Why do stud players enter the NFL draft? (1 Viewer)

Someone in the Antonio Brown thread was talking about how team have control over the guys draft in the first round for like 5 or 6 years, and it made me think "what if a stud college player, say Baker Mayfield or Saquan Barkley, just didn't enter the draft and signed as an UDFA"?

Is this even possible? Can a guy forego the draft then sign any kind of deal they want with whatever team they want?  

There has to be some sort of rule against this otherwise I would think guys would have been doing it.  Someone please correct me here so that I can stop thinking about this. 

As I started answering in in the other thread, I don't think things work the way you want them to work. Players either declare for the draft or they don't. You don't get to skip the draft and then sign as an UDFA. If a player passes on the draft, they can then declare for the supplemental draft (and be subject to the same conditions as the draft).

But if somehow a player were able to accomplish getting picked up as an UDFA, the same rules apply . . . just for pennies on the dollar. An UDFA is limited to a few hundred thousand dollars a year, can be retained through the UDFA claiming system, and would still be subject to being franchised if that player turned into a superstar. Bottom line, pusuing this route (if even possible) would cost a player millions.

Anarchy99 said:

As I started answering in in the other thread, I don't think things work the way you want them to work. Players either declare for the draft or they don't. You don't get to skip the draft and then sign as an UDFA. If a player passes on the draft, they can then declare for the supplemental draft (and be subject to the same conditions as the draft).

But if somehow a player were able to accomplish getting picked up as an UDFA, the same rules apply . . . just for pennies on the dollar. An UDFA is limited to a few hundred thousand dollars a year, can be retained through the UDFA claiming system, and would still be subject to being franchised if that player turned into a superstar. Bottom line, pusuing this route (if even possible) would cost a player millions.

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FIrst of all, I was simply asking a question.  I don't "want them to work" any certain way.

So what if some dude in the XFL or Canadian league or whatever looked like a mega stud and came to the NFL, but he had never entered the NFL draft at any point.  Is there  a limit to what he can sign for?

Just questions my man.  I have no skin in this game, but players do, and if I am thinking about possible ways around the system I can guarantee you players are since it actually affects them.  

When does a player HAVE to enter the NFL draft to play in the league, and when DON'T they?  Does every player who wants to play in the NFL have to enter the draft before they can play a down in the league?

Basically, is there ANY way a stud athlete coming out of college would be able to game this system to benefit them?  If not then well, never mind.  I was just asking questions.

ghostguy123 said:

FIrst of all, I was simply asking a question.  I don't "want them to work" any certain way.

So what if some dude in the XFL or Canadian league or whatever looked like a mega stud and came to the NFL, but he had never entered the NFL draft at any point.  Is there  a limit to what he can sign for?

Just questions my man.  I have no skin in this game, but players do, and if I am thinking about possible ways around the system I can guarantee you players are since it actually affects them.  

When does a player HAVE to enter the NFL draft to play in the league, and when DON'T they?  Does every player who wants to play in the NFL have to enter the draft before they can play a down in the league?

Basically, is there ANY way a stud athlete coming out of college would be able to game this system to benefit them?  If not then well, never mind.  I was just asking questions.

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Even if a player enters the league undrafted, whether it's coming out of college, playing in another league, or being imported as a rugby player or Australian Rules Football player the same system applies. There is a limit that a team can pay for an UDFA. There is still a salary structure, teams still have the same rules to retain their rights, and everything else is the same as a drafted player . . . with the exception that they are a team's property for pennies on the dollar.

If a player signed a one year deal for essentially minimum wage, the team holds his rights for multiple years. There is no way to come in the backdoor and sign a mega contract for a short time frame and jump to the front of the free agency line. There just isn't. The bottom line is, coming into the NFL by NOT being drafted is worse than being drafted. No matter how you slice it, players will be property of the team that drafts or signs them for many years if the team elects to keep them.

