The NFL Draft and Web 2.0

I love the NFL. Let's get that right out there. The players, the personalities, the strategy, the matchups - it's an amazing game, and an amazing business. Having said that, I think the NFL is hanging onto tradition without reason, and it is hurting the franchise.

What am I talking about, you might ask? The league announced that the Rams, holders of the 2nd pick in this weekend's draft, could not negotiate with any plaers prior to their selection on draft day, even thought the Dolphins have already signed the 1st pick, offensive tackle Jake Long.

NFL draft weekend is an anachronism that needs to end. Why limit the negotiations? Let players start negotiating with teams as soon as they like. My understanding is that some of the owners are afraid of cutting down on the media coverage (and advertising opportunities) of NFL Draft if they allow negotiations outside the first pick before draft day.

I think the NFL is being shortchanged. for the draft, and so are the fans. I suggest allowing the process to start after the NFL Combine and run until the end of April. The league should cover the entire process, end to end, through a social network on nfl.com as part of NFL Network. Link in the NFL Network channel, mobile Internet, SMS, and other social networks, and you have daily coverage of the draft for weeks on end. That kind of highly targeted Web traffic (based on profiling all users of the social network) is worth gold to advertisiers. The NFL needs to make the Web 2.0 transition and build an emergent Web-based system around the draft, and the league in general. 

What's more, turning the draft into a multi-week saga will appeal to what fans really want - drama. The league is trying to attract more female fans, well here is the opportunity. The human drama, player by player, of the NFL Draft is more exciting than any contrived "reality" TV show. Let the fans experience what the players experience, up close and personal.