The NFL Draft gives us football fans a glimmer of hope that football will return from the void between the Superbowl and training camps. 2014’s NFL Draft, like recent drafts, is highly anticipated and will be extensively covered.”Mock Drafts” speculate how the draft will turn out, but there are hundreds of available players and the possibilities are infinite. We’re going to just have to wait until May to see who goes where. With all the fervor surrounding the upcoming draft, it’s easy to overlook another major off-season event, the day when free-agents go up for grabs. Acquiring players through free-agency can be just as effective as selecting them in the draft. Many NFL teams have some big holes to fill and depending on the draft to plug them all can be risky. Teams that are in desperate need of a wide receiver won’t have to cross their fingers for Sammy Watkins or Kelvin Benjamin in May if they can pick up Eric Decker or Hakeem Nicks next week. That’s not to say teams should prefer free agents over rookies, though; it all depends on what the team is looking for. Draft picks selections are about the player and free agent signings are about the position. Teams looking to acquire a potentially long-term player to build a team around will likely focus on the draft. The time and effort spent preparing a rookie for the NFL is quite an investment, but it can pay off for many seasons. Meanwhile, teams with that one missing piece are probably busy right now preparing offers for a free agent or two.These athletes can typically fall right into place with a new team, but they may not have many years left in their career. It can be difficult for teams to decide between filling roster needs by investing in draft picks or signing free agents. Both aspects bring their pros and cons. This year’s draft class features some incredible talent, but then again, some great players are going to be available next week. Fan opinions vary about which players to grab and which ones to pass up, but I think we all can agree that next season can’t come soon enough.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 14:01:35 +0000
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