad Faulcon, recent signing of the Atlanta Falcons (congratulations and best of luck) will make the team's final roster and knock Oakland's Darren McFadden out for the season when he inadvertently sneezes in the general direction of the rather fragile running back during warmups before their week 6 meeting. I was going to make a joke tangentially relating these conclusions to the current state of international capital markets but the Money and Investing section of today’s Journal looks extraordinarily unappetizing. If any former LSE classmates desperate for dry and jargon-ridden financial prose have made it this far, I am referring to the May 3rd New York edition. The article analyzing France’s potential policy impacts on the European Central Bank looks especially unappetizing.