Word about a new postseason all-star game spread today, but this one has a twist.
NFLPA Collegiate Bowl could lead to culture shift in NFL Draft process
The AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl will be held on Jan. 21 in Los Angeles. The twist is that any draft-eligible players will be able to participate. Games like the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Game have previously only been for seniors only.
“Who are we to deny him his livelihood? If juniors are giving up their eligibility and are past the point of return, they are draft eligible and we will invite them to play in the game,” NFLPA assistant executive director Clark Gaines told ESPNLosAngeles.com.
If the NFLPA game becomes an annual event, it could be a culture shift in the NFL Draft process. Some non-seniors, due to varying circumstances, are forced to enter the draft. Some guys might need the money. Some guys just might not be good at school. Who knows. But every year you see players enter the draft early when they probably shouldn’t. If they’re able to participate in an offseason game like this (and the more important practices), it would greatly increase their chance to make it in the NFL. Knowing this game exists could also be reason enough for some juniors and redshirt sophomores to lean more toward going pro.Whether or not the NFL would want to have a relationship with the NFLPA game is another question. In the past, NFL executives have said they don’t want a postseason all-star to negatively impact the college game.
“The NFL never wants to abuse its relationship with the colleges,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said at the Senior Bowl last year. “Colleges open their doors on a daily basis all season long for scouts to come in, and I think if there were some kind of showcase that pushed more juniors to leave early, I think the NFL would be very much against it.”
Really, it will just be a matter of the game becoming popular enough for it to remain a yearly event. The game could be popular locally in year one if a glut of Southern California juniors enter the draft, as expected. That could include non-seniors Matt Barkley (QB), Matt Kalil (OT), Nick Perry (DE) and T.J. McDonald (S). With such a large amount of local stars, it could bring out a bigger crowd. And with that kind of talent on hand, NFL teams may not be able to stay away. Both of those reasons could lead to the game snowballing in popularity.
Of course, securing television rights will be another important step in the process. Given how closely the NFL Network works with the Senior Bowl, it’s unlikely that could be an avenue for the NFLPA game. There is also the issue of securing sponsorship money, an area where some postseason games have struggled of late.
But if everything goes in the favor of the NFLPA game, and the other all-star games continue to only allow seniors, it’s hard to see how it won’t build into a success.
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