The All-Mighty Draft

Is leaving college early really the best choice for young athletes? Or is it always going to be beneficial to stay an extra year?

The NBA and NFL drafts are some of the most sought after option for college players. Individual players try to reach for their peak playing ability for being in a college setting. But do the athletes have the power to reach their highest level of playing before their college career is over? Or is that last year something that will be always beneficial?

In the case of USC's Mark Sanchez, his decision to leave school after his Junior year was criticized by the masses, including his own coach Pete Carroll. Carroll said in an Los Angeles Times blog "One more year of running a team is almost priceless, so he lost the chance to fully prepare himself and become the very best he could be before going to the NFL."

If such a prominent coach in the college football realm said "one more year of running a team is almost priceless," then why are athletes in such a hurry to get into the pros?

The same case as Sanchez is happening with Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, except Griffin is only a Sophomore. Griffin's coach, Jeff Capel however, did not see the same problem as Carroll did with Sanchez. Capel said in a Yahoo Sports article "this is the right decision. In my mind, it's a no-brainer."

Griffin is a 6'10 251 pound forward who averaged 22.7 points alongside 14.4 rebounds. But Griffin will have the same problems matching up to the pros in the NBA as Sanchez will in the NFL. With players like Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett as possible match-ups for Griffin, he will have his work cut out for him.

There is one thing however, that the draft can do for college players--money. Playing in college offers the opportunity to enter the draft for a position on a professional team. Professional teams mean money, and even more money to number one draft picks.

It seems as though college athletes are getting more impatient as the years continue. Players are leaving after their sophomore year if they have a great collegiate season. Money is a very tempting thing and when agents are involved, who knows how much of the information about entering the draft is given to the players.

There is no way that staying the entirety of a college career can hurt a players chances in the pros. They get more experience and they are able to sharpen their skills even further. By going into the pros early, they are going to lack maturity and possibly the skills needed to compete with people who have been playing at the highest level for years.

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