The fact that it will be televised during primetime tonight is both indicative of, and responsible for, the surge in popularity of the NFL Draft.
While professional football fans watch to see which top college players their favorite team will land, there's another segment of the football population paying close attention to the draft: top high school recruits.
Many of the nation's most coveted high school players pay close attention to the draft for reasons most fans watching never have to consider: Are the colleges recruiting them successful at producing NFL draft picks?
Schools with top projected draft picks often know how to leverage that status with recruits.
Watching the NFL Draft is an annual
tradition for Cyler Miles.
Photo by Paul DiSalvo
"Colleges assume that most recruits want to play in the league, and I think that's true for a majority of recruits," said
Mullen (Denver) quarterback
Cyler Miles, the nation's No. 70 recruit, with offers from Colorado, Washington, Clemson, Notre Dame and others.
The NFL Draft provides tremendous free advertising for colleges, as it is impossible to pay for the groundswell of hype and attention that a school receives when one of its players is expected to be a top pick. It's not fleeting, either; schools often refer back to their track record of producing draft picks through the years.
With the first round of the draft set to get underway tonight, MaxPreps contacted several top recruits to find out how closely they'd be paying attention to the NFL Draft and what kind of factor it has been in their recruitment.
Q: Do you plan to follow the NFL Draft this year?"Yes, every year. I love the draft. Every time it comes on, I'm gathered in front of the TV." Cyler Miles
"I'm probably going to be home watching it. I'll probably watch the first round intensely and then just see who the Redskins pick up after that."
Devin Fuller, QB,
Northern Valley (Old Tappan, N.J.)"Yes indeed."
Jameis Winston, QB,
Hueytown (Ala.)"No, not really."
Reggie Ragland, LB,
Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.) (committed to Alabama)
Reggie Ragland was impressed by
Alabama's long list of NFL stars.
Photo by Cecil Copeland
"It's very important. It shows me The Ohio State can get players ready and it shows that they send a lot [of players] to the pros."
Bri'onte Dunn, RB,
GlenOak (Canton, Ohio)*
"Not as important [as other factors] because it's the player's performance, too." Jameis Winston
"It definitely does factor in a lot, because I do want to be in the NFL. I definitely want to be sure that the school can produce linemen, has a coach that is seasoned, and has seen a lot of NFL linemen go through the program."
Josh Garnett, OL,
Puyallup (Wash.)"It's not too high, but it's definitely not low. I'd say in the middle, because if you're good enough, you're always going to get noticed."
Vincent Valentine, DL,
Edwardsville (Ill.)"Being a top draft pick is nice, but I'm seeing what's on the rise, making my name big somewhere where it's not already huge. That would be optimal for me." Devin Fuller
Q: Which colleges use their ability to produce top draft picks to their advantage in recruiting pitches?"Florida and Penn State, mostly those schools. They didn't hammer it, just mentioned it." Devin Fuller
"Alabama had this wall with all the people who played in the pros from Alabama. I was like ‘Wow, I want to be on that wall one day.'" Reggie Ragland
"Florida and Nebraska." Vincent Valentine
"Florida does that a lot. They'll send me a DVD of players they have in the Hall of Fame, and some of their letters will tell me how many players per year will go to the draft. Florida is real big on that." Cyler Miles
"I definitely know which colleges can say that and which can't. You can tell which schools have the powerhouse linemen, like Nebraska. It definitely makes a difference." Josh Garnett
*Dunn has since reopened his recruitment.
