NFL Draft in February?

[Lucky]

PFW reports that moving the draft up from April to late February is a hot topic at the owners' meeting.

For instance, the draft has been held in late April or early May since 1977. However, there are a number of movers and shakers in the league who believe that veteran free agency should follow the draft, and with the CBA still to be agreed upon for the next contract, this issue could be a bargaining chip for owners.


Those same league insiders would like to see the draft moved to late February, with free agency to commence following rookie minicamps, most likely in mid-to-late March.

"They need to get the draft put ahead of free agency," one veteran talent evaluator told PFW.

If the draft were to be held two months earlier, it obviously would compress the time allowed to evaluate talent. All-star games for college seniors would be affected, as would the Scouting Combine.

Moving the draft up prior to free agency would allow teams to select the best player available, evaluate what they have in a rookie mini-camp, and then fill holes in free agency. It would also place less emphasis on testing and stress on field performance more.

One downside to moving the draft up would be in evaluating players coming off an injury. Condensing the pre-draft period might also lead to more draft mistakes. Would Mario Williams have been the #1 pick in '06 had the draft been held in February? The top portion of the draft involves huge investments, and the teams that draft there can't afford to make big mistakes.

As a fan, I'm against the move up. The draft helps bridge the seasons together and brings some excitement in an otherwise dead period in sports. February is just too soon after the end of the season.

[Mari-OWNED!]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Specnatz]

Originally Posted by Lucky

PFW reports that moving the draft up from April to late February is a hot topic at the owners' meeting.

Moving the draft up prior to free agency would allow teams to select the best player available, evaluate what they have in a rookie mini-camp, and then fill holes in free agency. It would also place less emphasis on testing and stress on field performance more.

One downside to moving the draft up would be in evaluating players coming off an injury. Condensing the pre-draft period might also lead to more draft mistakes. Would Mario Williams have been the #1 pick in '06 had the draft been held in February? The top portion of the draft involves huge investments, and the teams that draft there can't afford to make big mistakes.

As a fan, I'm against the move up. The draft helps bridge the seasons together and brings some excitement in an otherwise dead period in sports. February is just too soon after the end of the season.

This is more of a ploy by the owners to get the NFLPA to agree to a rookie wage scale. what would happen if the draft is moved up before FA and the mini-camp and the Fa is a lot of vets would not get signed, like Rosevelt Colvin. So the owners throw this out and the NFLPA gives them rookie wage scale.

[Mac#5]

Originally Posted by Mari-OWNED!

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Thats what im sayin.

If they move the draft to february i dont think players will get enough time to work out and realy "WOW" the scouts. the combine and prodays will all be bunched up and not to mention all-star games like the senior bowl and the east west shrine game...scouts wont be able to see much improvement in the players from the combine to their prodays so it will be realy hard for players to improve their stock.

[disaacks3]

Originally Posted by Specnatz

This is more of a ploy by the owners to get the NFLPA to agree to a rookie wage scale. what would happen if the draft is moved up before FA and the mini-camp and the Fa is a lot of vets would not get signed, like Rosevelt Colvin. So the owners throw this out and the NFLPA gives them rookie wage scale.

That's what I was thinking too. It would reduce the likelihood of grabbing 'marginal' FA Vets as insurance against mised opportunities in the draft. My guess is that those same Vets salaries (if picked up) would be lower than they are currently as well.

[nunusguy]

While they are contemplating moving the time of year of the Draft I'd like to see them
consider moving the location. Like to Vegas which would be THE perfect place for the NFL Draft IMO.

[steelbtexan]

Originally Posted by Mari-OWNED!

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

ditto

[steelbtexan]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

While they are contemplating moving the time of year of the Draft I'd like to see them
consider moving the location. Like to Vegas which would be THE perfect place for the NFL Draft IMO.

Great idea, too bad they wont do it.

[edo783]

Cuts the amount of time kids would have to get ready (assuming that there would still be a combine). It would also change the approach to the FA/Draft times. Currently most teams look to fill a couple of positions that they need so that they won't have to draft them if the right guy isn't there for them. Now they will have to take the pick and then hope they can find the filler guy in FA. I suspect this will drive up the FA market price, because you will now have an identifiable requirement if you don't get a starter type in the draft and the agents will know that. The good news is that it would reduce the amount of time we would have to listen to the Draftnicks prattle on. However, I suspect they would then just become FAnicks and be just as annoying.

[Hooston Texan]

Man, that would suck for us junkies. A late-April draft means we have at least three months (four if we don't make the playoffs) to obsess about mock draft, pro days, trade-down scenarios, point charts and the like. It's not as much fun as the actual season, but it sure beats the heck out of the post-draft, pre-preseason portion of the calendar. A February draft means we would have a six month dead period interrupted only by the blink-and-you-miss-it free agency scrum.

I always thought of the draft as one of the ways the NFL shows the other leagues who's boss. In late April, baseball is still in its opening month--when even the Pirates are theoretically in the running--and the NBA is in the middle of its playoffs. But even during that period when those other leagues should have primacy, the NFL swoops in for a weekend and knocks everything else to the back pages. If I were the league, I wouldn't give up that kind of stroke lightly. The draft belongs in the Spring.