NFL Gravity Metric
A pass-rusher gravity metric that measures observed blocker attention during true pass sets, models expected attention from Big Data Bowl tracking features, and ranks defenders by the extra attention they command.
Traditional pass-rush production can miss defenders who create value by occupying extra blockers and opening cleaner rush lanes for teammates.
The team defines observed attention from blocker-to-rusher matchups using a weighted distance and orientation metric, then models expected attention with engineered features and graph-based spatial concepts.
Initial XGBoost modeling explains meaningful variance in expected attention and surfaces case studies like Grady Jarrett, whose blocker attention exceeds what conventional production suggests.