Thread: Do all college players HAVE to enter the draft to get on a team?

Originally Posted by claymore

Bo Jackson is the only guy that comes to mind in a similar scenario.

He was still picked in the NFL draft after college though.

Originally Posted by dbfan2007

Then again...what about players that dabble in the minor leagues like Elway and then declare for the draft. I didn't think of that until just now.




Obviously, in the end, it doesn't matter. I've just yet to see the rule stating that a player must declare for the draft to be signed by an NFL team at any time later on. I'd just like to see that somewhere, with something to back it up.

That's not what Elway did.. "dabble in the minor leages." He was drafted by the NY Yankees, although preferred to play football. So he stated that he would NOT play for a certain person that coached the Colts and would not play if drafted. If they did, he would go play baseball instead. So, when the Colts drafted him, that's exactly the steps he took.... then the Colts did what they could to get SOMETHING in return, and traded Elway to the Broncos.

So you are not "declaring" for the draft. Thats just what they call it when an amatuer player is declaring that he's no longer going to play amatuer football at the college level. He's "declaring" that he's going pro, which, makes him ineligible for NCAA football. ANYONE can be drafted. Track players, baseball players, wrestlers, or people off the street playing sandlot football. But once your name is called out from a certain team making their selection, then they have the rights to you (as a football player) for a year. In Elway's case, he could have played baseball for a year and then re-entered the draft.

Originally Posted by Ravage!!!

That's not what Elway did.. "dabble in the minor leages." He was drafted by the NY Yankees, although preferred to play football. So he stated that he would NOT play for a certain person that coached the Colts and would not play if drafted. If they did, he would go play baseball instead. So, when the Colts drafted him, that's exactly the steps he took.... then the Colts did what they could to get SOMETHING in return, and traded Elway to the Broncos.

So you are not "declaring" for the draft. Thats just what they call it when an amatuer player is declaring that he's no longer going to play amatuer football at the college level. He's "declaring" that he's going pro, which, makes him ineligible for NCAA football. ANYONE can be drafted. Track players, baseball players, wrestlers, or people off the street playing sandlot football. But once your name is called out from a certain team making their selection, then they have the rights to you (as a football player) for a year. In Elway's case, he could have played baseball for a year and then re-entered the draft.

So would you say in LeBron's case he was not eligible to play in the NFL until being in the NBA for 3 years (3 years after HS graduation) and once he was not drafted that year by any NFL team that year he then became free to sign with any NFL team he would want to in the future?

That's how I interpret the rule myself.

Originally Posted by BaileyTheBest

So would you say in LeBron's case he was not eligible to play in the NFL until being in the NBA for 3 years (3 years after HS graduation) and once he was not drafted that year by any NFL team that year he then became free to sign with any NFL team he would want to in the future?

That's how I interpret the rule myself.

YES...absolutely. Since Lebron was out of amatuer sports, and (as you pointed out) past the 3 year HS graduation cut-off...if (since) no one called his name on the NFL draft podium, he could have "walked on" as an undrafted free-agent.

Originally Posted by BaileyTheBest

He was still picked in the NFL draft after college though.

True, but he was drafted twice. First time he said get bent to Tampa.

Originally Posted by Ravage!!!

YES...absolutely. Since Lebron was out of amatuer sports, and (as you pointed out) past the 3 year HS graduation cut-off...if (since) no one called his name on the NFL draft podium, he could have "walked on" as an undrafted free-agent.

So you're saying that a team could have drafted LeBron James with the very last pick in the NFL draft and so they would have owned his rights, even though he obviously would play basketball? At which point would the team draft LeBron? After the 3 year mark?

Originally Posted by Ravage!!!

That's not what Elway did.. "dabble in the minor leages." He was drafted by the NY Yankees, although preferred to play football. So he stated that he would NOT play for a certain person that coached the Colts and would not play if drafted. If they did, he would go play baseball instead. So, when the Colts drafted him, that's exactly the steps he took.... then the Colts did what they could to get SOMETHING in return, and traded Elway to the Broncos.

