NFL Draft to move to February? (1 Viewer)

[obxlegends]

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BIG CHANGES CONSIDERED FOR NFL OFFSEASON?

Posted by Aaron Wilson on March 22, 2009, 11:44 a.m. EDT

Due to the economic crisis, the unresolved future of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and other reasons, the NFL could be pondering major changes to its offseason schedule, according to Mike Holbrook of Pro Football Weekly.

Citing “multiple inside sources,” Holbrook writes that league insiders would like to move the NFL draft to late February with the free agent signing period to be held late in March.

“They need to get the draft put ahead of free agency,” a league source said.

Of course, that would accelerate the rest of the scouting process, including the Scouting Combine and all-star games like the Senior Bowl.

And it would decrease teams’ reliance on big free agency spending in another potential cost-cutting measure for a league that has been cutting jobs and expenses.

Such a change would also probably create a lull in the NFL from May to June.

According to a top executive, that’s exactly what NFL employees need.

“Some way, somehow, the NFL needs to find a way to give the league more of a break,” the unnamed executive said. “It’s like a treadmill that keeps getting faster and faster. They need to have a bigger window between the draft and free agency, regardless of which one comes first.”

 

[Mystery Achiever]

“They need to get the draft put ahead of free agency,” a league source said.

What is the thinking behind this?

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

“They need to get the draft put ahead of free agency,” a league source said.

What is the thinking behind this?

I actually kind of wondered why go FA then draft.Now teams could draft BPA and then go fill in the holes via FA.This will also be part IMO in lowering salaries. A rookie cap much like the NBA is coming

 

[stevegamer]

I think it will increase draft busts, as teams have less time to scout.

 

[dino259]

I would think they wouldn't want to move the draft up too far. This would lower the amount of time aging veterans had to decide if they were going to retire or not. i.e. Brett Favre. I do admit it seems to make sense to have the draft first and then the FA.

 

[CalBear]

I think it will increase draft busts, as teams have less time to scout.

It can only increase the number of draft busts by the extent to which it increases the number of draft steals.

 

[TheFanatic]

Now teams could draft BPA and then go fill in the holes via FA.

They talk about this driving salaries down, but I think it would drive them up. Can you see Rosenhaus saying, "Looks like you missed out on that stud rookie DT by 2 picks in the 1st round and only added one in the 5th. The price of my guy just went up."The counter to the agent prior to the draft is, "I don't need to pay your guy that huge salary. We'll just address that need in the draft. BUUUUUuuuuutttt, if you were to lower your demands we will sign your guy and look elsewhere in the draft."

This will also be part IMO in lowering salaries. A rookie cap much like the NBA is coming

A rookie cap is a must. No way can they keep giving guys $30 million guaranteed as a rookie. And I for one can't wait. With a rookie cap there will be MUCH more movement at the top of the draft in terms of trades. If it only costs a team say $10 million guaranteed to sign the first overall pick you will see many more teams trade down. There has always been a desire to trade down but not nearly as much desire to trade up which entails dropping a couple first rounders and a boat load of cache....

 

[DCThunder]

I think it will increase draft busts, as teams have less time to scout.

They have up to 4 years to scout players while in olleg. It would reduce the dworkout warriors that get taken too early and then flameout and benefit the REAL football players.

 

[TheFanatic]

I think it will increase draft busts, as teams have less time to scout.

They have up to 4 years to scout players while in olleg. It would reduce the dworkout warriors that get taken too early and then flameout and benefit the REAL football players.

Even if it does increase busts, if there is a rookie cap, those busts won't be nearly as big in terms of financial impact on a team. That being said, how many players coming into the draft need anything more than some game film, the combine, a personal workout, and a pro day? A lot of the top guys skip most of the combine. The personal workouts are generally for the top tier guys. Bringing in potential 3rd round guys is expensive and only tips the hand....So, measurements, psych profile, personal interviews at the combine (1 week), a proday (1 day/player), personal workout (1 day/player). The teams that will have the hardest time with this are the teams that go deep into the playoffs as they will have less time, but they have the later pics in the 1st round unless they acquired one via trade....

