What are the nfl draft tie breaking rules?

Question

NFL draft is the event, where the players and nfl teams are given the chance to improve their past performance. Can you help me know, what are the nfl draft tie breaking rules? Please explain in detail the various aspects of nfl draft tie breaking rules f

Answer 1

NFL Draft Tiebreaking Rules
By Alan Kirk, eHow Contributor

The NFL Draft is highly anticipated by fans and teams in the NFL alike. The draft represents an opportunity for a team that struggled in the previous season to improve by adding key players. Successful teams have the opportunity to find that one player that might give them a chance to make the Super Bowl. Draft positions are determined by the official draft order, along with trading of draft positions.

      Significance
   1. The NFL Draft is held in April, allowing draft-eligible college athletes to enter the league. The order of the draft is determined based on the records of the teams from the previous year, with the team with the worst record having the first draft pick. When two or more teams tie for the same record, these ties must be analyzed to determine which of the teams involved in the tie has a higher draft spot. The NFL has determined a set of rules to be used to break any ties.
      Function
   2. Ties often occur between teams that make the playoffs and teams that fail to make the playoffs based on the tiebreaking rules for playoff eligibility. The team involved in this tie that did not make the playoffs will be the team that is awarded the higher draft pick. This will not affect the top-ten draft positions in the league, as these teams would not tie for a playoff position.

      As an example, let's assume the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots both have an 11-5 record. Based on the playoff tiebreaker rules (which are different than draft tiebreaker rules), the Baltimore Ravens make the playoffs. This would result in the Patriots drafting one spot before the Ravens, because the Patriots did not make the playoffs and the Ravens did.
      Types
   3. For the non-playoff spots, the first step in breaking a tie for draft position is to compare the strength of schedule from the season that was just completed. To determine the strength of schedule, combine the wins and losses of all of the opponents for each team from the previous season. The team that played opponents with the higher winning percentage is awarded the higher draft position. For example, if the combined win percentage of the teams the 5-11 Kansas City Chiefs played was .550, they would draft ahead of the 5-11 St. Louis Rams, who played opponents with an average win percentage of .495 in this example.
      Considerations
   4. If the strength of schedule does not break the tie, the ties are broken based on the relationship between the teams involved. If they are within the same division, the team with the lower winning percentage in that division is awarded the higher draft position in the draft order. If the teams are located within the same conference, then the tie is broken based on record within the conference, with the team that has the lower conference winning percentage getting the higher draft position.

      As an example, let's say the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have the same record at 10-6 and are both in the AFC East Division. The Dolphins won four of six games against their three opponents in the AFC East and the Jets won just three of six. The Jets would draft ahead of the Dolphins in this situation.

      An example of two teams in the same conference but different divisions would be the Cleveland Browns and the Oakland Raiders both finishing the season with a 5-11 record. They are in the American Football Conference, but the Browns are in the AFC North and the Raiders are in the AFC West. For this purpose, let's say the Browns went 3-9 against other AFC teams and the Raiders went 4-8 against their AFC opponents. The Browns would draft before the Raiders in this situation.
      Benefits
   5. Creating these rules for tiebreakers in the NFL Draft has, for the most part, avoided the final tiebreaker. If none of the other steps break the tie for the draft position, the tie is settled through a coin toss. An example of when this tiebreaker occurs is when two or more teams are tied with the same record, and their opponents have the same winning percentage. Along with this, the teams are in opposite conferences, making their divisional and conference records irrelevant for breaking the tie.


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