NFL Draft System; Good or Bad?

[Lefty]

Do you reward the worst team every year by handing them the rights to the best player in the entry draft?

Is this like welfare; rewarding those who can't help themselves, or rewarding those who won't help themselves?

One reason I ask is the Lions who will be drafting #1 do indicate they're among the latter group in light of their past 50 year history, and I question that it's fair to the athlete.

The NBA/NHL have the lottery draft. Would this be an improvement for the NFL?

[Nothing]

Yeah. I would just love the powerhouses of the NFL also aquire the top draft picks. It'll be like baseball where 75% of the league is not contending by June.

[Romber]

The NFL draft system reminds me of communism in a way. I like it how it is because the good ole' Lions get 1st round pick nearly every year! lol

[Biastai]

I'm ok with it. In the salary-capped league, the talent level is as evenly spread across as is possible so that the most efficient and well managed system wins (not so much due to individual players). For details, see the New England Patriots.

[Lefty]

The NFL draft system reminds me of communism in a way. I like it how it is because the good ole' Lions get 1st round pick nearly every year! lol

Maybe it's this Siberia weather here that's got me so cynical today;) Yeah, I do want the Lions to do well, but something tells me the powers that be there need to be persuaded to do some real team building and not just rely on a scattering of high picks to get fans excited with false hopes. I think you can have a bunch of #1 picks on a team and still lose. Maybe a lottery would force that to happen.

[Lefty]

I'm ok with it. In the salary-capped league, the talent level is as evenly spread across as is possible so that the most efficient and well managed system wins (not so much due to individual players). For details, see the New England Patriots.

That's a good point, explains NE's success, and explains Detroit's lack of:rolleyes: Our problem is failure still turns a profit for the owners, so it seems the fans are held hostage.

[avlight]

The NFL needs a Draft lottery for two reasons...

(1): It was discovered that in the NBA and NHL, teams would purposely 'tank' games to get those high picks.

(2): In the NFL, teams who have the top pick due to the worst record really do not want that pick (unless a very special player is in the draft) because of the super-high salary considerations with that pick. It is very hard to trade away that pick.

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I thought New England's success was attributed to Bill Bellicheat (oops I meant Bill Belichick)

But seriously...The true reason of New England's success is that they spend an equal amount of time evaluating potential 4-7 round draft players as they evaluate 1-3 round players. They have proven time and time again that they can find fundamentally solid, tough, and disciplined football players that can flat out play football (Tom Brady in the sixth round, Randall Gay undrafted) in those latter rounds or who do not get drafted.

[markdrums]

The NFL needs a Draft lottery for two reasons...

(1): It was discovered that in the NBA and NHL, teams would purposely 'tank' games to get those high picks.

(2): In the NFL, teams who have the top pick due to the worst record really do not want that pick (unless a very special player is in the draft) because of the super-high salary considerations with that pick. It is very hard to trade away that pick.

-----
I thought New England's success was attributed to Bill Bellicheat (oops I meant Bill Belichick)

But seriously...The true reason of New England's success is that they spend an equal amount of time evaluating potential 4-7 round draft players as they evaluate 1-3 round players. They have proven time and time again that they can find fundamentally solid, tough, and disciplined football players that can flat out play football (Tom Brady in the sixth round, Randall Gay undrafted) in those latter rounds or who do not get drafted.


Well, being originally from Michigan, I can honestly say that Detroit, Nine times out of Ten, will pick a Wide Receiver with their first pick. LOL!
So, that makes it a little easier for the other 31 teams to configure their draft board.

:P

[corijoysdad]

I don't think placement in the draft makes a whlole lot of difference and the hype of a first round pick is overrated. A lot of first round picks tank and are gone in a few years and don't make a difference for their team, while it's the 6th, 7th, 8th round picks who will change things for a team. Remember Ryan Leaf? He was going to be the next Joe Montana. Remember Tom Brady? He is the next Joe Montana.

[Joe King]

Teams can trade their draft picks, that's enough for me. One star player can really make a franchise better and the worst teams who constantly struggle do need talent. If the better teams got the first draft picks, it would be terrible. The cycle of teams at the top would never end.

[Yukerboy]

Leave it the way it is!

Football has passed every other sport by allowing parity. The draft is one of those ways.

[Biastai]

Leave it the way it is!

Football has passed every other sport by allowing parity. The draft is one of those ways.

Agreed. We just saw an example of it last Sunday. Cardinals are so bad one year, they pick 3rd in the draft. Some time later, Larry Fitzgerald runs roughshod all over the Eagles on the way to the Bowl (stupid Beagles! thanks for not showing up the 1st half!). Small markets and large markets have an equal shot due to the draft system and the cap. Its a good thing, not a bad thing.