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New NFL draft format adds drama
AP
Packers director of college scouting John Dorsey, left, coach Mike McCarthy, center, and general manager Ted Thompson look over their pick sheets during last year’s NFL draft.
More value given to second-round picks
By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel
View All Blog PostsOrlando, Fla. — The National Football League is trying to create more interest in the draft by going to a different format.
It appears to have succeeded.
General managers and coaches are extremely curious to see how stretching the draft out to three days affects the dynamics, particularly through the first two rounds.
Under the new format, the first round will be held Thursday night, April 22. The second and third rounds will be held Friday night, April 23. And the final four rounds will be held during the day Saturday, April 24.
"It'll be different," New England coach Bill Belichick said. "It'll be interesting to see the way that all works."
Before 1988, the draft was held over two weekdays. In 1995, it became a weekend event with the first two rounds on Saturday starting in the morning and the final four rounds on Sunday. In 2008, in a concession to the growing popularity of the event, the NFL moved the Saturday start time back three hours so the first round would spread into prime time.
Now with two nights of prime-time coverage, the NFL is hoping to increase its viewership and create more opportunities for individual clubs to host draft parties for their fans.
"We look at it as a great opportunity," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "The idea of being able to take it from a Saturday afternoon start to starting it on prime time on April 22, Thursday night, we think is just going to expose it to a much broader audience. We've got a lot of marketing and entertaining ideas that I think we are going to implement over those three days."
For those who actually take part in the draft, the dynamics have changed because there is now a break between the first and second rounds. Teams always have valued high picks on the second day of the draft because they have time to re-evaluate their draft boards overnight and take stock of players they thought might not be there.
There used to be three rounds on the first day, which made high fourth-round picks very valuable. When the league went to two rounds the first day, it made high third-round picks more attractive.
Now, with just one round on the first day, everyone will have a chance to sit back, review their boards and then decide what they're going to do when it's their turn in the second round the next day.
"It certainly changes your routine and I'm a person of routine," Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. "It's been changed a little bit the last couple of years, so we'll change with it and go about our business.
"The first pick in each of the days are always valuable a little bit more because after the dust rises, there's normally a player where you say, 'Why is he still up there?' It becomes something of value."
Belichick, who has three picks in the second round, couldn't ask for a better time for the format to change. When the first day is complete, the Patriots will be preparing to select 12th, 15th and 21st in the second round. That is, if they don't use those picks to trade up into the first round or for first-round picks in future drafts.
Once the first round is over, Belichick will have roughly 16 hours to re-evaluate his board and work the phones to see if there is interest in his picks.
"I kind of think the second round will now be like the first round," Belichick said. "Take those 32 players out of there, whoever they are, now you're starting all over again for that second round. And I can see it being approached more as that first round.
"In the past, you kind of rolled into that round. Now, to actually stop and have the whole night to sit there and think about it and talk to other teams and develop a new strategy . . . it's a different dynamic."
Belichick said that after the first day, he'll reset his draft board. He'll remove some names based on whom he took in the first round and then assess the talent from top to bottom. He'll also assess how much he's being offered for those second-round picks.
"You have three picks out of 32, that changes it a little bit, too," he said. "I'm sure there will be some interest in those picks. I can't imagine (otherwise), because that's usually the way it is when you have multiple picks after the draft just stopped at a point and you've restarted, whether that be at the third round or fourth round in previous years. Those were pretty active rounds in terms of trades and movement."
For Thompson, having the 23rd pick in the first round means there might be more value in trading down, especially if there isn't a player who fits a need. Though he says he picks based on talent and not need, it's not out of character for him to move back and take a player who can help him in a need area.
Thompson figures there will be a lot of teams using the time between rounds to go after specific draft positions in order to get the players they want.
"I think there will be," he said of movement. "There will be more time. People will be more anxious, 'Oh my gosh,' as opposed to just getting through it."
As a whole, most of the coaches see the 2010 draft as one of the better ones in recent history. Several said there is a lot of depth, which means the runs on certain positions will last longer than usual.
"If you take certain positions, if you take defensive end, maybe in years past, you felt there were a couple defensive ends that were top quality," Philadelphia coach Andy Reid said. "This year you might have 10 who are going to have an opportunity to play.
"They might not all be top quality, but there isn't that huge drop-off that there's been in other years. You can get a good player from 24 to 36." All of which should make the first three rounds very interesting.
"I'd love to have that first pick of the second day," Reid said. "You can sleep on it, re-gather your thoughts, which you normally don't get to do."
