Here's how much money players lose when they fall in the NFL Draft
On the eve of the NFL Draft, players and agents are starting to jockey for position to be one of the top picks in the draft and cash in with a lucrative contract. This is immensely important because if a player slips in the draft, they stand to lose millions.
Last year's top pick, Jadeveon Clowney, signed a contract worth $22.3 million, while the 16th pick in the draft received a deal worth just $9.0 million. In addition, only the first 19 picks in last year's draft received contracts that were fully guaranteed.
Things really drop in the second round, where the average contract was worth about $4.4 million, according to Spotrac.com, but with only slightly more than half of that ($2.4 million) guaranteed. The value of third-round contracts drops to $2.9 million, but takes an even bigger hit in guaranteed value, with the average contract worth just $588,000 in guaranteed money.
