Quick Draft Question!

[Cowboy4ever]

Do all college players that want to play in the NFL have to enter the draft?

If they do, is this a rule or a tradition? For Example,, If a college player didn't want to get drafted High,, thus going to a bad team, can he skip the draft and just try out for other teams as a free agent?

 

[DipChit]

Yeah.. but the rule states he has to wait til 45 years of age to do it.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Do all college players that want to play in the NFL have to enter the draft?

If they do, is this a rule or a tradition? For Example,, If a college player didn't want to get drafted High,, thus going to a bad team, can he skip the draft and just try out for other teams as a free agent?

Yes, but would you do this?

 

[Doomsday101]

Do all college players that want to play in the NFL have to enter the draft?

If they do, is this a rule or a tradition? For Example,, If a college player didn't want to get drafted High,, thus going to a bad team, can he skip the draft and just try out for other teams as a free agent?

I don't think so, you have to declare for the draft ahead of time or go in the supplimental draft.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Do all college players that want to play in the NFL have to enter the draft?

If they do, is this a rule or a tradition? For Example,, If a college player didn't want to get drafted High,, thus going to a bad team, can he skip the draft and just try out for other teams as a free agent?

If a college player was in the draft and than decided that he did not want to play for a team, because they were bad or whatever reason, he could just hold out signing a contract (if he was not traded by the team that held his rights after drafting him).

He could refuse to sign the contract and after a period of time the team who drafted him would lose the rights to him...HOWEVER he would have to wait until the next years draft. At that time he would be re-entered into the draft.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

Don't forget the negative impact of your tool set will decline not to mention the bank account.

 

[Cowboy4ever]

If a college player was in the draft and than decided that he did not want to play for a team, because they were bad or whatever reason, he could just hold out signing a contract (if he was not traded by the team that held his rights after drafting him).

He could refuse to sign the contract and after a period of time the team who drafted him would lose the rights to him...HOWEVER he would have to wait until the next years draft. At that time he would be re-entered into the draft.

Thanks, The reason I asked was, A friend of mine and I were talking and he brought up tyson. As he understood it, tyson was a "walk on player" in the nfl.. compared to Romo who was an undrafted player.. was tyson in the draft.. and if Tyson can play in the NFL without going the draft route, why don't other players that want to go to better teams do the same.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I think what the poster is asking is, Do players have to enter the draft or can they not declare to the NFL and sign as FAs to any team they want. I think the answer is yes. They can elect not to declare elligable for the draft and go try and sign an FA contract. I'm not 100% certain of this but I think it's theoretically possible. I don't know why you would want to do this but I think it might be possible.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Thanks, The reason I asked was, A friend of mine and I were talking and he brought up tyson. As he understood it, tyson was a "walk on player" in the nfl.. compared to Romo who was an undrafted player.. was tyson in the draft.. and if Tyson can play in the NFL without going the draft route, why don't other players that want to go to better teams do the same.

Walk ons have no guaranted contract. No sloted slary. Lets say your a 7th round pick. In that situation, it might be better to be undrafted. But, lets say your a second round pick, then the team has investment in you. It's harder to cut you. You get more development time because of the draft status and the salary investment. Just better to go that route. If your good enough to make it as a walk on, then your probably going to get that opportunity as a drafted player anyway. Lets say you don't make the roster of the team that drafts you. You'll probably get cut and then you have experience, a bit of money in your pocket and basically the same opportunity to walk on as an FA. Just makes much more sense to get drafted if your a decent prospect IMO.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Do all college players that want to play in the NFL have to enter the draft?

If they do, is this a rule or a tradition? For Example,, If a college player didn't want to get drafted High,, thus going to a bad team, can he skip the draft and just try out for other teams as a free agent?

Undrafted = league minimum pay.
Drafted first in the draft = at least 10 million in guaranteed money.

 

[Cowboy4ever]

Walk ons have no guaranted contract. No sloted slary. Lets say your a 7th round pick. In that situation, it might be better to be undrafted. But, lets say your a second round pick, then the team has investment in you. It's harder to cut you. You get more development time because of the draft status and the salary investment. Just better to go that route. If your good enough to make it as a walk on, then your probably going to get that opportunity as a drafted player anyway. Lets say you don't make the roster of the team that drafts you. You'll probably get cut and then you have experience, a bit of money in your pocket and basically the same opportunity to walk on as an FA. Just makes much more sense to get drafted if your a decent prospect IMO.

I agree with you. But it was an interesting point of conversation. If it is not a rule.. that every player must enter the draft.. then what is keeping someone like Danny boi from cutting under the table deals on prospects he wants.. esp giving the lack of picks they have. I could see someone like him.. talking to a college players agent and saying.. if your client wasn't to get drafted, wink wink, I would give him the same deal I would a 2 rd pick.. etc..

 

[Doomsday101]

I agree with you. But it was an interesting point of conversation. If it is not a rule.. that every player must enter the draft.. then what is keeping someone like Danny boi from cutting under the table deals on prospects he wants.. esp giving the lack of picks they have. I could see someone like him.. talking to a college players agent and saying.. if your client wasn't to get drafted, wink wink, I would give him the same deal I would a 2 rd pick.. etc..

I think the NFL has a way to prevent this from taking place. They are not going to allow guys to bypass the process.

 

[DipChit]

I think what the poster is asking is, Do players have to enter the draft or can they not declare to the NFL and sign as FAs to any team they want. I think the answer is yes. They can elect not to declare elligable for the draft and go try and sign an FA contract. I'm not 100% certain of this but I think it's theoretically possible. I don't know why you would want to do this but I think it might be possible.

