Study: How college bowl games affect the NFL draft

While college bowl victories don't guarantee a prospect will be drafted, history shows there's some overlap between winning teams and those players who have had their name called on draft day.

To determine how competing in a high-profile bowl game affects a player's draft value, the folks over at Fanatics analyzed game stats and draftability data from the national championship game as well as the Fiesta, Sugar, Orange, Cotton, Rose, and Peach bowls dating to 2011.

Based on the data, players on the winning teams of major bowl games are more likely to be drafted into the NFL. That was especially true of the national championship game, with a nearly five percentage point difference between drafted players on the winning and losing teams.

There was also a correlation between the bowl games themselves and the likelihood of a player being drafted.

Collegiate success is also a factor. LSU has held the top spot over the past five years, with 30 percent of the school's bowl participants being drafted.

Some NFL teams are more likely to draft bowl players than others, particularly the Buffalo Bills, who secured the top spot with 41 draft picks coming from the six bowl games.

The full study can be found here.