First Overall Pick? Benefit or Hinderance?
 

Is owning the first overall pick a hindarance to your squad? or a benefit?

Most years, the first overall pick isn't that much better than the 5th pick - yet the perceived value is much greater. Perhaps it's being able to choose from the ENTIRE list, and not being limited by those ahead of you.

However, I think it's pretty clear that there's a huge risk for the top slots - teams too often rely on 'upside' instead of production. And that is where busts are born....

yes, and with the rookie salaries being insanely high, especially top 5, and top 10..IMO top pick should make what 10-15th picks are getting and then down and so on.

many teams get bogged down by high salaries and unproductive players of top picks

If the first pick turns out to be a bust, it kills most team's cap for a couple of years. If the first pick turns out to be a pro bowl player, of course it's a help. It's all about the odds of hitting on that pick.

Benefit if you trade it.

to me the power is, as just mentioned, by trading it.

acquiring extra picks, this is done w/ no research, but major trades always seem to benefit the team moving down in draft...(in first round)

Still, I think you've got equivalent odds of hitting a solid Pro Bowl level player through the top 15 picks, while not having the ridiculous cap burden and/or bust potential.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/alltimeno2

Compare 1's and 2's.

See the Giants and Chargers trade for Rivers and Eli for a perfect example of how trading it is a good thing.

falcons and chargers..vick/tomlinson

exactly.

the cowboys traded up to get emmit smith, but that was only up to 17th overall (or somewhere around there)

True. The Giants and Chargers trade though netted the Chargers 3 starters for the price of moving down 3 spots. Very good value there.

A smart team does not end up in the top 3 much and if they do they decide what is worth more to them, the player they could get (production over promise as mentioned) or the equity value of the pick to someone else.

IMO the teams that are HORRIBLE at this keep showing up in the top 5-10 year in and out.

I think more trading needs to go on in the NFL. IMO alot of teams pick the best player left other than the best player for what that team may need.(in the 1st round) In turn getting a player that does not pan out like that team hoped. Like in most #1 - 5 draft pick cases.

although, with recent events, i dont think NYG undoes the move, I'm pretty sure they're happy with Eli.

In most cases, I'd say it is more of a hinderance than a benefit, IMO. That is unless there is a clear cut #1 that someone would be willing to give up a lot to get. Most of the time, save a few exceptions, there isn't that one player out there.

This year looks like it is shaping up to be another one of those years where there won't be enough interest in trading up to #1 because there isn't a huge difference between #1 and say #5.

I think the easy solution is to create a cap on rookie contracts. Salaries and years. Decrease the salaries drastically, but also only allow them to sign, at most, a 4 year deal. Or something like that.