Why wouldnt the blue-chippers want to do that? You know how teams like having the number 1 pick overall. So if you're that guy you could just get teams in bidding wars to have you and you could pick your best fit... or avoid teams you thought were hopeless. And the teams would like it because they dont have to give up any draft picks to otherwise move up to get the rights to that guy.

If Reggie Bush were on the open market you dont think he'd get just as much money as he happened to get just because he was drafted where he was?

Now if you're talking only about marginal players in the first place indeed they might just as well be beter off to not be drafted in the 6th or 7th round and wait til the phone rings from a few different teams wanting to bring them in for a look.. they could pick what they might think is the best fit.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Why wouldnt the blue-chippers want to do that? You know how teams like having the number 1 pick overall. So if you're that guy you could just get teams in bidding wars to have you and you could pick your best fit... or avoid teams you thought were hopeless. And the teams would like it because they dont have to give up any draft picks to otherwise move up to get the rights to that guy.

If Reggie Bush were on the open market you dont think he'd get just as much money as he happened to get just because he was drafted where he was?

Now if you're talking only about marginal players in the first place indeed they might just as well be beter off to not be drafted in the 6th or 7th round and wait til the phone rings from a few different teams wanting to bring them in for a look.. they could pick what they might think is the best fit.

I think it's because teams will not pay undrafted players that way. There is no leverage to give him the same kind of money or contract. He may be a great player but he may also get hurt or not work out. You have to consider the cap. Teams just can't afford to run out and sign a Reggie Bush to extrodinary money because there still going to have to sign there own drafted players from the rookie pool. You can't thow out rediculous money to a walk on and still have enough to sign your own draft picks.

 

[DipChit]

I think it's because teams will not pay undrafted players that way. There is no leverage to give him the same kind of money or contract. He may be a great player but he may also get hurt or not work out. You have to consider the cap. Teams just can't afford to run out and sign a Reggie Bush to extrodinary money because there still going to have to sign there own drafted players from the rookie pool. You can't thow out rediculous money to a walk on and still have enough to sign your own draft picks.

Then why does the league even have a draft? Especially if they could save money, if undrafted players dont make as much.

Just let it be a free for all. Whether it's 2 teams or 10 teams that want a particular player let them just put their offers on the table and the kid goes where he wants.

If a team overpays thats their problem. If the the kid makes less than he otherwise might.. thats his problem.. he's not a proven NFL player anyway.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Then why does the league even have a draft? Especially if they could save money, if undrafted players dont make as much.

Just let it be a free for all. Whether it's 2 teams or 10 teams that want a particular player let them just put their offers on the table and the kid goes where he wants.

If a team overpays thats their problem. If the the kid makes less than he otherwise might.. thats his problem.. he's not a proven NFL player anyway.

Because it's a league and the league doesn't work that way. It's a collective. That's why you have revenue sharing and a commen draft. If you only have two or three teams buying all the decent players, the league will fail. All the owners know this and accept the draft process. As for the money, well, the players also have a union. That union says that in order for a team to select a player, you have to pay him x amount of dollars and you have to guarante his imployment for x years. It's in the best interest of all the players to have a draft process and a wage scale. Yeah, it might benifit the 10 or so great players year to year but you can't have a league with just 10 players. There is enough money to go around. Why tip the balance, from the players perspective, by killing the Goose that layes the Golden Eggs?

 

[Connection20]

Ok, you guys got this all wrong, a player CANNOT skip the NFL draft. Now, once he has declared for the draft, and did not get drafted, of course he is eligible to be signed as a street free agent. That is what happened to Tyson Thompson, he was draft eligibe, he declared I promise you, in fact I have a draft magazine in my bathroom with him in it. I remember they had a big thing about this one year on Outside the Lines or, The Sports Reporters right about draft time. So, no a player cannot conveniently sit out the draft period and then sign with whatever team he wants. If a player for whatever reason missses the draft and still wants to join the NFL, they have a supplemental draft, this is why guys like Ahmad Brooks, and Emanual Wright could not just go sign with any team they wanted after they were removed from thier respective teams after the draft was over.

 

[Angus]

No declaration is necessary unless the player is an underclassman. The first year a player is draft eligible they are draft eligible whether they want to be or not. But of course, they don't have to play football if they don't want to. Underclassmen are not draft eligible unless they declare for it or are no longer in school and have been four years out of high school, I believe.

 

[DipChit]

Because it's a league and the league doesn't work that way. It's a collective. That's why you have revenue sharing and a commen draft. If you only have two or three teams buying all the decent players, the league will fail. All the owners know this and accept the draft process. As for the money, well, the players also have a union. That union says that in order for a team to select a player, you have to pay him x amount of dollars and you have to guarante his imployment for x years. It's in the best interest of all the players to have a draft process and a wage scale. Yeah, it might benifit the 10 or so great players year to year but you can't have a league with just 10 players. There is enough money to go around. Why tip the balance, from the players perspective, by killing the Goose that layes the Golden Eggs?

Well thats the point. The draft is there for competitive reasons for the good of the league. Thats why guys cant skip it and sign with any team they choose even if they wanted to. While it wouldnt matter much anyway if all the marginal players did that (as evidenced by the fact the draft isnt as many rounds as it used to be), it would definitely matter if the top 20 prospects every year did that.

Obviously the NFL isnt merely relying on the fact that the players simply dont choose to do it that way.

 

[Connection20]

No declaration is necessary unless the player is an underclassman. The first year a player is draft eligible they are draft eligible whether they want to be or not. But of course, they don't have to play football if they don't want to. Underclassmen are not draft eligible unless they declare for it or are no longer in school and have been four years out of high school, I believe.

Yeah, forgot to mention that, there is no "declaring" as people, including myself like to say alot, unless your in a situation like Henson, or Clarrett, or Mike Williams and have been away from the sport for a number of years, you have to make your intentions known.