But good teams can throw often as well. The Bucs won the Super Bowl and were third overall in pass percentage. The Chiefs played the Bucs in the Super Bowl and tied for fourth in pass percentage (61 percent). It isn’t all bad teams that throw often in the NFL.

Now for the rushing numbers from 2020.

Now let’s take a look at the four-year trends to see how they play out.

The Bucs are the most prolific passing team the last four seasons, throwing the ball 62 percent of the time. It should be more of the same this year for Tampa with Tom Brady leading the way. The Falcons, Steelers and Giants are close behind the Bucs, throwing the ball 61 percent offensively the last four seasons. Atlanta remains a pass-first team because of a great group of receivers. Pittsburgh has struggled to run the ball in recent years and has a super talented group of receivers. The Giants are a little surprising to see on this list so high, but they have played from behind often in recents years, meaning they have to throw the ball more as they play catch up. The Lions, Dolphins and Bengals are more teams that have struggled to win games in recent years that finished in the top 10 in passing.

The Chargers were 10th overall, throwing the ball 58 percent of the time the last four seasons. Th Chargers threw the ball 57 percent last year with rookie Justin Herbert leading the way and this trend should continue if past numbers mean anything.

It is interesting to note the Packers were in the top 10 in rushing last year but over the last four seasons are in the top 10 when it comes to throwing the ball. Green Bay is tied for eighth overall the last four seasons, throwing the ball 59 percent. But if last year is any indication, things could be changing a little for Green Bay. This is a trend to keep an eye on in Green Bay.

Lastly, it is time to examine the four-year rushing numbers.

The Ravens also top the list of rush plays over the last four years, running the ball 52 percent of the time offensively. Baltimore is clearly the top rushing team in football, especially if you look at the numbers the last several seasons. This trend is likely to continue this year. Tennessee is fairly close behind in second (50 percent), which is not surprising considering the success they have enjoyed with Henry leading the way offensively.

Seattle and Buffalo are tied for third on the list. Some might think of the Seahawks as a pass-first team with Russell Wilson leading the way for the offense, but this unit tries to be pretty balanced. Their rushing numbers are normally pretty high compared to the rest of the league. Buffalo has run the ball often in recent years but those numbers took a tip last year with Josh Allen taking a huge step forward. Buffalo might be third on this four-year list right now but had 50 fewer carries last year. The Bills were tied for 20th overall in rushing last year. Don’t get thrown off too much by this overall numbers.

The Vikings, Colts, 49ers and Saints also crack the top 10 in rushing the last four years. These teams are pretty consistent when it comes to running the ball and the numbers bear this out. Keep this in mind when looking at running backs from those teams. The top backs on these teams should get a few more chances than most, giving them added fantasy value.

Overall, you can’t expect a complete repeat of all these numbers for this coming year, but it is something to keep in mind come draft day. There are definitely trends that should be considered when making rankings and selections come draft day. Learn from the past to get ready for the future.