Roger Goodell at the 2009 Draft
While most teams in the NFL have all available players listed on their draft board, some teams carry as few as 25.
25 players out of the entire collegiate draft. That is remarkable. That is also exactly what Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots did one year according to Jeff Legwold of the Denver Post.
The Patriots and the Denver Broncos only list players on their draft board who they feel will benefit the team instead of taking the “best available” approach to their selections.
They call this their “short board.”
“We want the players on our board that we want on our team — that’s the goal,” Denver coach Josh McDaniels said. “It’s the process we go through to make the best decisions, both short- and long-term for our team.”
This year’s NFL Draft is spread out over the course of three days — April 22-24.