Quote:
Originally Posted by edslunch
One factor you left out is how big is the population of potential draftees? If there are twice as many kids playing competitive football vs. hockey then for the same distribution there will be twice as many elite players available in a football draft and players taken in later rounds if the NFL draft will tend to relatively closer to the elite level than the corresponding NHL picks simply because there are more better players.
I don't know how the draft eligible populations compare but wouldn't be surprised if the football population is much larger.
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Yes, that would definitely be a factor, but with the inclusion of European players, I doubt it is as great as you suggest (though I do not know).
Also, if there are more available prospects for NFL players, I think you would see more rounds of drafts, and you would also likely see more teams. In other words, these things tend to find their level.
Finally, unless you could demonstrate that the universe size is relatively consistent between the other three leagues, and that only the NHL is out of whack, then - again - the argument doesn't hold.