The NFL Draft and Evaluating Talent

What leaders can learn from common mistakes NFL teams make

Tonight is the NFL draft, an event I absolutely love. I can’t quite explain why I enjoy watching young men give Roger Goodell a full-body hug while lifting him off the ground while analysts tell us their backstory and analyze the decisions of sports franchises, but I like it.

You may not be an NFL junkie like me, but I do think there is a lot to learn from the way decisions are made on draft night. It’s a window into leadership. Some teams seem to always draft well, not only hitting on their first-round picks but finding gems in the later rounds. And other teams seem to continually flounder when they are on the clock (but enough about my Chicago Bears, who have new management and where hope once again springs eternal).

Why is this? I think there are leadership lessons here for us, regardless of where we lead.