Player draft is a league event in which teams take turns selecting players who are entering the league [1]. The order usually runs in reverse of the previous season’s results, so weaker teams pick first [2]. Leagues use it as a market mechanism meant to promote competitive balance [1]. The National Football League held its first draft in 1936 [2].
Key points
- Teams select entering players in turn, instead of every player bargaining with every team [1].
- In the NFL the team with the worst record picks first and the Super Bowl champion picks last [2].
- The purpose is competitive balance: the weakest team can, ideally, take the best available player [2][1].
- Teams often trade picks for other picks or players, which can weaken the balancing effect [1].
Origin
The modern draft comes from the NFL. Bert Bell proposed a draft in order to enhance the possibility of competitive parity on the field and so ensure the financial viability of all franchises [2]. The first draft began at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia on February 8, 1936, and the first player selected was Jay Berwanger [2]. Economists later studied the reverse-order-of-finish draft as a league tool; Leo Kahane’s 2006 chapter in the Handbook on the Economics of Sport is one example [3].
How it works in sports media
Each pick follows the same rule: the order is set by last season’s record [2]. The draft turns a hiring process into a public event with its own stories: who goes first, who falls, which team gets a future star. Rookies chosen in the draft arrive with an audience. One study of WNBA attendance found that 2024 rookie Caitlin Clark raised attendance by 7,900 fans at home games and 6,400 at away games [4]. Media coverage of draft night, scouting reports and mock drafts is also where a young player’s hype often starts, long before the first game.
Examples
- NFL draft: reverse order of the previous season’s record [2].
- Pick trading: a study of the NFL from 2002 to 2021 found that original draft currency does not affect the probability of reaching the playoffs, but final draft currency, after trades, does [1].
- WNBA draft: Caitlin Clark entered the league as a 2024 rookie; her effect on attendance is measured in the study above [4].
Common questions
What is a player draft?
It is an event where teams take turns choosing players who are entering a league [1].
Why does the worst team pick first?
The reverse order is meant to promote competitive balance [1], and Bell’s proposal aimed at the financial viability of all franchises [2].
Does the draft really create balance?
Not always. Research on the NFL found that the best team used draft-pick trades to remain among the strongest teams over two decades [1].
Related terms
- Competitive balance — how evenly matched a league’s teams are
- Scouting — how teams find and assess players before picking them
- Recruitment — the wider process of bringing players to a team
- Sports prospect — a young player expected to succeed at a higher level
- Player development — what happens to a player after the pick
- Superstar effect — the pull a star has on attendance and viewing
Read more on Play of Values
- Year of Caitlin Clark
- Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese: the WNBA rivalry
- Matas Buzelis and hope
- 2024 Sports Wrap
Sources
- Lapré, M. A., & Palazzolo, M. (2024). Does draft currency promote competitive balance? An empirical investigation of the National Football League 2002–2021. Journal of Sports Economics. https://doi.org/10.1177/15270025241264238
- Wikipedia. (2026). NFL draft. Wikimedia Foundation. Link
- Kahane, L. H. (2006). The reverse-order-of-finish draft in sports. In W. Andreff & S. Szymanski (Eds.), Handbook on the economics of sport. Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781847204073.00082
- Gnagey, M., & Koford, B. (2026). Superstar effects in the WNBA: Is Caitlin Clark the first WNBA superstar? Journal of Sports Economics. https://doi.org/10.1177/15270025261416426