The benefit to being an UDFA is that you can sign with any team. The pay scale really isn't that much different than being say a 7th round pick, but then you would be tied down to just one team. I don't remember all the details, but it may be possible to get to a new contract potentially one year earlier going undrafted than getting drafted, but the team that signed you would have to want to give the player more money (and they wouldn't have to). That's why I brought up Malcolm Butler. NE offered him a lot more money to resign with the Patriots, but it was not what he wanted in terms of annual salary. Instead, they gave him a league minimum one year deal for his amount of service in the league . . . which was significantly less for a year than they offered him.

If there is no way around it, then there is no way around it.  

Without having re-researched, I'll sum it up as best as I can recall...

It's part of the NFLPA CBA, and players must join the NFLPA in order to play in the league. That bolded part is the catch, basically.

As mentioned already, players have a window based on number of years of college and/or number of years since high school. Effectively, when a player is still young and attractive to teams, they are forced to enter the draft pool by the CBA or risk getting less money b/c the contracts are set based on draft position, or lack thereof. 

Flying Elvis said:

Without having re-researched, I'll sum it up as best as I can recall...

It's part of the NFLPA CBA, and players must join the NFLPA in order to play in the league. That bolded part is the catch, basically.

As mentioned already, players have a window based on number of years of college and/or number of years since high school. Effectively, when a player is still young and attractive to teams, they are forced to enter the draft pool by the CBA or risk getting less money b/c the contracts are set based on draft position, or lack thereof. 

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This isn't accurate.  The NLRA disallows mandatory membership in any Union unless it's explicitly part of the CBA and it's not.  They are required to pay the dues, but not be a member.  I have no idea why anyone would do that but they may.  If by "must" you mean "they are screwed if they don't" then perhaps.

There is no way for a player to enter the league without exposing themselves to the draft - maybe twice.  If a player is drafted and never signs with the drafting team then they go back into the draft the next year.  If after the second time being drafted they don't sign then they will be a Free Agent in the subsequent season.  Bo Jackson was drafted #1 overall, played baseball, and was drafted the following year by the Raiders. 

If a player enters the draft and isn't drafted he is a UDFA and is not subject to the draft any more.

I know the family of a guy that's eligible for the draft this year, I will see if I can find out the mechanics.  I'm pretty sure players don't actually petition to enter the draft (underclassmen excepting) and instead the NFL complies a list of all college players whose eligibility has expired as those eligible.  And studs like Mayfield and Barkley have to actually petition to be included as underclassmen.

So no, no player of any relevance can intentionally bypass their original draft. 

ghostguy123 said:

Someone in the Antonio Brown thread was talking about how team have control over the guys draft in the first round for like 5 or 6 years, and it made me think "what if a stud college player, say Baker Mayfield or Saquan Barkley, just didn't enter the draft and signed as an UDFA"?

Is this even possible? Can a guy forego the draft then sign any kind of deal they want with whatever team they want?  

There has to be some sort of rule against this otherwise I would think guys would have been doing it.  Someone please correct me here so that I can stop thinking about this. 

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I think the closest anything has happened in real life to what you are talking about would be the bizarre case of La'el Collins of the Cowboys. He had some off-field issue(possibly fabricated) come up just before the first round of the draft started and went from sure fire first rounder to not drafted at all because he and his agent contacted all 32 teams and said that he wouldn't be signing with anyone if he wasn't drafted on day one or two of the draft. I was pretty shocked some team didn't draft him with a 7th round pick just so they held his rights. It was a pretty wild set of circumstances.

https://www.si.com/2015/05/15/lael-collins-nfl-draft-dallas-cowboys-murder-investigation

What's stopping a stud college freshman from dropping out of school and signing with the AAF for one season, then jumping to the NFL as a marquee free agent? Can't see how he'd be draft eligible, since he's clearly not an amateur anymore. 

Donny Loved Bowling said:

What's stopping a stud college freshman from dropping out of school and signing with the AAF for one season, then jumping to the NFL as a marquee free agent? Can't see how he'd be draft eligible, since he's clearly not an amateur anymore. 

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Stud or no stud, the system is the system. To the best of my knowledge, there are only three ways to get into the NFL . . . traditional draft, supplemental draft, or as an UDFA. Each of those have a structure, an associated pay scale, limits on how much you can make, and multi-year rights for the acquiring team. As already discussed, it doesn't really help players to avoid getting drafted and usually involves a player losing tons of money.

