Getting Round The Draft ?

[PaulThePat]

Was just wondering if a player was absolutely hell bent on signing for a specific team he could somehow dodge the draft ? For example if the No 1 pick wanted to sign for the Patriots could he refuse to enter the draft and somehow end up at his chosen team as an undrafted player ?

Looking on wiki I found a story about Bernie Kosar and Cleveland using the The 1985 Supplemental Draft as a way of getting where he wanted. Is this still possible ? Are there other more devious ways a player could avoid the draft and hand pick their destination ?

 

[dryheat44]

No player is forced to sign a contract. If a team drafts him and he refuses to sign, the team can either trade him to where he wants to go (Eli) or the player goes into the draft the following season. If the same scenario plays out the next season, the player becomes a free agent.

Of course, by then he hasn't played football in two years, and has a well-earned reputation as a prima donna.

 

[BelichickFan]

The Supplemental Draft features a lottery so the player could try, I guess, (although Kosar was different because he'd graduated) but the team he wants to go to would have to get in position to make the pick. If the player would go #1 in the regular draft he'd certainly be wanted by all teams in the Supplemental Draft.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

the easiest way is to be a prima donna and pull an Eli Manning or John Elway on draft day,

say "I won't play for them" and if you are good enough and if you really mean it, they will trade your rights to the team that you want and that wants you, if the price can be settled on.

 

[sebman2112]

Or, during the draft process you could tell other teams "I'm not going to play for you", or "I'm getting drafted by someone else". I'm sure it wouldn't win you any points with those teams, and you might accomplish your goal of player for your team of choice. Deion Sanders will jokingly tell you that he blew some teams off when he found out they were picking toward the back end of the first round, because he knew he was getting drafted before their picks, lol.


It was rumored that during combine interviews Chad Jackson had told some teams that NE was going to draft him, and he didn't show much interest in those other teams. That, might explain why he slipped to them in the second round. That rumor could also be false, and I doubt we'll ever actually know.

 

[jeffbiologist]

Dont they have a blind bid now for the supplemental draft? Thats when every team puts the rd of the draft pick they are willing to give up for a guy in a hat...the highest pick gets the player and then has to give up that rd draft pick in the next years draft. I think they changed it because of Kosar....they dont like to lose, I think thats why they call it a draft to begin with. And I dont know how CJ knew we were going to draft him because we passed on him the first go around then traded up in the 2nd for him. He better show something this year, we lost not 1 but 2 draft picks for this guy......

 

[sebman2112]

Dont they have a blind bid now for the supplemental draft? Thats when every team puts the rd of the draft pick they are willing to give up for a guy in a hat...the highest pick gets the player and then has to give up that rd draft pick in the next years draft. I think they changed it because of Kosar....they dont like to lose, I think thats why they call it a draft to begin with. And I dont know how CJ knew we were going to draft him because we passed on him the first go around then traded up in the 2nd for him. He better show something this year, we lost not 1 but 2 draft picks for this guy......

He had two meetings with the Patriots, and BB in person. BB really liked him, and the Patriots almost drafted him in the first round, but grabbed Maroney instead. The fact that they spent a 2nd and 3rd to select him speaks to their interest level. Also, his slipping in the draft might suggest that rumor was true? Remember he was projected as going somewhere in the 14-21 overall range, and ended up going 36th overall. A player telling other teams he's getting selected by someone else might cool their interest.

It was just a rumor anyways, so we'll never actually know. It was published on one of those rumor sites (believe it was PFT), and the source was supposedly the HC of another NFL team, who was pissed because CJ blew him off during their meeting, and wasted his time.