by Matt Fischer
One of the biggest NFL scandals in recent history could have been capitalized on by the league to create a one of a kind event that would have generated additional revenue and added even more drama to an event that seems to grow in popularity year after year.
When the NFL stripped the Patriots of their first round pick, it could have created the 2016 NFL Draft Lottery and rewarded the pick to the NFL team that wins the lottery.
Imagine an hour before the 2016 NFL Draft, the NFL Network could air a lottery that awards the other 31 NFL teams the pick that originally belonged to the Patriots. This further punishes the Patriots as an additional player would be selected prior to their first selection in the 2016 draft.
31 ping pong balls are loaded in the hopper each with a different team’s logo on it and millions of fans watch hoping their team wins the 32nd pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. As the winning team sees their ping pong ball pop up, a flurry of activity ensues. Team strategies will change. More trades are likely to happen. Fans will be even more engaged. Additional sponsorship opportunities are generated for the NFL.
This then leads to filling an hour with speculation as to potential trades and who the 32nd pick will be. Could the Rams get back a pick they traded to the Titans to move up to #1? Would the Chiefs package picks 28 and 32 to move up into the top 20?
Just for fun, I held a lottery on my own and the 32nd pick…in the 2016 NFL Draft…goes to…the Detroit Lions. What would the Lions do with picks 11 and 32? Do they add 2 players or try to move up into the top 5? We won’t know because the NFL missed an opportunity for an epic draft lottery.
Check out our 2016 NFL Mock Draft and get our predictions for every first round pick.
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