Cameron Wake is a pretty decent comparison to your example. He played at Penn State for 2 years (2002 and 2003). He didn't get drafted in either the 2004 or 2005 NFL drafts. He then played in the CFL for 2 seasons (2007 and 2008) and did very well. Already well established as a pass rushing edge player, the Dolphins signed him to a 3-year, $2 million contract with only $500,000 guaranteed in 2009 at age 27.

IIRC, players that were UDFA's are allowed to sign an extension a year sooner than drafted players can. In Wake's case, MIA gave him a 5-year extension worth $33.8M including a $7 million signing bonus after three seasons instead of four (at age 30).

I don't know . . . is having to get paid on the extreme low side of the pay spectrum for 3 years worth the ability to sign wherever you want to start your career? In Wake's case, it took him 6 years since he played in college to make it to the NFL and didn't make any substantially amount of money until he was 30.

As for your question, your stud freshman joining the league after a year in the AAF would fall under the same guidelines. He could only make a very limited amount for 3 years no matter what, and his NFL team could still use other rights to force him to stay.

ghostguy123 said:

If there is no way around it, then there is no way around it.  

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The very rich and sometimes smart almost always find a way to make money.

Donny Loved Bowling said:

What's stopping a stud college freshman from dropping out of school and signing with the AAF for one season, then jumping to the NFL as a marquee free agent? Can't see how he'd be draft eligible, since he's clearly not an amateur anymore.  

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Ask Maurice Clarrett and Big Mike Williams how that goes.

Different league, different rules.

UDFA contracts have $ limits on them that are less than what 7th rounders make. 4 year contracts I believe and can't renegotiate until year 3. Think La'el Collins a few years ago. 

Donny Loved Bowling said:

What's stopping a stud college freshman from dropping out of school and signing with the AAF for one season, then jumping to the NFL as a marquee free agent? Can't see how he'd be draft eligible, since he's clearly not an amateur anymore. 

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https://www.sportsrec.com/nfl-draft-eligibility-rules-4778601.htm

A player who did not go to college becomes automatically eligible four years after graduating from high school. If the player did not graduate high school, he becomes automatically eligible four years after his class graduates.

Special Permission for Early Eligibility

A player or his agent may ask the NFL Commissioner's office for special permission to enter the draft early. Special permission may be granted to a player three years removed from high school graduation

In my scenario I was thinking that the upstart AAF had different eligibility rules than the NFL. A quick search shows this not to be the case. Probably part of their plan to position themselves as a true NFL minor league. The XFL however...

I think the issue is that you have to declare yourself for a draft before you can be a free agent.  If you aren't drafted you can choose where to sign. It's like clearing waivers - everyone has to get a shot at picking you but if nobody does it goes to first come first served free agency 

bostonfred said:

I think the issue is that you have to declare yourself for a draft before you can be a free agent.  If you aren't drafted you can choose where to sign. It's like clearing waivers - everyone has to get a shot at picking you but if nobody does it goes to first come first served free agency 

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This, exactly.

Stud players don't actively enter the draft -- neither can they actively decline to enter. If they meet certain criteria outlined above in Dezbelief's link, by the NFL's bylaws member franchises may claim a player's rights during the draft. The draft is not strictly a mechanism through which players enter the league -- it's a mechanism for allocating (the top few hundred) players' rights to the 32 franchises.

Donny Loved Bowling said:

In my scenario I was thinking that the upstart AAF had different eligibility rules than the NFL. A quick search shows this not to be the case. Probably part of their plan to position themselves as a true NFL minor league. The XFL however...

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Where he goes is irrelevant.  He cannot enter the NFL until a minimum of three years after High School, and he cannot bypass the draft in any way.

How did USFL stars come to the NFL?

(I don't have the internet)

Scott Tenorman said:

How did USFL stars come to the NFL?

(I don't have the internet)

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They did a 3 round supplemental draft.

LINK

Three of the top four picks became HOFers. Spoiler alert for those that won't click the link . . . Steve Young, Gary Zimmerman, and Reggie White.