Daily Madden: Judge NFL Draftees Three Years From Now
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- NFL team managers are meeting this week with the players they picked up in the draft. "Everyone says 'how do you like your draft,'" John Madden told the KCBS Radio morning crew. "Right after you do your draft you like it. You have to ask that question three years from now... You really don't know what you have until you teach him what you want him to do in your system."
One high profile player, Johnny Manziel, has already been designated as a back-up quarterback this season. Why would Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam tell him that? "I have no idea, other than (Manziel) was getting so much publicity that he wanted to take some of the pressure off him," Madden said.
"I'm sure in (Haslam's) mind it was a positive thing," Madden said. "That's not the way you do it in a competitive situation. You don't name a guy either way. You let them play. See what you have."
Madden said many players who weren't drafted will still have a career in the NFL. "They have a better chance now than they've ever had in the history of the NFL," Madden said. "With the salary cap, when you have more guys up on top then you have to have more guys down on the bottom of the salary cap. In the last two years, there have been more rookies make the NFL than ever before in history. I don't know that there's really much of a difference between a fifth, sixth, seventh round draft choice and a top rookie free agent."
Daily Madden
Listen to the John Madden segment live weekday mornings at 8:15 on KCBS All News 740 AM/106.9 FM.
