NFL draft day: How teams legally collude to restrict draftees’ rights and choices

Sports leagues benefit from two technical points that allow collusion.

In August of 1944, a football player named E.J. McGroarty received a contract offer signed by Green Bay Packers icon Curly Lambeau to play for the Packers at $150 per game. He also got an allowance of $35 per week for living expenses, but only until the first game. The top 2024 National Football League pick is expected to ink a deal worth over $41 million. That pick belongs to the Chicago Bears and will likely be USC quarterback phenom Caleb Williams. But none of the league draft picks will have the right to dictate where he plays.

The NFL player draft is one of the most anticipated off-field sports events of the year. In Chicago, speculation over the Bears’ top 2024 pick has energized the local sports media since last season. However, instead of calling it draft day, it could be called NFL collusion day. All the major pro leagues do much the same thing, but the NFL version has more pomp, circumstances and anticipated impact.

The entire NFL first round is of interest because all teams have so many positions to fill, including several key backups. There are seven total rounds and all are meaningful, especially the first three or four rounds. The NBA draft can be exciting, too, especially if a generational player looms, but it only bothers to do two rounds. The widely anticipated NFL draft, however, offers the optimum impact, visibility and entertainment value. But why is such a draft even legal?