Path to the NFL Draft The blood,sweat,pain, and tears are worth it when a hopeful college football player gets his name called by the NFL commissioner. These players selected in the NFL Draft have been through an emotional roller coaster. Their lifelong dream has finally come true through tremendous perseverance and work. Although the odds aren’t good, heavy preparation during high school and college football can land a determined football player a spot in the NFL Draft. Before any football player can say they are for sure going to play in the NFL for a career, they might want to consider how likely that will happen. The statistics of a football player going to the NFL are extremely low. The chances of playing college football at the levels of division one (D1) or division two (D2) on scholarship are also slim. The D1 or D2 college levels of football produce the most NFL players. Most high school football players want to play in D1 or D2 football, but the reality is that barely any of them will. There are an estimated 1,093,234 senior high school football players in the United States (“Football”). The astonishing reality is that just 4.2% of those 1,093,234 seniors in high school will play college football at the D1 or D2 level (“Football”). If a football player does get their scholarship to play college football they should feel grateful that they are one of the roughly 45,916 to accomplish that (“Football”). The statistics are now even lower for a college football player that is trying to make it to the NFL. There are only 15,842 college football players eligible for the NFL Draft, which are juniors and seniors (“Football”). Just the tiny number of 1.6% is how many of those draft eligible players will play in the NFL. Many coll... ... middle of paper ... ...e ability (Miller). The test can hurt a quarterback or center’s draft position if they don’t do well, but all positions aren’t affected too much based on the test (Miller). If a prospect happens to do well in all events and has good college film they should most likely get drafted to the NFL. The prospect should also have a good background and good attitude. NFL teams do not want players who get in trouble and bring the franchise a bad reputation. In conclusion, the road to the NFL Draft is extremely difficult and is impossible without huge amounts of talent and dedication. Most will never experience their name being called on the stage from being picked by an NFL team. The experience would be unforgettable and so emotional when a football player who worked their whole life for the opportunity to make a career out of doing something they love a reality.
Nathan Ross “Nate” Jackson, went to Menlo College in California, it is a small school with about 750 students. Nate was on their football team from 1999-2001 and was the star of the team. He went undrafted to the San Francisco 49ers in 2002. Then was traded to the Denver Broncos and was on their team from 2003-2008 (six seasons). He was not a high caliber player, but he was on the first team, so he got to experience what the NFL was really like. Nate, is also the author of “Slow Getting Up: A Story of N.F.L. Survival from the Bottom of the Pile.” This book is all about the NFL experience, and what it is like to survive in the NFL. So, when it comes to his credibility, Nate knows firsthand what it feels like to be on the bottom on the pile, and what it is like getting hit while in midair attempting to catch the
Getting drafted to the MLB is very hard. It is possible to get drafted right out of
There are thousands of high school football players across the nation, and a handful of them have what it takes to play at the college level. Those that do have the raw talent normally get reached by college football recruiters and coaches. The NCAA, the National College Athletic Association, has many rules and regulations especially surrounding the rules and conduct of recruiting student athletes. Men's football takes the most notice, as well as basketball, of all collegiate sports in the U.S. today (Smith, 2015). According to Langelett (2003), the NCAA limits each school to 85 football scholarships. With a limited number of scholarships available, schools spend a considerable amount of time and money on recruiting players.
In college there are hated rivals that can’t stand each other. This causes college fans to have lots of pride in their teams. College stadiums also have student sections, which take the atmosphere on game day to the next level. College players know how the fans feel. This inspires them to play their hardest, and leave everything on the field to represent their school. In the NFL, instead of playing for a team because you want to represent them, players will play for teams who offer them the longest and largest contracts. Players hold out from participating in training camp because they want a bigger contract, and some even sit out games. The NFL seems to be more like a business, and geared towards making money. NFL players holding out, and being focused on money angers fans. Not all players are like this, but fans feel that the ones like this are being
Reggie Harding was the first high school player to make the jump from high school to the NBA, and he did this in 1963. He spent five mediocre seasons in the NBA and was never the special player that people thought he would have been. Since then, there have been around 40 high school players who have decided to skip college and declare for the NBA draft. The bulk of these players have come within the last seven to ten years. Out of these forty or so players, no more than ten have had a successful career. Last year seven high school players entered the NBA draft, and only one of those seven had a successful first season, and that was Lebron James (Smith).
Most do not think of the challenges that one faces when trying to join a major league sport. The players’ must all work hard, and really want the opportunity in order to achieve their goals. One has to make sure that they do not waste their time if they really do not want that position on a major team. The NFL and MLB drafts have many flaws; however, they have great similarities that influence people to like one or the other. The drafts should be the same because every single person wants the same opportunity that another person gets.
