In the NBA, the draft lottery is an annual event, the worst team of the season does not automatically get the first pick in the draft. This should become an issue for the NFL as well. One comment.

The San Antonio Spurs have hit the jackpot – literally.

In the NBA’s annual draft lottery, the Texans got the right to the first pick in the upcoming talent draft and are now very likely to get French standout Victor Wembanyama. And this despite the fact that they were not the worst team in the past season.

Unlike in the NFL, the first-round picks in the NBA are not allocated strictly according to the record of the season, but by drawing lots. A system that should also be adopted by the Football League!

The process is not left entirely to chance in the NBA either. The lottery is held every year exclusively between those teams that did not make the playoffs. And by means of a system that is certainly simple for amateur stochastics (most definitely!), it is ensured that the chances of getting the first pick become greater and greater the worse the team’s record was in the previous season.

However, there is no guarantee that the worst team will also get the first pick. So it’s not really worth deliberately losing out for the draft order over the course of the season – and especially at the end. The technical term for this is: Tanking.

Tanking in the NFL: not in the spirit of the sport

But that’s exactly what’s always a problem in the NFL. Teams that give up early in the season in order to be allowed to pick as early as possible in the draft. That’s not very attractive for the fans. Who likes to come to the stadium when they know their team is going to lose anyway?

On the last game day of the last NFL season, the absurdity of the system was particularly on display. The Houston Texans were on course for the first pick before their last game, but won – and were ultimately laughed at and declared stupid.

Because the first pick was gone, the Chicago Bears and later the Carolina Panthers thanked them. The Texans were punished because they lived sportsmanship. Yes, even in the billion-dollar business of the NFL, sport should still play a role.

A similar thing happened to the New York Jets two years earlier, when a late-season win sent a first-round pick they thought was safe to the Jacksonville Jaguars. They drafted quarterback Trevor Lawrence, leaving Zach Wilson for the Jets. A sports league that rewards losing on purpose has symptoms of schizophrenia.

pic.twitter.com/4g5HPb6VrE

– Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) May 12, 2023

Draft system has proven itself in US sports

But at the same time, the draft is always a chance for bad teams to become competitive again in the long run by making early (and good) picks.

That’s a secret to success in US sports, where years of division into serial champions and cellar-dwellers is quite successfully prevented by this system. The Jets are suddenly a playoff contender, and the Jaguars are also in a much better position.

So how should you establish a draft system and give the worse teams an advantage without trampling on sportsmanship? The NBA shows the way, but the NFL can also take a slightly adapted path.

For example, it is not a given that all teams that missed the playoffs have to participate in the lottery.

Let’s imagine a fictional scenario: The Philadelphia Eagles, the team with possibly the best squad in the entire league, play a season far below their potential. Before that, Jalen Hurts is injured on a private trip and is no longer available.

The super-GAU occurs: The Eagles narrowly miss the playoffs. The lottery takes place, the Eagles actually only have a slim chance of getting the first pick – and actually have luck goddess Fortuna on their side and get the first pick.

The 2023 NBADraftLottery presented by State Farm saw the @spurs get the 1 pick! See how the rest of the lottery shook out

Don’t miss the 2023 NBADraft presented by State Farm on June 22nd at 8pm/et on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/9jQbQ7OmIt

– NBA Draft (@NBADraft) May 17, 2023

NFL should not copy NBA

A team that already has a strong roster but has executed poorly on its own opportunities is rewarded for its own ineptitude and can further strengthen its already premium squad. Is that fair?

It would therefore be possible to have a version of the Lottery adapted to NFL conditions. For example, that it only takes place with the four worst teams of the season. There would be no reason to lose on purpose, while at the same time ensuring that the first pick really only goes to a team that needs it.

In any case, it is surprising that the NFL, of all places, which turns every event into a huge show, has not already taken this step. The draft is already an experience every year; an additional lottery would be a great sell and would add extra spice.

That entertainment, coupled with the prospect of a season played out to the end in the spirit of the sport, would be the big draw for fans.