"Contrast that with, say, edge rusher - the average salary of the current five highest-paid players at that position is $42.5 million per year. If a team takes Arvell Reese or David Bailey in the top five, those prospects could create as much as $35 million in surplus value by emerging as Pro Bowl-level performers while on their rookie contracts. Downs is undoubtedly the best safety prospect in this class, and he was the best safety in college football over the past three years."
Caleb Downs reaching the Dallas Cowboys reflects how safety positional value can affect draft positioning. Teams prioritize roster construction by selecting players expected to produce surplus value beyond their rookie contracts. Downs has been a top-five prospect throughout the draft cycle and has been among the best safeties in college football since his true freshman year at Alabama. Despite that, his salary expectations differ from higher-paid positions. A top-five salary would still leave limited surplus value compared with the average of the highest-paid safeties. Edge rushers can produce much larger surplus value because their top-paid salaries are far higher. Justifying a high pick for Downs likely requires believing he is a rare, generational talent.
Read at Blogging The Boys
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]