 

[stevegamer]

I think it will increase draft busts, as teams have less time to scout.

It can only increase the number of draft busts by the extent to which it increases the number of draft steals.

Nope. More players who would be deep draft pick steals can slide to UDFA. That will reward teams who do their homework better and teams with a particular spot - guys can try and go there to sieze opportunity.And for teams changing GM's/coaches/philosophies will have even less time to get things sorted out. However, they may make better FA decisions to make up for moving the draft in front of FA.

 

[GregR_2]

Now teams could draft BPA and then go fill in the holes via FA.

They talk about this driving salaries down, but I think it would drive them up. Can you see Rosenhaus saying, "Looks like you missed out on that stud rookie DT by 2 picks in the 1st round and only added one in the 5th. The price of my guy just went up."The counter to the agent prior to the draft is, "I don't need to pay your guy that huge salary. We'll just address that need in the draft. BUUUUUuuuuutttt, if you were to lower your demands we will sign your guy and look elsewhere in the draft." ...

Hrm. I'm not sure how it would play out. For example, your hypothetical talking points address that supply of players has gone down after the draft, but neglects that demand for players has been affected too. It might be true that there are fewer good DTs left when the rookies are gone, but the teams who drafted the rookies probably are no longer in the market for the free agent one. So now instead of there being 5 teams in a bidding war for the player, there's only 2.Which pressure will win out between there being fewer choices but also being less demand? I'm not sure I could say. Teams with a definite need might need a player more now... but fewer teams would have that need. And even though having a 5th round DT might not be seen to fill the hole, I could see not being willing to pay as much for that good FA DT if I already spent a draft pick there, vs if I was bidding against other teams on the FA when I had no pick already devoted to the spot.

 

[CalBear]

I think it will increase draft busts, as teams have less time to scout.

It can only increase the number of draft busts by the extent to which it increases the number of draft steals.

Nope. More players who would be deep draft pick steals can slide to UDFA. That will reward teams who do their homework better and teams with a particular spot - guys can try and go there to sieze opportunity.

I really doubt that a significant number of legit NFL prospects will wind up going undrafted, no matter when the draft is held.

 

[identikit]

MCKAY ON POSSIBLE MOVE OF DRAFT: “WE’VE NEVER DISCUSSED IT”

Posted by Mike Florio on March 22, 2009, 9:46 p.m.

In response to a Pro Football Weekly report that the NFL is contemplating a move of the draft from late April to late February, multiple league insiders tell Howard Balzer of the Sports Xchange that no such move is being contemplated.

Said Falcons president Rich McKay, co-chair of the Competition Committee: “We’ve never discussed it. We’ve discussed the offseason calendar a lot, but there has been no discussion of moving the draft up.

“We had that discussion eight years ago, but I don’t think we’ve had it since then. We’ve discussed the calendar, but that wasn’t any of the things we discussed.”

Added Rams G.M. Billy Devaney, who previously worked under McKay in Atlanta: “This is the first I’ve heard of anything like that.”

It doesn’t mean that there aren’t people in the league who’d like to move the draft. But if the co-chair of the Competition Committee hasn’t even heard about the possible move, it’s highly unlikely that such a radical change would be adopted in the near future.

And if the overriding goal in moving the draft is to cut costs due to the bad economy, chances are that the economy will recover before the league lines up sufficient support for such a dramatic change to the offseason calendar.

 

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

“They need to get the draft put ahead of free agency,” a league source said.

What is the thinking behind this?

I actually kind of wondered why go FA then draft.Now teams could draft BPA and then go fill in the holes via FA.This will also be part IMO in lowering salaries. A rookie cap much like the NBA is coming

fwiw in my dynasty sason of maddn I have found myself saying "If I had known he'd be there in the third, I never woulda paid ______ all that money....