The Draft and Top Picks

[papillon]

The amount of guaranteed money being paid to players selected in the top 10 picks particularly QBs and OTs is at an all time high. Matthew Stafford was guaranteed 41 million by the Lions and, unfortunately, for the Lions there is no guarantee that he will ever perform at a level commensurate with his pay. And, with many teams not wanting to guarantee that much money it's almost impossible to trade out of a pick in the top 10. What would happen if a team did the following:

They go on the clock as the #1 pick and allow their 10 minutes to expire.
The #2 pick goes on the clock and makes its pick, the #1 pick continues to wait
The #3 pick goes on the clock and makes its pick, the #1 pick continues to wait

This continues until about the 11th or 12th pick and finally, in between picks the #1 pick hands Goodell their selection.

First, is a team allowed to not make a selection at their designated pick?

Second, if they don't have to make a pick, what are the rules by which they can then make their pick?

Third, would this plan, in effect, have them paying #11 or #12 money for their selection?


This seems like a plausible plan, you don't give anything up, you don't pay 41 million guaranteed and you'll still get a quality football player. In essence, the team has traded down without trading down.

Pappy

[Northern_Blitz]

Re: The Draft and Top Picks

First, is a team allowed to not make a selection at their designated pick?

Yep. They just have to let the time expire and the next team can pick ahead of them (The Vikings did this a few years ago).

Second, if they don't have to make a pick, what are the rules by which they can then make their pick?

I think they can send up their envelope at any time. But if another team sends in their pick first, they get the pick.

Third, would this plan, in effect, have them paying #11 or #12 money for their selection?

I'm pretty sure that in the Viks case the agent was arguing that they had the Xth pick, so they should pay the player like the Xth pick, even though they were picked Yth. I think the negotiations would get crazy and agents and players would get pissed. Maybe not the way you want to run your organizaton.

[papillon]

Re: The Draft and Top Picks

First, is a team allowed to not make a selection at their designated pick?

Yep. They just have to let the time expire and the next team can pick ahead of them (The Vikings did this a few years ago).

Second, if they don't have to make a pick, what are the rules by which they can then make their pick?

I think they can send up their envelope at any time. But if another team sends in their pick first, they get the pick.

[quote:1i5z3to6]Third, would this plan, in effect, have them paying #11 or #12 money for their selection?

I'm pretty sure that in the Viks case the agent was arguing that they had the Xth pick, so they should pay the player like the Xth pick, even though they were picked Yth. I think the negotiations would get crazy and agents and players would get pissed. Maybe not the way you want to run your organizaton.[/quote:1i5z3to6]

I guess the NFL is a business for the players as long as the business works to their favor. As soon as the teams start behaving in a prudent fiscal manner then all of a sudden it isn't a business any longer and it becomes personal, eg Hampton

I'd do this in heartbeat, because, there isn't any one player that you're going to draft in the top ten worth the scratch you're going to have to pay him at that position in the draft. Of course, the Mannings, Elways, Roethlisberger (although he was 11th) do come along and in the long run may have been worth the initial scratch, but more often than not Tony Mandarich happens.

Pappy
Pappy