Business deals happen every day; Contracts expire, renew, and are negotiated without the public knowing for many large corporations and even sporting leagues. However, some contract changes cannot escape the media’s attention. The National Football League (NFL) is facing an expiration of its Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) (NFL Lockout Now One Month Old). Currently, the agreement has expired and NFL team owners have selfishly chosen to “lock” the players out. The term lockout means that the players are essentially not allowed to participate in any team activities or duties until the owner’s rescind this lockout. While many believe this is simply a battle between team owners and a player union, it can only appear to most as a selfish act of the NFL owners trying to rich, greedy men in expensive suits, and the only people they are hurting, are the fans of football.
After the draft, you should see if you like your team and compare it to other teams. If one team has a player whom you might like, try to offer reasonable trades. Ask people who are knowledgeable of football to see if they think that the trade is worth it. As I mentioned before, there are 16 players on a team, but 11 players start each week, which means that there are 5 players who will be on your bench each week. So, you have to be meticulous about whom you are going to start. Look at the matchups and see which players on your team have a favorable matchup so that you can start
It is becoming more and more a trend for high school and underclassmen basketball players to forgo their college eligibility to enter the NBA draft. Most professional sports have restrictions to limit mentally and physically immature players from throwing away their college education to be unsuccessful in the professional ranks. In the National Football League, NCAA football players are not allowed to declare for the pro draft unless they have been in the school’s program for at least three years. In professional baseball and hockey, although they do draft players straight from high school, they have a minor league system set up. These minor leagues allow players the time to develop and still play against an excellent level of competition. This helps their growth process so that when they get into the real big leagues, they are somewhat ready to play and be a factor.
Tiffany Patterson argues “College football players are already receiving scholarships to pay for their tuition and it is unfair to other students who are juggling between jobs and school.”(Patterson) Although college football players work hard at playing football, it is unfair to other students who are not receiving scholarships and having football players paid will be even more unfair. According to Lauren Horne, the lead author of Bleacherreport, says “College football players cost universities and colleges lots of money and paying them will put the universities in even more financial debt. Universities and colleges spend about $42 million on football players who, except for an elite hundred, will never play in the NFL.”(Horne) Colleges are already have finance issues and if they pay all the players, their trouble will get worse. Rick Burton, the professor of sports management at Syracuse University explains “Student athletes who go to college are already receiving a fair amount of pay by receiving an education”(Burton) The athletes are being compensated for their time on the football field by the professors giving them an
College sports are a major revenue producing industry. Athletic programs and their student-athletes can achieve national recognition and generate millions of dollars in revenue for their university. Colleges use this revenue to invest in players, pay for their education, and provide state of the art training facilities, which are used to improve their athletic performance. As revenue driven colleges begin to prioritize athletics, the emphasis on the quality and standards of an undergraduate education are diminishing. Compromising their academic acceptance requirements, universities have now found that the educational ability of their newly accepted student athletes are inadequate, to say the least (Gurney). The same universities must then spend millions of dollars to provide these athletes with “learning specialists”, who in turn helps them to meet academic requirements and maintain their eligibility (...
Howard-Hamilton, Mary F., and Julie Sina. "How College Affects College Athletes." New Directions for Student Services (2011): 35-43.
Football is a game of adversity and emotion. People who have not played a sport or follow one closely don’t understand the emotion behind game. They think that football is just a game, but for those who are involved with the team don’t think so. All those horrendous hours of countless preparation are for something players and coaches love. About a few years ago, a football player at the collegiate level was told that he wouldn’t be able to play another down of football again due to his banged up h...
Sadly, my family was going through financial struggles, forcing me out of the school zone I was destined to attend. When I discussed the situation wih the high school coaches they told me they would pick me up from my new house and take me to school every day; with the condition that I’d play football for them all throughout high school. Even though this was illegal I continued to go ahead and accept the offer. My first year of high school was so exciting that it went by in the blink of an eye. Sophomore year came and the clock ticked closer and closer to when everything would change. I started in varsity as a corner back but soon would have big shoes to fill as the team’s quarterback. Not only did this require skill and hard work but the ability and qualities of a leader as well. Ultimately, playing this position helped me acquire traits that would soon be necessary for success. That year was tough for us because the majority of the team consisted of inexperienced players, however the coaches knew I would be the one to lead the
NFL players need an education in case of injuries or if they can’t play for any reason. Players can have a degree in any type of subject. If a player wants to play in the NFL, he has to attend a college or a university that has a good football program. Some players come from high school but most players come from a four year college (Field 11). If you have a son that is going to be in the NFL who wants to play linemen, he has to be about 6’8” tall and weigh around 350 lbs. Players have to know the game. They can’t hope to be a NFL player if they don’t understand how to play the game (Green 174).