FanPost

Would you rather be taken 32nd, or 33rd?

With all of the talk about the draft, it made me think: From a players perspective, is it better to be taken with the 32nd overall pick (last pick in first round) or 33rd overall (first pick in second round). I've often wondered this question before. Most people would instantly just assume it would be better off to be drafted in the first round. More money, bigger contract/signing bonus, etc. The catch is this: the 5th year option. The 5th year option being accepted by a team isn't the worst thing in the world. It means the team likes you enough to keep you around for a little while longer despite carrying a cap hit much larger than the NFL minimum. The 5th year option is great if your a top 10 pick. However, for the 32nd overall pick, the option would not be that much in relation to what they could get on the open market.

So considering a team is willing to pick up that 5th year option, it can be assumed said player had a decent year. And said player was a first round pick, so it could be assumed the player is a quality starter and has been the past 4-5 seasons.

With that being said, if this player would have been with the 33rd overall pick he would be eligible for free agency. Probably at the prime age of 24-25. They would be in like for a lucrative contract. They would also be young enough where they could be in line for a SECOND contract, being so young for free agency the first time around.

Sure, the first rounder would have made much more money the years during the rookie contract. But that 5th year they could have a serious injury or down year, killing their contract value for the following year. They'll also be hitting free agency a year later.

Look at lav'eon bell. He's getting franchised tagged this year. If he was a first rounder, his option would have been exercised and then probably given the franchise tag after that. So he would have had to essentially wait 6 seasons before hitting free agency. After that time, he probably would find it difficult to find a long term contract given his past drug problems/injury history/overall usage. I'll go as far to say Bell is better off not having been a first rounder.

This is just my opinion on the 5th year option, I know it has nothing to do with the Jets but i'm curious to hear other people's thoughts on it.

This is a FanPost written by a registered member of this site. The views expressed here are those of the author alone and not those of anybody affiliated with Gang Green Nation or SB Nation.