THE NFL draft is more than just hearing college players’ names being called. I want to provide a deeper explanation on how the NFL draft works. In the NFL, there are a total of 32 teams and 7 rounds in the draft. So in total, there will be 253 players selected.
In one round there are a total of 32 selections. Draft spots depends on the win-loss record the team had that season. So the teams with the worst season get the early picks, while the teams who had a better record receive the later picks in the round.
Even though teams’ picks depends on win-loss ratio, it goes differently for the teams who made the playoffs. Picks 20-32 are teams who made the playoffs, and order depends on how far they made it on the playoffs.
The picks are placed in order based on which team lost first in the playoffs. For example, the Kansas City Chiefs were the first team to lose in the playoffs, so they will receive the 20th pick in the draft round. The Los Angeles Rams were the 2nd team to lose in the playoffs, so they will receive the 21st pick in draft round.
Since the Philadelphia Eagles won the super bowl this year, they will receive the 32nd pick in the draft round. Teams are able to trade draft spots if they choose to do so. They are able to trade spots for players or other draft spots. It all depends on what the teams can come to an agreement on.
The NFL draft is for acquiring new, young talent that can come in and improve the team. For the Cleveland Browns, they are in rebuilding mode, hoping to improve from their disappointing 0-16 season. For the Philadelphia Eagles, they are looking to reload and hoping to go back to the SuperBowl for the 2nd consecutive season.
When selecting players in the draft, teams have a certain time limits to make their pick. In the first round, teams have 10 minutes to make their selection. In the 2nd round, teams have 7 minutes to make their selection. In rounds 3-6, teams have 5 minutes and the 4 minutes for the 7th round.
In the amount of time given, teams are able to decide what players they would like to select or to see if they would like to make a trade with another team. If a team does not make a selection within the given time frame, the team that is after them can make their selection. The team that missed its turn can submit their selection after their time is up.
The way teams evaluate prospect is by watching film on the players to dissect their skills on the field. About 300+ players are invited to the NFL combine in Indianapolis in the football stadium of the Indianapolis Colts. The players are put through workouts to further evaluate their skill and athletic level.
The workouts every player goes through (unless they opt out of them) are the 40 yard dash, bench press, broad jump, vertical jump, and 3-cone drill. The 40 yard dash is mainly to see how fast a player can run 40 yards. The bench press is to test strength and see how many repetitions the players can do. The broad jump is to see how far players can jump.
The vertical jump is to evaluate how high the player can jump, and the 3-cone drill to see how fast the player can change direction. Players also do other workouts based on the position they play on the field.
After the NFL combine, players get a scheduled pro day. A pro day is basically the combine again, but it is performed at the football stadium from which the college they are from.
Players’ draft stock can drastically rise or fall based on their performance at the combine and their pro days. After the pro days and the combine, players are able to meet with teams to have private workouts and interviews. This is the time where teams can have one on one interaction with the players to further evaluate them.
The NFL draft is where legends and future Hall of Famers will be drafted and be able to make their mark in NFL history.
