NFL draft begins at end of April; Students comment on their feelings of event

     The National Football League Draft goes by many titles and is also referred to as the NFL Draft or as it is officially called the Player Selection Meeting. This event happens every year during the postseason, which serves as the league’s most common source of player recruitment, according to ESPN.

     The NFL Draft is not open to just anyone.  The requirements are that the athlete must be out of high school for a minimum of three years and finish their college eligibility to become eligible for the draft. This is one of the only requirements to enter the NFL draft, states the NFL Draft rules.

     Freshman Cody Deak says, “I hope the Ravens actually use their draft pick wisely and get a good quality player that will benefit them for years to come.”

     According to ESPN, The NFL Draft order is determined by the standings of each individual team at the end of the regular season. The team with the worst finishing record will have the flights to the first pick, and the one team with the best record will receive the 20th pick. Teams that qualified for the playoffs are assigned draft slots 21-32. The team that lost the Super Bowl has the 31st pick in the draft and the winner receives the final pick in this round.

     Junior Alex Tobias says, “In my opinion the NFL draft is my favorite off-season event for the NFL. I love watching to see who falls and who rises in draft positions, hoping that one fantastic player falls to my team’s draft position.”

     Once teams are assigned their draft positions, each pick then becomes a useful tool in a team’s preparation for the coming season. It is up to the club’s owners and executives to decide whether they want to either select a player or trade the pick to another team to improve its position in the current year’s draft or in preparation for future drafts, states ESPN.

    Tobias also added, “One memory I have is standing up praying that the Ravens were going to draft Rashod Bateman out of Minnesota in the 2021 draft. They did and my excitement was through the roof. I am stoked for this year’s draft and can’t wait to see who the Ravens will get with the 14th pick.”

     This year the 2022 NFL Draft will be the 87th annual meeting of the National Football League teams to pick from the newly eligible players to be a part of their franchise. The draft is scheduled to be held in Paradise, Nevada, from April 28, 2022 – April 30, 2022.