Polian Suggests Rookie Wage Scale to Spur More Upper First-Round Trades

INDIANAPOLIS--How tough is it to trade a high first-round draft pick these days?

Just ask Indianapolis Colts President Bill Polian.

"Trades are really a unique thing in the first round any more," Polian said Sunday, "because of the cost [of rookie players' contracts] in the top 10.... Now you're in the position that you say, 'If I'm in the top 15 and I'm looking at paying $30 million, how much more am I willing to give up [to trade for a higher pick]?' And if you're wrong on that pick, you're saddled with an albatross on your franchise for who knows how long.... It's completely changed because of the cost of the picks. And in my view, that's wrong."

Polian suggested that the NFL implement some sort of mechanism to slow the escalation of salaries for the rookies chosen with the draft's early picks.

By Mark Maske |  February 25, 2008; 11:58 AM ET  | Category:  Colts , Draft
Previous: McFadden Dazzles | Next: D. Smith to Chargers

The comments to this entry are closed.