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Underclassmen to be allowed to apply for draft, return?
There could be big changes coming to the way in which underclassmen make their stay-or-go-pro decisions.
According to ESPN, the NBA is in the process of formalizing a system in which underclassmen would be able to attend the pre-draft combine, receive feedback from NBA scouting personnel and then make their decision on whether to declare for the draft. Currently, players must declare for the draft well in advance of the combine, which means doing so with very limited (and sometimes inaccurate or biased) information. ESPN reported that the new system could be in place as early as next season.
And while the negotiations for this potential change were solely related to basketball, new SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Wednesday that he foresees a similar system being considered for football.
Sankey told The Sporting News, "It’s not something that has been made portable for other sports, but I would not forgo that that direction could be pursued."
The current NFL draft system requires players to declare by a mid-January deadline, well in advance of the April draft and just after the completion of bowl season (which complicates things in particular for players involved in the College Football Playoff championship game). Again, these decisions are made based on very limited feedback, with the NFL Draft Advisory Committee offering underclassmen who request an assessment a sometimes-broad range of rounds in which they could be selected.
A change that would allow players to attend the combine -- or perhaps a mini-combine, or something of that nature -- and get more specific draft feedback from NFL scouts and front-office personnel would be a significant win for the players. In recent years, about one-third of the underclassmen who have declared have gone undrafted ... and given up their remaining college eligibility in the process. Coaches such as Alabama's Nick Saban and Texas' Charlie Strong have been among those voicing their support this offseason for a systemic change.
While there would be stumbling blocks -- uncertainty in the number of scholarships available for recruiting, players having the ability to travel and work out for pro teams while retaining their amateur status, etc. -- they could be overcome, as the NBA and NCAA are demonstrating.
The only question is whether the NFL and those in power on the football side of the NCAA equation would be able to come to a similar agreement. And given that a proposal such as the NBA one would be a win for all involved, at least getting the relevant parties to come to the table to try to hash out the details would seem to be a no-brainer.
Image credit: Cliff Owen-Associated Press
