| With the NFL draft in April, now seems like a | | | | pay them. On the flip side, trading up can help you |
| great time to help bring the uninformed up to | | | | obtain a coveted player that might be impossible |
| date on how this process works. The NFL draft is | | | | to gain from your current position. |
| situated halfway between the Super Bowl and the | | | | The draft itself is actually spread out over three |
| beginning of training camp for the players in July. | | | | days, making for a lengthy process. The first |
| The draft serves as the attempt at redistributing | | | | night includes the first round of the draft while the |
| the wealth in the NFL, by giving the weaker | | | | second night does the second and third rounds of |
| teams the chance to pick the best new talent to | | | | the draft. The final day covers the remaining four |
| hopefully make their drive to top the NFL. | | | | rounds of the draft. In addition to spreading out |
| However, this process can be very complicated. | | | | the drafting, each of the days offers different |
| The NFL draft on paper is fairly straightforward. | | | | lengths between picks. The first day allows teams |
| Teams are ordered from worst to best based | | | | fifteen minutes to decide, while the second day |
| upon their performance the year prior. The teams | | | | reduces this period to ten minutes and the third |
| then pick for seven rounds in this manner, with a | | | | day, to five. |
| few picks sprinkled throughout rounds three | | | | Within the draft, you also don't see the same |
| through seven that change this called | | | | amount of young players pulled up like you see in |
| compensatory picks. These picks are given to | | | | Basketball. The reason for this rarity is that the |
| teams that lost more players to free agency than | | | | NFL bars athletes from entering the draft unless |
| they gained. While the draft starts with this order | | | | there have been three football seasons since that |
| in mind, it rarely maintains this simplicity. The | | | | player graduated from high school. Still, because of |
| reason for this is that many teams will trade their | | | | the time period specified within this rule, there are |
| draft picks, or forfeit them to other teams when | | | | some sophomores and juniors who enter the |
| they pick up free agents. As a result of these | | | | draft on occasion. The 2010 draft has a large |
| maneuvers, you will see some years in which | | | | number, at 54, entering the draft as |
| specific teams will have very few picks in the | | | | underclassmen due to worries that rookie pay |
| draft, while others will seem to appear over and | | | | scales might be imposed in later seasons due to |
| over again. | | | | arguments between the players and owners. |
| On the day of the draft, teams might attempt to | | | | Overall, the NFL draft is an exciting process that |
| trade up or down the draft order if there is a | | | | helps keep people talking about the football |
| specific player they are fighting for. There are | | | | season, even when it's not going on. As the draft |
| many benefits to undergoing these trades. First, if | | | | comes and goes, prepare for tons of speculation |
| you are ranked near the top, trading down will | | | | as to which teams will come out on top in the |
| help you pay players less because the higher a | | | | next year of football. |
| player is picked, the more money you will have to | | | | |
