NFL Draft To be Moved To Late February In Future?

[Joemailman]

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/NFL+Features/2009/holbrook032209.htm

One topic of the owners meetings will be the possibility of moving the draft to late February. The idea behind it is that some believe that free agency should come after the draft.

[Gunakor]

Re: NFL Draft To be Moved To Late February In Future?

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW...rook032209.htm

One topic of the owners meetings will be the possibility of moving the draft to late February. The idea behind it is that some believe that free agency should come after the draft.

Count me as one who supports this move. You don't know how the draft is going to play out ahead of time, so it makes sense that you'd wait until after the draft to fill the holes you were unable to fill. It just makes sense, especially considering how much money is spent during the FA spree.

[PackerPro42]

I'm fine with it staying in April. As far as I'm concerned it gives people more time to evaluate the players and it enables more players to make a name for themselves.

[Fritz]

Move it to Mid-March. Have Free Agency after.

[Joemailman]

Mid-March signs about right. Late February would come awful quick for the teams that make it to the Super Bowl.

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

Nah, I like free agency before the draft. I wouldn't mind if they made the draft to early April however.

[Tarlam!]

I love the plan, personally. I believe drafting before FA will reduce the price tag and leverage of mid tier FA's.

Couple the new draft schedule with a rookie salary cap and the parity that makes the league so attractive (at least to me) is taken further.

Way to go Goodell for taking a pay hit. He might be a terrible commish, but that was an honorable move.

[Lurker64]

I think this is likely posturing by the NFL in anticipation for the upcoming CBA discussions. The NFLPA does not want the draft to precede free agency, for the precise reason Tarlam illustrated: it gives mid-tier FAs less leverage, and hence less money. So the NFL floats the idea of moving the draft up before free agency so they have something to give up as a concession during CBA talks.

Personally, I like the idea, but I don't see it happening.

[sheepshead]

The most overrated event in sports-who cares when it is.

[SnakeLH2006]

The most overrated event in sports-who cares when it is.

<<Snake almost dies.

C'mon man...I love the draft...Kiper's a botch ass, yet love seeing those college highlights of who we are getting.

Snake does not support this move though, as all that does is make the NFL salaries more fucked up. If the draft is over, then NFL teams go ape-shit to "plug the holes" and further escalate the NFL salaries at EVERY position. Thank god we have a cap for one more year, else we'll be the Brewers.

[DonHutson]

I'd say they can move the draft to February AFTER the install a meaningful rookie salary cap. They complain about all the money that the high draft picks get, but they want to give themselves LESS time to evaluate them?

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

The most overrated event in sports-who cares when it is.

Then you really don't care how the team is built.