And with the first pick of the draft the (your favorite team
here) selects…
Draft day, a dream come true for most, and a nightmare for
others. Excitement, hope, worry, confusion and disappointment all rolled into
one event. The inductees of new talent presented to the league looking to prove
themselves worthy of playing alongside legends and future hall of famers.
Acquiring a new player through the draft is different in
every league. Whether it be the NFL, MLB, NBA, or even NHL, each draft has a specific
set of rules and guidelines that teams must adhere too.
In the NFL the team’s draft in reverse order of how they
finished the previous season while adhering to previous years trades and other
acquisitions. In similar fashion the MLB picks “worst to best” as well as being
awarded “compensatory” picks for free agents lost in the off season.
The NBA and the NHL are very similar in the way the draft
order is picked, but is still a little different from both the NFL and MLB in
where teams who missed the playoffs in the previous season, or teams who hold
the draft rights of another team that missed the playoffs in the previous
season, participate in a lottery process to determine the draft order. Teams in
the NBA obtain the rights to amateur U.S. college, and other eligible
basketball players, including international players during the draft. Where in
the NHL any hockey player under the age of 20 is eligible to be drafted by a
team. The term “Lottery pick” denotes a draft pick whose position is determined
through the lottery, while the non-playoff teams involved in the process are
often called “lottery teams”. The lottery is weighted so that the team with the
worst record, or the team that holds the draft rights of the team with the
worst record, has the best chance to obtain a higher draft pick.
Having the choice of picking a new player for your team
comes with a lot of pressure that is put on your draft selection committee. The
decision you make can either put your team in the best position to succeed, or
leave your team with needs that long to be fulfilled.
The selection committee is usually made up of a group of
team scouts and coaches along with the General Manager and Team Owner. These
minds meet, and plan for draft day all year long watching the players in
college and or minor leagues, seeing who can best fit into their system in
order to find a winning formula.
Picking the correct player for your team is based off of
needs of the current team as well as value of the players that are available,
along with a multitude of other factors that one cannot even begin to account
for. Whether its and obvious decision like filling a retiring players position,
or a complicated one like picking someone with a high value in hopes of trading
them to a team who needs them more in order to get someone from their team that
you would like to have on yours. These and similar scenarios only scratch the
surface when contemplating who or how to draft.
All drafts have their winners and losers that are evaluated
and re-evaluated over time for what seems like forever. Some may write off a
great player right away because they didn’t perform to the level they were
expected to out of the gates, and some come as a surprise because of their
ability to perform at a more rapid pace than anyone was able to foresee.
Sleepers and busts are all apart of the pressure of draft
day, and are usually known as such for the rest of their days whether they go
on to the hall of fame or quit the sport a year later.
Plenty of confident draft committees have ended up empty
handed after what they assumed was a bright future star in the making. There
has also been the 6th rounder Division 3 standout hall of famer who
just needed one shot to prove they were the best / better than everyone else
picked before them.
Names like Tom Brady, James Harrison, and Terrell Davis all
recognizable today, were all picked in later rounds of their respective drafts
the NFL. Where names like Ryan Leaf, Greg Oden, and Greg Raynolds all not as
familiar of names because they are known more for how big of a bust they were
rather than how well the performed compared to what players their teams could
have selected instead of them.
All in all draft day is a great time for teams to improve
their working machine while making dreams come true in the process. Only time will tell if draft day is a success or a big old bust.
Until next time…
Keep moving forward!
Follow me on twitter: @iSportsBizi
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