In A Salary Cap League, The NFL Draft Order Should Be Random

Do fans enjoy it when their favorite team tanks? I doubt it. Even given the promise of a No. 1 draft pick, the talent stock varies from year to year. Some drafts yield an Andrew Luck, while others stick your team with Tim Couch.

That leads me to asking another question: Why on earth should we reward NFL teams for their incompetence?

The 2015 No. 1 pick goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the second most-recent team to overpay Josh McCown. Largely due to this idiocy, the Bucs now get a redemptive shot at either Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota. For those of you against NFL socialism, this should peeve you just a tad.

Yes, I know that it wouldn’t necessarily be fair to give the Super Bowl champion the No. 1 overall pick. But guess what? The New England Patriots will draft last in 2015 and will probably make the AFC Championship once again in 2016. So does it even matter? Good organizations will continue to make sound decisions, regardless of draft order.

I propose a plan that’s been long proposed for the NBA — an NFL “Draft Wheel.” Each team gets a spot, and commissioner Roger Goodell gives it the first spin (as conspiracy theories spawn across the internet). Wherever the indicator settles, the team representing the chosen partition will be given the first pick. The other 31 teams are chosen by additional spins, or mathematical formulae.

Now here’s the biggest caveat: When a team lands the No. 1 pick, they are prohibited from future No. 1 picks (excluding trades) for a set period of time — could be five seasons, 10 seasons, or any other set interval. Therefore no more back-to-back tankings for loyal fans to endure.

It’s win-win for teams, fans, players and coaches. A coach on the hot seat isn’t forced to pull back and a prospective star-athlete’s future isn’t dictated by a poorly-run organization. Although it’s just a proposal, if not the crude beginnings of a blueprint, why shouldn’t progressive NFL minds give this possible overhaul cursory consideration?

Jerry Landry is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Jerry on Twitter at @Jerry2Landry, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on Google.