Patriots dabbling in analytics with new front-office hire

The New England Patriots have small analytics presence in the organization, compared to other NFL teams. But their newest hire indicates that they are inching in that direction.

As reported by ESPN's Seth Walder, the Patriots are hiring former 49ers and Ravens staffer Ekene Olekanma as their new director of coaching analytics. He was previously San Francisco's football research and devleopment coordinator.

Olekanma has a deep scientific background, in addition to football. He earned a master's degree in data science from DePaul University in 2021, and prior to that a degree in bioengineering and biomedical engineering at Toledo. He also played linebacker for the Rockets from 2015-18.

Olekanma broke into football analytics with the Ravens, as a coaching research & development analyst fellow. He spent the last three seasons working his way up through the Niners organization, before earning his first director role in New England.

Walder had previously noted three Patriots employees with analytics ties. Marshall Oium is aboard as the team's director of football strategy and has been in the organization since 2018. Joe McDonald joined the Pats last December as a senior analyst of football strategy. Keithen Shepard has been a data engineer for the club since 2022.

The Cleveland Browns have the deepest analytics department, based on Walder's list, so it's not as if a robust analytics team guarantees success. But it's hard to argue with what the Ravens, Eagles, and 49ers have accomplished with analytics as a key focus of their front offices.

The Patriots famously kept things small and simple under Bill Belichick, and it appears that is changing with Mike Vrabel at the helm. Olekanma's hire may only be a small step in that direction, but it's a sign that the Pats are evolving with modern times in the NFL, which would be a welcome development, considering how far behind they'd fallen in the NFL landscape.