2018 NFL Roster Construction

Yesterday we took a look at how much teams are spending on their rosters in 2018 and today we will look at the makeup of the rosters by draft status. In general teams that have more first round type of players are generally considered the teams with more potential though we all know that stars are found in every round of the draft, and many times even go undrafted. So lets look at the numbers.

Breakdown by Current Contract Status

CategoryPlayersValueAvg/Player
Drafted36.3%$957,355,352$1,346,491
UFA20.0%$1,889,218,613$4,831,761
SFA- Rookie12.6%$139,306,034$566,285
Extension10.9%$1,900,319,058$8,921,686
UDFA8.7%$96,355,502$563,482
SFA- Veteran5.4%$234,178,332$2,230,270
ERFA3.1%$36,795,000$613,250
RFAs1.3%$58,995,000$2,269,038
Renegotiated1.0%$109,012,706$5,737,511
Fran/Trans0.9%$230,833,666$13,578,451

Well it is certainly a young man’s game in the NFL. About 62% of NFL teams are made up of players who are on a rookie controlled contract. Those numbers are important because it keeps costs low for teams. The average rookie contract averages just $1.06 million per year compared to $5.85 million per veteran.

The majority of players in the NFL are operating on a rookie contract that came in the slotted NFL draft. That can date back as far as 2014 though most are from 2015 onward. The second largest category are those who signed contracts following the expiration of this last contract. I consider these players UFAs even if they technically signed extensions in February and didn’t hit free agency.  Our undrafted types make up the third category (most rookie street signings are undrafteds) and then we move into the extension categories.

I think one of the fair points to contend with in the next CBA are rookie salaries and perhaps tying them to increases in the cap. For example the salary cap has risen about 47% since the new CBA was signed, yet undrafted contracts’ values have risen by 22.6%. They aren’t the only ones either as some the later rounds of the draft, where 25% rules are not maximized and bonuses are low, are also only seeing 20% raises. The top 3 rounds more or less keep up with cap inflation. This can lead to big savings for the owners in the NFL and pinch those lower veterans. Its possible the savings go into extensions but Id be pretty sure that they are not helping the $1-$2M type player stay in the NFL. Its just too cheap to keep the rookies.

The second takeaway I had here deals with the Raiders and the trap that so many are falling into with the concept of hoarding cap space. Hoarding cap space to save for paying your young players is fine. Saving it for the thought of free agent returns is fools gold. While unrestricted free agency certainly has some gems look at the numbers on the UFA and veteran Street contract compared to the contract extension. That speaks volumes to the type of player who plays his contract out and enters the market.

Now if you don’t believe that a player like Khalil Mack is worth the contract that’s fine but to go with the logic that you need to build a team and can spread it around elsewhere, then answer the question on who?  In a perfect world where tons of players hit free agency that may be the right play, but in the NFL work where the top players ae never available who are you spending it one?  Four $4M players?  That wont give the production. Do they have two or three building block guys that need extensions soon?  Probably not. The reality is we aren’t at a time when you can get your hands on higher quality players in free agency which is why teams never let those players go.

Where is the NFL finding talent

About 68% of NFL players come via the draft with 32% of players being undrafted.  The low cost of those undrafteds really stands out here and helps those teams fill rosters each year.

Draft RoundAnnual Contract Value% of NFL RostersAvg. Contract Per Player
UDFA$943,209,73532.2%$1,494,786
1$1,969,778,69414.5%$6,935,840
2$914,190,96510.8%$4,332,659
3$634,315,71910.4%$3,124,708
4$398,212,0779.9%$2,052,640
5$357,629,7238.9%$2,055,343
6$285,537,8988.2%$1,784,612
7$149,494,4525.2%$1,465,632

I had posted these numbers yesterday on Twitter and got a lot of feedback about how this doesn’t tell the whole story of undrafted roles, which is accurate. It is afterall cheap labor. But one of the ways we can look at it is to see who in the NFL has earned a second contract and how much they are earning. That takes the pure draft status out of the equation since they have proven enough to move to the more expensive veteran class.  Here is the breakdown by round of just the veteran players as well as the average value of the top 32 veterans from each group.

