Players that enter the NFL Draft have already had a large amount of success on the college level and gathered much attention from professional scouts; however, it is impossible to watch every player. Therefore, the NFL holds a Scouting Combine every year to showcase the best college talent. The players partake in specific drills aimed at determining the athleticism that cannot be statistically quantified simply by playing a football game.
Determining Draft Order and Compensatory Picks
Following each regular season, the teams that did not qualify for the playoffs are sorted by worst record and fill the first 20 spots of the draft (an expansion team automatically gets the first pick). In the event of a tie, the team with the lower strength of schedule will get the higher (better) pick. The twelve playoff teams are then sorted in similar fashion measured by postseason success with each team’s regular season record being the tiebreaker. With teams that had identical records, the order in which they pick for rounds 2-7 cycles to allow each team a fair chance in subsequent rounds. Unless a team loses a pick due to punishment (the Patriots had to forfeit their first round pick in the 2008 Draft after being caught cheating in the ’07-’08 season) or picks had been traded, each team will select once in the first two rounds. In rounds 3-7, 32 compensatory picks are divided amongst teams that have lost (and signed less) specific free agents and are added at the ends of each round. These picks cannot be traded and are determined a few weeks before NFL Draft.
Higher Draft Picks Demand Bigger Contracts
As much of a no-brainer as it seems, the players selected with the first few picks will sign considerably bigger contracts than those taken a little later in the round, let alone the draft. This poses a huge financial burden on those teams selecting towards the top of the draft, specifically the Lions, who have selected a player with the tenth pick or higher every year from 2002-2007. In 2009, they hold the first overall pick in the draft, and regardless of the player they take, the contract will undoubtedly be tremendous. This has become such an issue that the Lions have considered trading their number one pick so they may select the same player they are targeting first overall a few picks later. By doing this, they can sign him to a smaller contract, simply because said player was not the “first overall pick”. Furthermore, it was reported that when Bill Bellichick traded Matt Cassel to the Chiefs, he had a better offer from Denver that would give him a higher pick in the draft. Reportedly, he refused the trade and took a lesser deal with Kansas City so he would not have to pay another first round pick.
What Happens After the Draft?
With the exception of the first overall pick who occasionally will sign with his new team shortly before the draft, the draftees enter a one year negotiating period. If the player fails to sign with his new team before one year expires, they will have already sat out an entire NFL season and will reenter the draft the following year. Most notably, Bo Jackson opted not to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they drafted him in 1986, opting to play professional baseball with the Kansas City Royals. The following year he was drafted and signed with the Raiders.
Mario Mergola - Mario Mergola is a freelance journalist currently writing for multiple websites. His main website, The Digital Blitz, was created by Mario ...
