There is an obsession with statistics and numbers in all sports. Baseball started the trend, adding WAR (Wins Above Replacement), BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play), and ERA+ (adjusted Earned Run Average). In football, a potential draft prospect is measured not solely on his gameplay, but rather how fast he can run 40 yards, how many times he can bench press 225 pounds, how much he weighs, etc.… But numbers have recently become more available than ever, with the rise of the Internet and fantasy sports.  However, numbers alone cannot be trusted, as in many cases. For instance, Ryan Leaf (former number two overall draft pick in the NFL Draft) was almost picked before Peyton Manning in the 1998 National Football League. Jamarcus Russell (former number one overall pick in the NFL Draft) is considered the second coming of Leaf, after he was drafted ahead of Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson and Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. Last and certainly least, Steve Chilcott, former number one overall pick in the 1966 MLB Draft, was taken ahead of Hall-of-Famer Reggie Jackson and ten-time All-Star Steve Garvey.

All of these highly touted picks were considered sure-fire quality players, but Leaf, Russell, and Chilcott turned out to be colossal failures, or busts, for how they disappointed the team who picked them so early. Many of the busts looked like high-risk, high-yield draft picks, but all of the busts ended up not meeting the expectations of their respective teams.

“I think that stats are important, but overanalyzed,” Senior Myles Hawkins said. “ Statistics do not measure heart, determination, or will to win.”

While statistics are important, they do not always tell the whole story to the way a player plays. Russell, Leaf and Chilcott all looked like amazingly talented players on paper, but in actuality, they failed to live up to expectations. Granted, before Chilcott was drafted, there weren’t many stats to peruse, but still, drafting because of statistical superiority is not a very good idea.

“Basing a player’s ability only on athletic stats is ridiculous,” Hawkins said. “The best players have characteristics that cannot be measured by statistics alone.”