A Historical and Strategic Analysis of the NFL Draft: Understanding the Past to More Effectively Predict and Manage the Future

For decades, the National Football League Draft has served as a corner piece for professional football franchises to climb out of the proverbial basement of the NFL and for all teams to improve their competitive position. Teams, especially those that were not able to find success during the previous season, are able to offer their fans hope, which, in some instances, is all that a fan base has to look forward to. High expectations and tremendous pressure result. Front offices must be thorough and decisive in their scouting and selection-making processes in order to make good on their promises of a brighter future for their team. Over the course of the NFL Draft's tenured existence, teams have used distinctive strategies that aid them in making their selections each year. These are the key to either sustained success or potential failure, depending on the execution on the part of the front offices. For as long as I can recall, I have been fascinated with the NFL Draft. To be sure, the NFL season itself is riveting, but I have always had a deep interest in the process of scouting, evaluating, and ultimately selecting prospects to strengthen a roster. In order to arrive at a greater understanding of the ever-evolving value and dynamics of the NFL Draft, I have chosen to study its past. By examining the history of the NFL Draft, I hope to uncover how franchises have arrived at their selection strategies to bolster the talent on their rosters each year. It is my goal to then apply these strategies to make more educated predictions of my own. Throughout the course of this project, I plan to elucidate the widely perceived value of the draft through both a marketing and leadership strategy lens. I ultimately hope to extract the lessons of the past in order to make more conscious decisions in the future \u2014 both as a young professional and an aspiring NFL General Manager.