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To no one's surprise, Miami has put its first pick of the draft on the auction block. Miami has no use for this pick, and can count itself lucky if it can trade it away for a pittance. Early picks in the draft, of late, have been a tremendous disadvantage to teams like Miami that have had a lot of rebuilding to get done. No one else wants the first pick too badly, so Miami will likely get stuck picking a cap liability that actually prevents it from building a solid foundation for a successful team. Other teams drafting in the top of the first round generally don't fare much better, either. So why does the NFL need to keep the draft structured the way it is now? Better yet, why does the NFL retain the draft at all?

Frankly, if I were a star athlete, I'd be bothered about the fact that I have very little to say about who my first employer out of college is going to be. A big-time running back might make a lot of money being the first pick of a team that was last in the league in rushing, but that star should consider his career might be going nowhere fast if that team's rushing woes were due to a nonexistent offensive line, and not the lack of a big-time back. All too many top picks in the NFL draft have been doomed with the label "bust" because they got signed to woeful teams that had no chance of utilizing the stars' talent. Draft busts, or busted by the draft? 

So often, too, we hear of teams picking "the best available athlete" when it comes to the draft. Obviously this strategy doesn't translate into filling needs on a team's roster. It is strictly a matter of a team not wanting to "waste" a pick by choosing a player who could be taken later in the draft. Silly, isn't it? A team may need a linebacker but picks an offensive guard because picking the linebacker could mean paying him more than what the draft gurus think he's worth.

So why not just eliminate the draft altogether? Why not let each player make his own deal with whatever team he sees fit? Let each team try to sign the players it needs, for the money it can spend? Would a no-draft system hurt anyone? The lowly teams drafting early? No. The players? No. The teams forced to draft unneeded players because they were the "best available?" No. The draft today only makes it easier for agents and teams to assign some value to a player, and somewhat put a price tag on the players' first contract. It reduces the transaction costs of signing players, somewhat, but that's ALL it does.

Would eliminating the draft help in any way? You bet your season tickets it would! Players out of college can try to sign on with teams that the players know could use their talents, or with teams they really want to play for. Grew up a Steelers fan? Great! Sign with the Steelers (at a discount if you want). Teams, too, could sign players whose skills are needed, and at the price the team could afford to pay. Need some help on the offensive line? Great: Sign the best guys you can afford instead of some pricey wide receiver who'll never reach his potential because the quarterback's knocked around on every play.

The NFL draft is a system that is no longer needed. It's simply a part of NFL lore that no one wants to get rid of because it's always been there. Eliminate the draft, and you'll see a much more efficient - and fair - NFL hiring process.