NFL Draft 2017: How does it work?
- Published
The 82nd NFL Draft will be held April 27-29, 2017 along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia
The NFL's 32 teams are gathering in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to choose the best of the best from American college football teams to become potential stars for their sides.
But how does it work? Here is a quick guide from BBC Sport…
When does it take place?
The first round of deals is due to take place from about 1am on Friday, 21 April, from outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, close to the steps featured in the 1976 hit boxing film Rocky.
A further six draft rounds will then take place up until Saturday with a total of 253 selections due to be taken.
Which team has the first pick?
Cleveland Browns finished bottom of the NFL rankings in 2016
Each NFL team has one choice per round. The order is based on how the teams finished last year. To help even up the league, the worst performing side receives the first pick - so, in theory, can gain the brightest prospect from the college system.
This year, that is set to be the Cleveland Browns, who finished last season with just one victory. The Super Bowl winners - New England Patriots - would have been the 32nd pick out of the 32 teams, but they traded their spot to the New Orleans Saints.
Can teams trade picks?
Jacksonville Jaguars will play one game each year at Wembley until at least 2020
There are no transfer fees in NFL but teams can trade picks - so do not be surprised to find orders can change. Each team has 10 minutes "on the clock" to make their pick in the first round.
Once the choice is made, the player is usually paraded on stage and introduced by the league's commissioner Roger Goodell.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, who will be playing one game each year at Wembley until at least 2020, is to announce two of its picks from a London studio. The fifth and seventh picks are to be announced by fan Charlotte Johnson, from Lincoln.
Who can be picked?
To be suitable for the draft, players must have spent enough time in US college education to be deemed eligible by the NFL. That means some players can enter the Draft before they finish their degree. Players must also have been out of the US high school for at least three years.
Players usually show off their speed and skills across various tests before team representatives at the NFL's annual scouting combine, this year's took place between 28 February and 6 March.
Who will be picked first?
Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett is a favourite to be picked first
The money seems to be on Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett being snapped up pretty quickly in this year's draft. He is tall at 6ft 4in and weighs 270lbs - but he can run 40 yards in just 4.64 seconds.
Beyond that, there is no real agreement among the experts - names include Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas, Louisiana State running back Leonard Fournette and Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore. The top tip for a quarterback seems to be Mitchell Trubisky of North Carolina - but also keep an eye out for Deshaun Watson, who led Clemson to the US college football national title.
Jermaine Eluemunor, a 22-year-old Londoner, is also hoping to be chosen as an offensive tackle in the Draft. As this video shows, his unusual path to the NFL began when he watched the Dolphins play the Giants at Wembley on TV back in 2007.
Is this a big deal?
More than eight million viewers are expected to tune in to watch the event in the US - not bad for a group of people talking and not a single touchdown being thrown.
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There are usually plenty of talking points after the event as fans and pundits work out which teams landed a star and who were left with the also-rans.
- Published26 April 2017
- Published20 March 2017
