With all the talk about players leaving college early to declare for the NFL draft, I decided to do some research about how draft position correlates to career length. I found the information linked below quite interesting. Based on this data, it appears that for players drafted outside the first four rounds, the odds are severely against them having a career longer than two years.

I wish all Hokie players nothing but the best in their future endeavors, athletically or professionally. But, I sure would like to see all VT athletes leave Blacksburg with a diploma. That piece of paper may come in handy just a few years down the road, even after a successful professional athletic career. The opportunity to receive a free college education is an incredibly rare one, and I just wish there was more emphasis put on captializing on that opportunity by our society. Instead, the draw of the NFL is always hovering in front of these players. NFL contracts seem like a sure way to be set for life, but for many, those contracts will never come to fruition.

I'm sure it's tough to consider failure as an option for a college player when thinking about the NFL. Most college players have probably been the best player on every team they've played for prior to arriving in college, and are probably supremely confident in their own abilities. That confidence goes hand in hand with being a successful athlete. But it seems that confidence can also cloud players' judgment when making a decision about declaring for the NFL draft.

Many players seem to view a poor talent evaluation as motivation to prove wrong their doubters. Some are able to do that, but unfortunately many simply aren't quite talented enough to stick on an NFL roster and see their careers fizzle out before they ever get started. I hate to see that happen to anyone who dreams of playing a professional sport, but I especially hate to see it happen to someone who also missed out on completing a college degree.
[Post edited by MP4VT2004 at 01/04/2018 3:30PM]