How Changing The Draft Could Stop Tanking

Debating the concept of sitting the starters for the last game which became a hot topic this year. I've head some suggestions for creating incentive to win. Give more credit for home-field advantage to late season wins, giving an extra 4th rounder in the draft or money to the winning teams.

But I thought of one so crazy it just might work. Give the first pick of the draft based on regular season wins.

Why should we reward bad behavior of losing teams by giving them the first picks? . Give the team with the most win the first pick!

Why would this work?

The bad teams don't know what to do with their picks anyway. They are usually bad because the don't know how to research and develop players.They use the picks to create buzz instead of building the team which just leads to busts. If they had to pick lower they would be more careful with their picks. They would have to fill needs. Because of not having to waste money on rookies who might take years to develop they would be able to invest in free agent veterans who are a known quantity and would have more immediate impact.

The other thing is that this would create a practical rookie cap. Good teams, Superbowl teams have buzz so don't need the draft to create buzz. They will draft guys that who can help them instead of drafting trophy QB's. They can't be held hostage by a rookie because they have a good team and they have the leverage of being a sure fire competitor. They also usually don't need a QB and if they pick one he will sit behind a master, making for less rookie QB's getting thrown unprepared into the fire. Top QB's could fall to middle of the pack teams who could use a good QB but also protect him. More Joe Flacco and less Ryan Leaf.

Rewarding winners will also offset the players good teams lose to free agency. There would be more value to trades for draft picks because if a trade makes the team better the team that traded a player for a draft pick gets more reward. Organizations would have very good incentive not to tank the last games of the season because they have to weigh the balance of losing a shot at the Superbowl with help next year for another run.

An extra 4th rounder won't get any attention but the first pick in the draft and you are going to tank that away? Meaningless games between winless team will have a little interest now that something is on the line. No chance of intentionally dropping the last few of a winless season to get a good player as a reward.

I don't worry about the competition falling off. College football is competitive even though the big schools get most of the recruits. Anyway at least Detroit would have an excuse for stinking up the NFL for the last 50 years.