So you are not "declaring" for the draft. Thats just what they call it when an amatuer player is declaring that he's no longer going to play amatuer football at the college level. He's "declaring" that he's going pro, which, makes him ineligible for NCAA football. ANYONE can be drafted. Track players, baseball players, wrestlers, or people off the street playing sandlot football. But once your name is called out from a certain team making their selection, then they have the rights to you (as a football player) for a year. In Elway's case, he could have played baseball for a year and then re-entered the draft.

You keep repeating that if a team calls your name, they own you. I get that. That's not what the question is.

Do you have to enter the draft to enter the NFL? If you don't enter the draft, can a team still call your name?

If Andrew Luck didn't contact the NFL and didn't get an agent and didn't do anything NFL related. A team thinks he's good. Do they draft him to own his rights? Can he get his name called even if he doesn't plan on playing in the NFL right then? After the draft can he be a free agent and sign with any team? Or does he have to enter the NFL draft to be eligible to be signed to an NFL team?

Originally Posted by dbfan2007

So you're saying that a team could have drafted LeBron James with the very last pick in the NFL draft and so they would have owned his rights, even though he obviously would play basketball? At which point would the team draft LeBron? After the 3 year mark?

They could have but they would have only had his rights for one year.

Originally Posted by dbfan2007

You keep repeating that if a team calls your name, they own you. I get that. That's not what the question is.

Do you have to enter the draft to enter the NFL? If you don't enter the draft, can a team still call your name?

If Andrew Luck didn't contact the NFL and didn't get an agent and didn't do anything NFL related. A team thinks he's good. Do they draft him to own his rights? Can he get his name called even if he doesn't plan on playing in the NFL right then? After the draft can he be a free agent and sign with any team? Or does he have to enter the NFL draft to be eligible to be signed to an NFL team?

To the best I understand it, you do not have to enter. Whenever you are first eligible to be drafted (3 years out of HS, no longer an amateur athlete) your name is automatically put in the draft pool. A team can draft you whether you like it or not and they hold your rights for a year. If you don't sign, you enter the draft again the next year.

If you don't get drafted when you are eligible to, you are from then on a free agent.

Originally Posted by BaileyTheBest

They could have but they would have only had his rights for one year.

Then the very next year a team does it again.

Originally Posted by dbfan2007

Then the very next year a team does it again.

Theoretically, yes they could. I find it highly unlikely that that scenario would ever play out though.

Originally Posted by BaileyTheBest

Theoretically, yes they could. I find it highly unlikely that that scenario would ever play out though.

Not in football, but it does happen in baseball all the time.

Luke Hochevar sat out a year and re-entered the amateur player draft. Rules are completely different for baseball on the draft, but it's a similar situation. Mark Appel is doing the same thing this year. Now, baseball careers are typically much longer than football careers, which makes it unlikely to ever happen in football.

Originally Posted by MOtorboat

Not in football, but it does happen in baseball all the time.

Luke Hochevar sat out a year and re-entered the amateur player draft. Rules are completely different for baseball on the draft, but it's a similar situation. Mark Appel is doing the same thing this year. Now, baseball careers are typically much longer than football careers, which makes it unlikely to ever happen in football.

That, and the baseball draft has 40 rounds, so a team can afford to blow a pick on a random player who will likely never play there. Hell like two years ago a team drafted a paralyzed college player just as a ceremonial gesture.

Originally Posted by BaileyTheBest

That, and the baseball draft has 40 rounds, so a team can afford to blow a pick on a random player who will likely never play there. Hell like two years ago a team drafted a paralyzed college player just as a ceremonial gesture.

Well, yeah. And the sons of general managers and coaches and the like. But I'm referencing well-documented first round picks.

Originally Posted by MOtorboat

Well, yeah. And the sons of general managers and coaches and the like. But I'm referencing well-documented first round picks.

Oh I see. But yeah, given how short NFL careers are and how easy it is to sustain a career-ending injury, no one is going to forego a year of making money to play football if they don't have to.