AP
Packers director of college scouting John Dorsey, left, coach Mike McCarthy, center, and general manager Ted Thompson look over their pick sheets during last year’s NFL draft.
More value given to second-round picks
By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel
View All Blog PostsOrlando, Fla. — The National Football League is trying to create more interest in the draft by going to a different format.
It appears to have succeeded.
General managers and coaches are extremely curious to see how stretching the draft out to three days affects the dynamics, particularly through the first two rounds.
Under the new format, the first round will be held Thursday night, April 22. The second and third rounds will be held Friday night, April 23. And the final four rounds will be held during the day Saturday, April 24.
"It'll be different," New England coach Bill Belichick said. "It'll be interesting to see the way that all works."
Before 1988, the draft was held over two weekdays. In 1995, it became a weekend event with the first two rounds on Saturday starting in the morning and the final four rounds on Sunday. In 2008, in a concession to the growing popularity of the event, the NFL moved the Saturday start time back three hours so the first round would spread into prime time.
Now with two nights of prime-time coverage, the NFL is hoping to increase its viewership and create more opportunities for individual clubs to host draft parties for their fans.
"We look at it as a great opportunity," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "The idea of being able to take it from a Saturday afternoon start to starting it on prime time on April 22, Thursday night, we think is just going to expose it to a much broader audience. We've got a lot of marketing and entertaining ideas that I think we are going to implement over those three days."
For those who actually take part in the draft, the dynamics have changed because there is now a break between the first and second rounds. Teams always have valued high picks on the second day of the draft because they have time to re-evaluate their draft boards overnight and take stock of players they thought might not be there.
There used to be three rounds on the first day, which made high fourth-round picks very valuable. When the league went to two rounds the first day, it made high third-round picks more attractive.
Now, with just one round on the first day, everyone will have a chance to sit back, review their boards and then decide what they're going to do when it's their turn in the second round the next day.
"It certainly changes your routine and I'm a person of routine," Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. "It's been changed a little bit the last couple of years, so we'll change with it and go about our business.
"The first pick in each of the days are always valuable a little bit more because after the dust rises, there's normally a player where you say, 'Why is he still up there?' It becomes something of value."
Belichick, who has three picks in the second round, couldn't ask for a better time for the format to change. When the first day is complete, the Patriots will be preparing to select 12th, 15th and 21st in the second round. That is, if they don't use those picks to trade up into the first round or for first-round picks in future drafts.
Once the first round is over, Belichick will have roughly 16 hours to re-evaluate his board and work the phones to see if there is interest in his picks.
"I kind of think the second round will now be like the first round," Belichick said. "Take those 32 players out of there, whoever they are, now you're starting all over again for that second round. And I can see it being approached more as that first round.
"In the past, you kind of rolled into that round. Now, to actually stop and have the whole night to sit there and think about it and talk to other teams and develop a new strategy . . . it's a different dynamic."
Belichick said that after the first day, he'll reset his draft board. He'll remove some names based on whom he took in the first round and then assess the talent from top to bottom. He'll also assess how much he's being offered for those second-round picks.
"You have three picks out of 32, that changes it a little bit, too," he said. "I'm sure there will be some interest in those picks. I can't imagine (otherwise), because that's usually the way it is when you have multiple picks after the draft just stopped at a point and you've restarted, whether that be at the third round or fourth round in previous years. Those were pretty active rounds in terms of trades and movement."
For Thompson, having the 23rd pick in the first round means there might be more value in trading down, especially if there isn't a player who fits a need. Though he says he picks based on talent and not need, it's not out of character for him to move back and take a player who can help him in a need area.
Thompson figures there will be a lot of teams using the time between rounds to go after specific draft positions in order to get the players they want.
"I think there will be," he said of movement. "There will be more time. People will be more anxious, 'Oh my gosh,' as opposed to just getting through it."
As a whole, most of the coaches see the 2010 draft as one of the better ones in recent history. Several said there is a lot of depth, which means the runs on certain positions will last longer than usual.
"If you take certain positions, if you take defensive end, maybe in years past, you felt there were a couple defensive ends that were top quality," Philadelphia coach Andy Reid said. "This year you might have 10 who are going to have an opportunity to play.
"They might not all be top quality, but there isn't that huge drop-off that there's been in other years. You can get a good player from 24 to 36." All of which should make the first three rounds very interesting.
"I'd love to have that first pick of the second day," Reid said. "You can sleep on it, re-gather your thoughts, which you normally don't get to do."
