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The NFL currently rewards the worst team in the league with the first overall pick in the draft, but should the league consider a playoff for the first overall pick?
Former Dallas Cowboys fullback and USFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston explained that a rule change was put into place in the league to guarantee that both the Michigan Panthers and Pittsburgh Maulers would play to win their final game of the season.
“We’ve got an unusual situation in our final week of the regular season in the USFL. The 1-8 Michigan Panthers are playing the 1-8 Pittsburgh Maulers. Under normal circumstances, the loser of this game would be awarded the first draft pick in the upcoming draft. But we’re going to change the rules right here, so this weekend whoever wins the game actually gets not only the first pick in the 2023 draft but the first pick in every round of the 2023 draft.”
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Tanking has gained renewed exploration in the league since former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and his claim that owner Stephen Ross wanted him to lose games on purpose in order to acquire better draft picks.
It could be something that the league could look into. Encouraging losing games at the end of the season leads to plenty of terrible football matches on the field between two teams that have no shot at making the postseason.
What happens if the NFL changes the rule for top Draft pick?
If the league, as an alternative, modified its draft order so that the team out of playoff contention that won the most games after being statistically eliminated from the playoffs got the first overall pick, it would be very interesting.
Games played towards the end between the losing teams would have more meaning, and will be a lot more fun to watch.
This alternative could be interesting as the league is now playing a 17-game schedule, adding another playoff spot in both the AFC and NFC. Without question, there were more impactful games last season than in seasons past.
We’ll see if the league does add the incentive that the USFL has, sometime in the future.
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