NFL, Players To Push Draft Back To May
Apr 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell introduces offensive tackle Eric Fisher (Central Michigan) as the first overall pick to the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the NFL and the NFLPA (NFL Players Association) are preparing to implement major changes to the league’s offfseason calendar.
From Schefter, via Twitter:
NFL and NFLPA are on verge of pushing back draft to May and moving up start of league year to before combine, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 20, 2013
NFL and NFLPA are close to enacting these calendar changes for the next three years.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 20, 2013
Currently, the NFL league year typically begins some time in mid-March, with the draft going down at the end of April.
Under the new calendar, the ne league year would begin before the NFL Scouting Combine, which is usually held in late February. That would mean free agency would begin sometime around mid-February, a full month earlier than usual.
Team would then have a lot more time than normal between the end of the initial bust of free agency and the draft. Schefter doesn’t mention when in May the draft would be pushed back to but presumably, it would be around a month. That could mean that this time next year, the Chiefs could be in the final stages of their draf preparation.
It will be interesting to see how this new calendar impacts the offseason workout schedule. For instance, right now, teams are going through their OTA (organized team activities) practices with their entire rosters. Rookies have already been through minicamps and the clubs are prepping for training camp.
The new calendar would certainly serve to shorten the NFL offseason a bit by spreading the major events out. It will also give teams more time to scrutinize draft picks than ever before.
What do you think, Addicts? Do you like this change?