We are at that time of the year, the limbo stage between the end of the basketball season and the beginning of the football season, with baseball right in between. This year, college football starts Thursday, September 3, and the NFL starts their games on Thursday, September 10, just a week later than college teams. So mark your calendars! Thankfully though, the NFL draft gives us a little taste of what's to come this year. The draft starts on Thursday, April 30, and ends on Saturday, May 2. So let's get to it.
This year's top 5 prospects for the draft are:
- Leonard Williams, DE, USC, 7.6
- Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama, 7.1
- Dante Fowler Jr., OLB, Florida, 7.0
- Kevin White, WR, West Virginia, 6.9
- Jameis Winston, QB, Florida St., 6.7
The grading scale ranges from 4.5 - 10, with 10 being the highest possible grade.
The draft order is determined by team records and playoff finish of the previous season. Teams that did not make the draft are simply determined by their overall record. The team with the worst record picks first. In the event of a tie, the team with the strongest strength of schedule determines order.
There are 7 rounds and a total of 256 draft slots available, including 32 additional compensatory selections. Compensatory picks are determined by a highly secret formula which includes variables such as player salary, free agents, and play time.
Since the Tampa Bay Bucs had a shame-worthy record of 2-14 last season, they will get the first pick. I think we can all agree that the Bucs are in dire need of a new QB. Statistically, Mike Glennon wasn't a bad QB last year, but unfortunately their record didn't reflect that. With that in mind, the general consensus is that the Bucs will grab 'Famous' Jameis Winston, the top QB prospect for this draft.
At the beginning of the draft, a team is on the clock. On the clock means that team has a certain amount of time to choose a player, the first round has a time limit of 15 minutes, the second round is 10 minutes, then rounds three through seven are allotted five minutes. If a team does not choose a player in their time limit, the next team is allowed to make a choice, and the team that was skipped is allowed to make a decision any time after their time is up.
This is basically how the NFL draft works. By no means is this a complete guide to how the draft runs, but hopefully it gives a clearer picture of what is happening.
I can't forget about NC State though!
This year, the Wolfpack only put two players into the draft. These two players are Will Baumann, a punter, with a grade of 5.1 and Rob Crisp, an offensive tackle with a grade of 5.4.
Baumann leads the ACC with the most percentage of punts inside the 20, and is the fourth ranked punter in this draft.
Crisp, with long arms and a top performer at the combine in vertical jump, is near the top in comparison to other offensive linemen. He has quick hands and feet, and high potential to be a starter next year.
Make sure to tune in on Thursday, April 30th!
