The great myth of Big Data is that it’s defining characteristic is size. In spite of the warnings about Variety and Velocity, in addition to every other V-word out there, the world has been obsessively focused on the collection of bigger and bigger data. But the key to extracting valuable information from data isn’t actually the size of the database, but your ability to make the most out of the data that you have.

In the NFL, scouts don’t simply identify talent by…