Owners discuss moving draft to February.

[dalemurphy]

I know this is probably a lot of maneuvering for collective bargaining. Regardless, what do you guys think of this idea from a strictly football standpoint? I think it makes a lot of sense to hold the draft before free agency.

[HPF Bob]

It also either moves up the combine or eliminates it. That means there will be more busts selected early in the draft. A team with great scouts and a knack for good drafting will probably benefit from this.

I'd be all in favor of it but I think it will hurt a lot of the closet industries that make their money off the draft in various ways.

[edo783]

Cuts the amount of time kids would have to get ready (assuming that there would still be a combine). It would also change the approach to the FA/Draft times. Currently most teams look to fill a couple of positions that they need so that they won't have to draft them if the right guy isn't there for them. Now they will have to take the pick and then hope they can find the filler guy in FA. I suspect this will drive up the FA market price, because you will now have an identifiable requirement if you don't get a starter type in the draft and the agents will know that. The good news would be less time listening to all the draftniks, but then I suppose they would just become FAnicks.

[Nconroe]

Here's an article with several pro's and con's, overall sounds like a positive.
http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/NFL+Features/2009/holbrook032209.htm

[Keith]

Seems like someone is floating something here...

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/03/22/mckay-on-possible-move-of-draft-weve-never-discussed-it/

MCKAY ON POSSIBLE MOVE OF DRAFT: “WE’VE NEVER DISCUSSED IT”
Posted by Mike Florio on March 22, 2009, 9:46 p.m.

In response to a Pro Football Weekly report that the NFL is contemplating a move of the draft from late April to late February, multiple league insiders tell Howard Balzer of the Sports Xchange that no such move is being contemplated.

Said Falcons president Rich McKay, co-chair of the Competition Committee: “We’ve never discussed it. We’ve discussed the offseason calendar a lot, but there has been no discussion of moving the draft up.

“We had that discussion eight years ago, but I don’t think we’ve had it since then. We’ve discussed the calendar, but that wasn’t any of the things we discussed.”

Added Rams G.M. Billy Devaney, who previously worked under McKay in Atlanta: “This is the first I’ve heard of anything like that.” ...

That PFW article talked about fear of the year-round fatigue. As if. I imagine the owners are loving the year-round business and interest. Sites like this are a testament to an offseason hunger for NFL. HPF and now ItB get far more traffic Jan-Apr than Sept-Dec when the games are actually being played.

[HPF Bob]

I think the "year-round fatigue" would be on the part of the coaching staff and front office, not the fans. Of course, they only have themselves to blame when coaches sleep on cots in the office until 4 a.m. blearily going over the same videotape for any evidence that a CB might be tipping their defense or a RB might be favoring a muscle pull. It's a workaholic league and when training camp isn't enough they have mini-camps and when mini-camps aren't enough they have those pre-minis and mandatory "volunteer" workouts. They have no off-season anymore.

That's the problem. Everyone's afraid somebody else will outwork them so nobody's allowed to get some time off.

I'd love to have the USFL back to tie up the spring months but they killed that goose a quarter-century ago when the egos decided they had to go head-to-head with the NFL to be legit. Arena League football is like the NFL the way putt-putt tournaments are like the PGA.

I'm sad for Mobile if they lose the Senior Bowl. That would be like taking the Rose Bowl out of Pasadena. A lot of history they would trample on if they do that.

[papabear]

I think they should leave it where it is. If they move it to February that won't give these kids much time to get ready after bowl season. Many of them will have injuries that need to heal, maybe even minor surgeries. Not to mention having to go through the process off signing an agent. That's a pretty important decision and woulldn't leave them much time to make it. It would also give the coaches and staff zero time to rest...especially for playoff teams.

[painekiller]

I like the idea, first most of the evaluation should be done on film, can the player play. Scouts have been working long and hard on meeting the kids coaches and trainers.

Drafting in February does a couple positives, it allows the rookie time to get into the playbook. They then will be apart of the offseason program earlier.

I think bust will go down, because that do not scout well will have to at least try to do better scouting, they might have to scout the junior through out the season.