NFL Draft Vs. US Political System

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Today, April 24, is the first day of the 2025 National Football League draft where each team takes turns in selecting a player for their team. Papers and talk shows have endlessly discussed which college players will be taken in the first round.

As I scan through the paper, I am struck by the analogies to our US political system as follows:

The football draft is preceded by the football “combine” where all prospects are collectively evaluated for their big league potential. Let’s call the combine the “primaries.”

• Players’ track records at their prior colleges/jobs are assessed and dissected. What was the player’s relevant experience and how did the player help their team?

• At the combine all players are put through a gamut of tests of athletic prowess, including speed, agility, footwork etc. Talent at golf is not one of the assessments.

• Aside from objective criteria, teams undertake a detailed assessment of the “intangibles” including the following:

• Review of any prior run-ins with the law, including felony convictions, assault allegations, misogynist comments and lying, both subtle and outright. Players are additionally dinged if they lack remorse or accountability.

• In general, convicted felons are not invited to the combine.

• Will the player abide by the NFL Personnel Conduct Policy? Discipline may be imposed for violations of the policy, and may include fines, suspension, or even termination.

• Is the player coachable? Is he willing to listen to the opinion of others?

• Does he understand the concept of “teamwork,” i.e. “there is no “I” in team?

• Is he respected by his teammates? Will the player be considered a “cancer in the clubhouse” and/or undermine team unity?

• While offense and defense are essentially two separate teams, players need to cross the aisle and be mutually supportive in order to reach common goals.

Players failing any the above criteria will fall into late round draft choices UNLESS the team is totally desperate and has the delusional notion that they can change/control the player’s personality once he gets into the warm embrace of their team culture.

Once the teams finish their overall combine assessment, they make a list of draft choices based on the gaps in their existing line-ups.

• Players selected in the first round receive the highest rookie contracts (plus a signing bonus).

• Rookie contracts are typically for five years and thus represent a considerable investment for the team, particularly if the pick is a “wash-out.”

• Early round picks focus on the “skill” positions, i.e., on the offense, it’s the quarterback and wide receiver, and on the defense, it’s the edge rusher and cornerback. These players are considered critical to the team’s success.

• There is a shortage of top-flight skill players in the 2025 draft. In this situation teams focus on the “best available talent” and hope that the player will hit his stride over the next couple of years.

• Teams choosing the “best available talent” may be seduced by someone who “looks good on paper.”

Teams ignoring the intangibles and obvious red flags (such as a felony conviction) do so at their own peril.

Once the football season starts, the draft selections of each team are vigorously debated.

• Any coach or team president who selects an immediate “wash out” is quickly fired and banished from the football community.

• Irate fans will switch allegiance to a different team (let’s hope).

As I survey the current political landscape I wonder how our primary “combine” system got it so wrong? Okay, I’ll admit the combine is not infallible. Occasional late round picks can emerge as stunning surprises, most notably Tom Brady who has seven super bowl rings. He was selected in the 6^th round of the 2000 draft, the 199^th pick. The current starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Brock Purdy, was the very last player chosen (262nd selection overall) in the 2022 draft, referred to as “Mr. Irrelevant.” Injury to the starting quarterback forced him into the lineup at which point he led his team to the 2024 Super Bowl. However, we can’t forget that football is a team sport and we can assume that Brady and Purdy were not playing with a clown car of supporting players and coaches.

Even admitting the possibility of unicorn exceptions, how could voters ignore that Trump would be an immediate “cancer in the clubhouse.” How could they ignore the vast array of intangible red flags? Actually his flaws do not fall into the category of “intangibles” and may even rise to the level of outright pathologies recognized by the medical profession. His freak flags wave freely and vigorously for everyone to see. Yes, maybe some justified their vote on “his good on paper” platform of reducing federal waste. (Who can be against that?) But in the absence of skill positions, how could Trump be considered the “best player available?”

I’m depressed and disheartened. I wish our system had the advantage of the NFL’s system of fines, suspensions or termination for violation of their Conduct Policy. There are also consequences of horrific draft choices – team owners can fire the management and trade the prospect (perhaps to the Canadian football league).¹ I can see only one advantage of our system. Mercifully our contract is limited to four years. The NFL’s standard five-year rookie contract is five years.

1. Just kidding. The Canadians would never take him.