The NFL Draft is an annual event where hundreds of players from colleges across the US are chosen to play in the NFL. In recent years, there has been a lot of discussion about how the draft works and whether the process is fair. Now, a new rule requires a player to be on a roster for a minimum of four weeks before they can be cut and a minimum of eight weeks before a player can be traded. This new rule is a step in the right direction toward making the NFL a fairer league.
Until now, trades during the NFL Draft have always been one-sided, with only draft picks being exchangeable. However, a new market has emerged where teams can buy or sell draft picks after the draft.
The NFL Draft is a complex procedure with millions of dollars at stake. With millions of dollars at stake, millions of people are watching. Over the last few years, our team here at SB Nation has provided breakdowns of the prospects involved, as well as the decisions that go into the draft itself. So, what happens behind the scenes at the NFL Draft? Why do these players get picked? How does everything work?
The NFL Draft is different from most other sports. Unlike other sports, the NFL draft doesn’t have a set draft order; teams can trade draft picks and make trades for players before and after the draft takes place. It even considers the college and pro football experiences of players and adjusts their draft positions accordingly. For example, the Cardinals could trade up and select Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson fourth overall, even though Watson didn’t play 2017 for the Tigers.
The NFL Draft is much more than just a glorified job fair—it’s an important part of the planning for the NFL season. Not only do teams have to scout the players they will select, but they must also figure out which positions to fill and how best to fill them. That process starts the day before the draft when the teams hold private workouts for the players they are considering.
To understand the NFL Draft, you need to understand the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NFL and its players. A CBA is an agreement that sets out the rights and responsibilities of the NFL and its players. This agreement is updated every three years, with the most recent one in 2023. This updated CBA has many changes, with one of the most notable being the change in the age requirement for players.
The annual NFL Draft is often seen as an exercise in futility. The teams that end up with the number one overall pick are often the ones that had the worst records in the previous season, and the teams that select at the bottom of the first round are often the ones that performed the best in the previous season. The team that drafts the best player will always draw the best player for their position of need.
Some aspects of the NFL Draft are not secret, such as teams using “slate” picks to help them move up in the draft or trade down. However, there are also some lesser-known aspects, such as the NFL Draft being, in some ways, an entirely different animal compared to drafts in other sports, where the focus is not solely on player development.
The NFL Draft is a challenging business. The first round is an intense battle between two teams, with the loser being forced to draft the first player off the board. The later rounds are more of a numbers game, with the ultimate winner being determined by the team with the best record. The draft order is based on the previous season’s standings, and teams can switch positions during the season. The draft order is not finalized until the end of the season, which means that teams could end up with one or more high picks that they would not have.
