Record number of undergrads declare availability for 2011 NFL Draft
Even though the National Football League’s (NFL) 2011 season is in jeopardy, a record number of college players are signing themselves up for the NFL draft. This year 56 non-seniors have opted to go pro. The total number of players has increased by three
from last year.
The NFL released the complete list of underclassmen in this years’ draft today. Five times in the past seven years, more than 50 players were granted ‘special eligibility’ for the draft. Before 2010, the record number of players with that status was 52.
That record was set in the 2006 draft.
Most of the players whose names appear on the list had already declared their intentions of dropping out of school and joining the NFL. Saturday was the deadline to sign up or drop out of the draft. Players had 72 hours to remove their names from the list.
However, no significant names have been added or removed from the list.
The draft is scheduled for 28-30 April. In the event of a lockout, no rookies would be able to sign contracts with teams until a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is in place. The current agreement expires in March. Any player who declares for the
draft and leaves school will not be eligible to rejoin their team for the 2011 season. If the 2011 season is cancelled, the 56 prospects would find themselves in a rather difficult situation.
The record number of declared prospects indicates that the threat of lockout next season has not acted as a deterrent. Many of the underclassmen signing up are this year have the potential of being first round draft picks. A player who has an excellent junior
year of football may not necessarily perform as well in his senior year. A minor injury could offset his numbers and seriously impact his draft position. Keeping that in mind, underclassmen that have had productive junior years are opting for the draft, instead
of finishing school and hurting their prospects.
The owners and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) agree on very little, but one of the things that will almost certainly be in the next CBA, is a rookie wage scale. The mechanics of the wage scale still need to be hammered out, but the league is adamant
that it wants the rookie wage scale and the players association hasn’t put up much resistance.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear that he thinks the amount of money that untested rookies are paid in the NFL is ‘outrageous.’ Looking at Saint Luis Rams’ quarterback, Sam Bradford, Goodell’s take on the matter seems to be spot on. Bradford
joined the 2010 draft after his junior year with the Oklahoma Sooners. He was the number one overall draft pick. The Rams signed him to a six-year contract worth $78 million. Even before he had thrown a single pass in the NFL, Bradford got a contract that
provided $50 million guaranteed. It was the largest contract ever awarded to a rookie in NFL history.
The NFL has used the pro-bowl to present its argument for a rookie wage scale. The NFL emphasised the fact that the average experience of players who had been voted to the pro-bowl is 6.8 years. The League also said that 83 percent of the players had four
or more years of experience. The combined NFC-AFC squad includes just four rookies. Despite their enormous contracts, which are often worth more than the contracts proven veterans can get, most rookies fail to make an impact and often prove to be worth much
less than their contracts.
If the rookie wage scale is included in the CBA, this year’s prospects would receive nothing like the phenomenal contract Sam Bradford got. Still more underclassmen signed up for the draft than ever before.
Only very few of the 56 players granted special eligibility are lesser known players. The list includes quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert from Missouri, Cam Newton and Ryan Mallet. All three are expected to be high first round draft picks.
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