Would this ever happen?

[matt770]

There's plenty to this but what also can't be discounted is the minute differences that must exist between the 1st and 5th best players (especially when you consider how little consensus there is among scouts) among the already very selected and elite that have played at the college ranks. Is the likelihood of the guy rated #1 at his position making it 3-5x better than the guy rated #5? Because that's the what you're paying in terms of odds. Certainly you have to blame the inept management for the fact that Det and Oak have been picking in the top 5 for a number of years in a row now but it also can't help that they're forced to tie up an inordinate amount of their cap space on the most unproven of all players. Meanwhile other teams are only needing to fork over 2-3 mil per year for their top rookies, and thus able to open up the pocket book to either keep their veterans or lure coveted FAs.

 

We talk about how savvy Pitt and NE are to stay competitive picking from the back of the draft every year but maybe they're actually being given an "unfair" advantage.

 

Also, considering free agency, few teams find themselves stuck at the top of the draft year after year. There's just not that many teams that have that culture of failure you speak of. Certainly Detroit does come to mind.

 

Luckily Goodell agrees with you and has been talking about a rookie salary cap. That would be smart.

 

I hope Detroit makes more good picks, gets everyone signed and does something this year. The city of Detroit has been through hell, first Eminem, then 0-16, now GM. And the early game on Thanksgiving always sucks.