NFL Reportedly Could Expand Future Draft Invitations to Include Players for All 3 Days

The NFL may extend invitations to the draft for players who are projected to be selected later in the three-day process, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

"The NFL’s approach to filling up the green room at the draft could soon pivot to including players who will be waiting a while to be drafted," Florio wrote.

"There was a time when the league invited players who were expected to be hanging around beyond the first night. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, there’s a current appetite to expand the pool of invitations to players who aren’t expected to be picked until the third day, when rounds four through seven play out."

That would mark a stark contrast to the NFL's current process. This year, 17 players have accepted invitations to Green Bay for the draft. It's a star-studded list of players who won't be waiting long to hear their names called, including Miami quarterback Cam Ward, Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and Penn State edge-rusher Abdul Carter.

The latest B/R NFL mock draft has 16 of those 17 players being selected in the first round. The lone exception is Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, but he's slated to go 34th overall (No. 2 choice in the second round) to the New York Giants.

It's not entirely clear why the NFL would choose to go this route, especially considering some players could be waiting in that green room for quite some time. It hasn't been uncommon in the past for players to have long and lonely waits past Day 1 as other players around them find their new NFL homes.

On the other end, there are always great stories throughout the NFL draft classes every year as well as potential gems with big upsides. Of note, Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Bucky Irving, a fourth-round pick, just shined in year one with 1,514 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns.

We'll see down the road if the thought of expanding the green room pool has any legs. For now, the green room awaits those 17 highly touted prospects in Green Bay on April 24.