Daily Madden: What Happens To The Guys Who Don't Get Drafted?
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - There is a disappointing reality after the NFL draft every year. So many athletes with dreams of playing professional football don't get drafted. What becomes of them?
The end of the draft doesn't have to be the end of the line. There are plenty of post-draft stories of success - athletes who sign as free agents, for instance. Some may even have injuries or other issues that could keep them on the sidelines in the near future, but teams are willing to take them base don long-term promises of success on the field.
What other choice do teams have?
"Well, you know that's the thing, we don't have a developmental league anymore. Remember when we had that NFL Europe and there was a place to send them and now you have to kind of develop them on your own," John Madden told the KCBS Radio morning crew.
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"It's a tough thing to do because you do have to get the guy through waivers and then before you can put them on your practice squad or before someone else can pick them up, so that's always a chance that you take there," he added. "But remember years ago, there used to be over, each team had over 20 picks and then it went down to 12. I remember when it was 12, and now it's 7, so there's still a lot of guys there."
"When you get to that seventh pick, that seventh round and there are so many players in the country today that you have a lot of guys on your list that you would draft with that seventh pick, so what you do is when a draft is over or maybe even before the draft is over, you contact them and try and sign them right away," Madden said.
Listen to the John Madden segment live weekday mornings at 8:15 on KCBS All News 740 AM/106.9 FM.
