The issue is comparing players born at different times of the year. Some players are going to come out as winners and others as losers due to something they have zero control over.
Do you have some actual mathematic formula for comparing them or is it just that the players born June 1-September 15 become winners and those born September 16-December 31 are losers? Because that’s what this argument amounts to.
My belief is that it should be a talking point, but not in a way of comparing players. It should be used to consider players on their own merits.
If you get a situation like Jack Quinn, who was 4 days too young for the 2019 draft, it’s fair to ask about his age. He would’ve been a late round pick if he was a few days older. Pops off with an amazing draft season. But at the same time, he’s since shown that he deserved his draft slot, so being old for your draft and popping off at the right time in relation to the draft doesn’t actually always prove a cautionary tale.
I think of an opposite example of how to use it like Filip Chytil. Was talked about as maybe a 2nd or 3rd rounder, at best, for much of his draft season. Yet, his play took an upward turn throughout the season. Still wasn’t putting up like obvious first round accomplishments, but scouts saw the arc his progression was on and he kept rising. His September 5th birthday is another feather in that cap. Not to say it made him better or worse, but it’s a data point to prove the theory that he was a deserved riser and picking him higher than people thought would age well. In hindsight, this has worked out. He was underdrafted. This is exactly how you use the birthdate of a player correctly.
