Are you new to the NFL and are wondering how the draft works? Perhaps you are looking for the Best NFL fantasy picks and are not sure who to choose? Or maybe you are curious and want to know more? Whatever your reason might be, we have the answers for you!
We know how confusing the NFL draft can be, especially for beginners. Before you know it, you can find yourself confused and overwhelmed, unsure where to turn or who to trust. It can send your mind into overdrive, making it hard to sleep or think straight.
Well, no more! To help you get your sleep in hand, we are here to explain how the NFL draft works. Keep reading for a beginner’s introduction to the NFL draft and find out all you need to know!
NFL draft for beginners – How it works
Let’s get straight into it! Held in April, the NFL draft provides an opportunity for teams to improve their rosters. They can add college players considered some of the most talented in the world through this two-day event. Thirty-two teams will take their turn selecting these players, drafting them into the NFL. This is one of three ways that NFL teams can develop their player rosters.
So let’s take a look at how the drafting event works.
To start, the event is televised, allowing anyone to tune in and watch the event unfold. Tickets are available for fans, but these are given out on a first-come basis roughly a week before the event, and you get one ticket offering you admission for both days.
The draft is made up of seven rounds split over the weekend. There are 32 picks in each round, allowing each NFL team to pick once per round. Some teams might not even pick in a round, with picks per team varying. Draft picks can be traded to other teams, and the NFL can also award additional picks to a team should they lose players.
Teams can choose between free agents, players with expired contracts ready to sign with other teams, or restricted free agents who can join another team, but their current team can also match any offers they receive.
Once the game clock at the Super Bowl expires, a new clock starts ticking down to the first player selected at the draft. If a team is on the click, it means it has the next selection in the draft. The team will get a set amount of time to make their selection.
In the first round, teams have fifteen minutes to choose. This drops to ten minutes for the second round and just five minutes for the remaining rounds. If a team doesn’t decide at that time, then the next team can pick before them. Those that missed their turn can submit a selection at any point after their time is up. You can imagine how thrilling this is to watch!
So how is a team’s draft position selected? It is a reverse correlation with their field success in the previous year. So a team with the worst record will pick first, and the Super Bowl champion will choose last. Unless a team chooses to trade their picks, this is the default position for them.
The remaining teams are organized based on their success, with tiebreakers for those that require them.
Teams start considering who they want to pick and assessing players’ skills months, if not years before the drafting weekend. Scouts, coaches, and managers will compare statistics and notes of hundreds of players before making their decisions.
They will have lists of desired players and alternatives to be guaranteed to add new players to their rosters by the end of the weekend. Teams can draft anyone they want, providing they are on the drafting list. The eligibility for this and cut of date varies depending on the age and level of the player too. You can expect a mixture to choose from and lots of excitement from all teams!
Final word
And there you have it, a brief introduction to the NFL draft. We hope you found it helpful for beginners and that the draft process seems less confusing for you. Whether you are hoping to watch your team bag some new players or make bets and choose your new fantasy players, you are sure to have lots of fun and enjoy watching the weekend unfold.
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