The first NFL draft was held in 1936, back when teams didn’t have scouting departments and names of players teams could recruit were written on a blackboard. Today, the process is much more complex. The 2014 NFL draft started yesterday, and until Saturday, teams will be camped out with statisticians, professional scouts and coaches trying to pick the best players to ensure their team has a chance at a good season next fall.
Nate Kaeding, former Iowa Hawkeye and kicker for the San Diego Chargers, says as a player, he anxiously watched the draft every year. "I was watching for one thing... to make sure they didn't draft another kicker."
Kaeding and Professor Jeff Ohlmann at the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa talk with host Ben Kieffer about the NLF draft from the player's perspective and the increasing importance of statistical analysis in professional sports.
