MVN - Most Valuable Network

With the First Pick in the 2008 NFL Draft…

     Recently, various news outlets have begun reporting that the Miami Dolphins–current owners of the number one overall pick in the draft–are now talking contract numbers with Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long and, perhaps, another player or two.

     The biggest surprise of this development is not that the team is sitting down with players more than two weeks before the draft, it’s that it took this long (just a little over two weeks before the draft) for the negotiations to begin/be leaked. 

     Of course, teams with the top few selections in the draft beginning early negotiations is not a new concept, and every team wishes to avoid the awkward situation last year when No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell missed all of Oakland’s training camp in a holdout.

    But, those negotiations should be kept secret. 

     I do not want to know who the first player selected will be until the commissioner walks to the podium and makes the announcement.  In every year, the top pick is among the most intriguing, especially in a draft like this one, where there is a handful of players who could go No. 1, and the likelihood that Miami will not even be the team that makes the first pick.

      For the fans, and the rest of the league, the commissioner needs to ensure that the top pick is kept a secret until the clock officially starts running on Day One.  How to do this?  Simple: if any pre-arranged contracts are leaked before the draft, fine the team involved $5 million.  Or $10 million.  Make it enough to deter loose lips.  It doesn’t even matter if the player or an agent leaks details; fine the teams and make them accountable.

     With the months of hype for each draft, it doesn’t make any sense for the suspense of the top pick to be ruined on the Thursday or Friday before.  If the top pick gets leaked, the draft may as well start with the second pick and save everyone the phony protocol of first selection.  Think about it: what makes better TV?  David Carr walking to the podium having already cashed $30 million from the Texans, or Jake Long, Chris Long, Vernon Gholston, and Matt Ryan all sitting in the green room with absolutely no idea who’s going to get called first?

      Does this mean teams shouldn’t negotiate early?  Of course not; in fact, I really don’t care if the top pick is decided a month prior–I JUST DON’T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT UNTIL DRAFT DAY.

     Brian Smith can be reached at BLSmith@mail.utexas.edu

     Listen to Brian talk sports every Tuesday, 9-11 a.m. cst, only at kvrx.org

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 10th, 2008 at 8:25 pm and is filed under The Cowboy Roundup. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.