NFL and Players Association Analyze Changes for Next Year’s Draft

The NFL and NFL Players Association are discussing the possibility of rescheduling next year’s Draft and move up the start of the league year to before the annual scouting combine held in Indianapolis.

NFL.com informed this week that executives and the representatives from the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) are currently analyzing and discussing a plan to move the 2014 NFL Draft from April to May. Only hours later, several sites informed that the NFL and the NFLPA are also working on an agreement to change the start of the league year and free agency up to the middle of February.

The NFL can reschedule the draft and annual scouting combine without the approval of the Players Association, but changes to the start of the league year must be revised and approved by both parts. The NFL initially proposed starting the league year in April but the union rejected the plan.
Moving the draft to May is likely to happen starting next year. The measure is expected to be in place for at least the next three years.  The possible start date for the 2014 draft is May 15th.

The official start of the league year and free agency period is also expected to suffer some changes and get reschedule to begin before the annual NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. According to the NFLPA, they would like to give free agents a chance to find new teams sooner. This year's scouting combine took place from Feb. 20-26. The 2013 league year began on March 12th.

While the NFL hasn’t discussed the motives that prompted the changes, rumors point the league has several reasons to do so. Less than a week ago, NFL.com informed that a scheduling conflict with Radio City Music Hall (the location of the draft) would make next year as a good time to test the change. On the other hand, the NFL is looking to expand its postseason calendar and get some exposure during the post season. The longer the league can stretch events such as the free agency period and the draft, the more they will stay in the spotlight in the months following the Super Bowl.

The change may be insignificant for bettors and football fans; after all, it does not alter the season or the betting action. But for more teams, which are inactive during that time of the year, getting some extra exposure is nothing but beneficial. Now, the change may impact Draft prospects, as they will get some more free time before the end of the NCAA season and the Draft, which means dealing with more time under the media scrutiny and perhaps more pressure and criticism.


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