I have been beating this drum for a long, long time.
When you are picking a guy, especially in the 1st, it shouldn’t be looked at as drafting a player. It should be looked at as drafting 4-5 years of NFL production.
If you’re really getting absolutely nothing in years 1-3, you’re basically drafting 1-2 years of NFL production. Yeah, you could end up extending them, and we often do, but then you’re paying full market value. Rookie contracts are the best value in the NFL.
I'm not saying that every NFL draft pick needs to be NFL ready from day 1 but guys with a 3-4 year learning curve aren’t efficient investments in the 1st round.