NFL, NFLPA working to push draft back, start year earlier

[ctpatsfan77]

NFL close to shifting draft to May -- sources - ESPN

Basic upthrust:

(1) FA will start BEFORE the combine, not after.
(2) The draft will likely be in May in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

 

[Patsrock]

From what I understand they only need to work the NFLPA on the league year start date. They can change the date of the draft to what ever they want without permission.

 

[patsinthesnow]

An earlier free agency and a draft after exams? Sign me up!

 

[Brady2Moss]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[Jimke]

The next NFL idea will be to have round one in May, rounds two and three in
June, and rounds four thru seven in July.

 

[signbabybrady]

not a big fan of either. I think the month off after the season before free agency is good and the quicker we get that over with the longer the offseason will feel.

And I dont want to wait until may for the Draft nor do I think it is good for rookie developement to have less time with the playbook.

What are the benefits of either change? (the article suggests the players will get to find their new homes quicker and I guess that is a valid benefit that far outweighs pacing the offseason).

 

[captain stone]

Not a fan of either switch.
I prefer the Combine before free agency, because the FO gets a chance to see most of the prospects
up-close & personal before it decides which positions to target during free agency that it might not
be able to fill during the draft.
And leave the draft where it is, right in the middle between the end of the POs and the start of TC.

 

[PatsFanStnfrd]

So transparent the NFL is trying to hog the entire offseason with events. There is such a thing as OVERLOAD. Too much of a good thing.

 

[Joker]

I wouldn't have said that ten years ago...after what I witnessed THIS season and what I saw transpire in the playoffs, what with the penalties being shunned and a ref crew that graded out at the bottom suddenly being regraded and given the Super Bowl..I AM wondering what is really going on here...have we seen the last of what was once sport as entertainment?...it sure seems that way with all the bells and whistles, the media going twitter insane, the ad revenues through the roof, teams openly trademarking "Harbaugh Bowl" in February for a possible matchup in a year...seems like a Vince McMahon character at the helm of the NFL...I hope not...that would be a sad day for all long time die hard football fans everywhere.

 

[Triumph]

The April draft is a long enough wait as it is.

Goodell is ruining the NFL with his constant tinkering.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Poor title for the thread

Pushing the draft 'Ahead' as in ahead one month seems more appropriate

 

[Huckleberry1]

I hate the idea of moving the Draft back any farther than it already is. The sooner these guys are signed and learning the systems the better imo.

 

[mgteich]

Yup. So the start date change won't be effective until 2015, presuming the NFLPA approves, which they will. After all, many bonuses are paid when the league starts or shortly thereafter.

From what I understand they only need to work the NFLPA on the league year start date. They can change the date of the draft to what ever they want without permission.

 

[mgteich]

I disagree. I don't like the wait for free agency to start.

FREE AGENTS

It is free agency that meets almost all of the needs for the current season. Free agency should start as soon as possible. This way, there will be there first wave of free agents, and negotiation through the time of the combine, and a second wave of free agents singing before the draft.

Most teams don't need to know what rookie might be available to choose their free agents.

Personally, I want the FREE AGENTS on board as soon as possible so that they can learn the playbook and participate in informal meetings and practices (as Amendola did).

ROOKIES

The combine needs to be delayed because of the college playoff series and insufficient time to prepare. Way, way to many players are now skipping the combine. If it stays where it is, even more will skip in the future.

Moving the draft is more minor thing. There is no change in the number of practices. The only thing that changes is the time between OTA's and camp. The rookies won't get to study their playbooks for as long. I don't think that the extra 3 weeks of study means much. The CBA changes in practices and subsequent changes in practices last year were more harmful to rookie development.

BOTTOM LINE

I always err on the side of helping the veterans, our current stars, rather than our stars of the future. I suspect that the NFLPA agrees.

Not a fan of either switch.

I prefer the Combine before free agency, because the FO gets a chance to see most of the prospects up-close & personal before it decides which positions to target during free agency that it might not be able to fill during the draft.

And leave the draft where it is, right in the middle between the end of the POs and the start of TC.

 

[captain insano]

they just cant leave well enough alone the greedy pricks. all nfl teams are in the black making boat loads of money and still that isn't enough. they must keep messing with it anyway they can. they will keep trying to find ways to screw it up. LEAVE IT ALONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

 

[captain stone]

I disagree. I don't like the wait for free agency to start.

FREE AGENTS

It is free agency that meets almost all of the needs for the current season. Free agency should start as soon as possible. This way, there will be there first wave of free agents, and negotiation through the time of the combine, and a second wave of free agents singing before the draft.

Most teams don't need to know what rookie might be available to choose their free agents.

Personally, I want the FREE AGENTS on board as soon as possible so that they can learn the playbook and participate in informal meetings and practices (as Amendola did).

ROOKIES

The combine needs to be delayed because of the college playoff series and insufficient time to prepare. Way, way to many players are now skipping the combine. If it stays where it is, even more will skip in the future.

Moving the draft is more minor thing. There is no change in the number of practices. The only thing that changes is the time between OTA's and camp. The rookies won't get to study their playbooks for as long. I don't think that the extra 3 weeks of study means much. The CBA changes in practices and subsequent changes in practices last year were more harmful to rookie development.

BOTTOM LINE

I always err on the side of helping the veterans, our current stars, rather than our stars of the future. I suspect that the NFLPA agrees.

The downside to having an earlier free agency start date is that teams like the Pats (I hope)
who finish their seasons in late January/early Febuary will not have done as much research
into the free agent marketplace as the non-playoff teams will have done.

Have the league year begin March 1st, and have the draft the weekend before the Kentucky Derby,
and be done with it. It's that simple.

 

[Ian]

Breer on NFL Draft Dates for 2014

According to Albert Breer the league is apparently considering May 8-10 & 15-17 for next year's NFL Draft. The decision will reportedly made by the end of this month.

https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/337374479330209792

 

[jmt57]

Re: Breer on NFL Draft Dates for 2014

The NFL has done an incredible job in making the league and sport something that can be followed year round. I have been reading rumors for a while now that they might want to spread out the draft and/or free agency.

From a business perspective that makes sense, since fans and the media still pay plenty of attention during the time period immediately following the Super Bowl: free agency, the combine, and the draft.

Pushing at least one of those events further out into the calendar year makes sense from the corporate side, since the deadest part of the year is the period of time from rookie mini-camp until the start of training camp. OTAs are nice, but since they are closed to the public and the media, there's really not as much access as we fans would like to have and hear about.

I can't see free agency being pushed back; once the season is over, how can you rationally keep a player under contract? That leaves the combine and draft to be pushed back, which makes a whole lot more sense.

One possible side benefit, and perhaps reason/excuse to make this change: the current rule that prevents players who have been drafted from practicing with the team that drafted them until their class graduates could become moot.