Draft Round% of NFL rostersAnnual Contract ValueAvg Contract Per PlayerTop 32 Avg. Contract
UDFA27.1%$667,703,366$3,305,462$8,543,583
119.9%$1,492,993,847$10,087,796$19,535,198
213.2%$763,714,283$7,793,003$13,719,135
311.0%$532,310,911$6,491,596$11,256,930
49.7%$308,475,833$4,284,387$7,633,073
58.3%$284,563,402$4,589,732$7,353,385
66.6%$208,599,066$4,257,124$5,945,752
74.3%$105,201,667$3,287,552$3,287,552

This should give us a better idea of a few things. First of all the decline in UDFA and 5th-7th round percentages should probably give us a good idea of how many players are being kept in the NFL because they are cheap versus their performance. Those are arguably the roster spots being taken up for the lower level veteran that can still play but cant find a job.

The UDFA player is more or less on par, salary wise, with the 7th round talent which makes some sense. However there is more variability in that number as the top players who were UDFAs have an average contract of $8.5M a year. So there are plenty of high level players slipping through the cracks of the draft. Finding them isn’t easy but the punchers chance of finding a high level talent is as good as in the 4th and higher rounds.

The first round talent stands out here with the massive paydays but again I can see the logic in the Bears trade when looking at this. The average draft pick in the first round, who remains in the NFL, is earning around $10 million a year. To find a Mack you are going to have to likely land, after factoring in cuts who just don’t make it, in the top 15% of all 1st round selections to come close to the same player. Do two good players and the difference in savings for one of those UFA veterans make it work out in the Raiders favor? Maybe but its hard to see it more than a breaking even range.

Team Roster Construction: Contract Type

The Bengals, Packers, Ravens, Rams, and 49ers all have over 43% of their roster from players on their original draft contract while the Raiders, Saints, Titans, Cardinals, Patriots and Bills are under 31%.

The Jets, Bills, Titans, and Raiders are all over 30% UFA contracts. That’s indicative of poor drafting and dragging your feet on extensions. At the bottom of the list are the Cowboys, Packers, Vikings, Cardinals and Bengals. These teams are strong on extensions and have somewhat minimized trips into free agency while focusing instead on draft development.

The top teams with players on extensions are the Patriots, Falcons, Steelers, Cowboys, and Eagles. The Cowboys are the odd man out here but there others are all in a “mature” phase with their roster in that the core is set up for some time. The Jets are the only team without a true extended contract on the roster which says something about their drafting. The Bills, Colts, and Raiders also have few. These are the worst drafting teams in the NFL.

Not surprisingly the Raiders top the list of street free agents who are veterans. They were enamored this offseason by names from the past. The Cardinals, Lions, and Bills all rank high there as well. Each were tight with the cap and that may have played a role. The Jaguars didn’t even touch any of the cuts.

Finally the teams filling out the rosters with the most cheap talent (UDFA and street rookies) are the Colts, Giants and Vikings, all over 30%. The Jets were the only team under 10% while the Packers, Lions, and Falcons were under 15%.

TeamDraftedUFAExtensionUDFASFA VetSFA RookERFARFAReneg.Franchise
Bengals50.8%13.1%13.1%6.6%1.6%13.1%0.0%0.0%0.0%1.6%
Packers47.5%11.9%11.9%8.5%8.5%5.1%6.8%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Ravens46.3%13.4%9.0%16.4%3.0%3.0%7.5%0.0%0.0%1.5%
Rams43.8%15.6%9.4%4.7%4.7%12.5%4.7%1.6%1.6%1.6%
49ers43.3%21.7%8.3%6.7%8.3%8.3%1.7%0.0%1.7%0.0%
Dolphins41.1%21.4%14.3%7.1%3.6%8.9%3.6%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Falcons40.4%21.2%19.2%5.8%3.8%5.8%0.0%1.9%1.9%0.0%
Cowboys39.3%8.2%16.4%3.3%4.9%23.0%0.0%1.6%1.6%1.6%
Lions38.6%22.8%10.5%1.8%10.5%10.5%1.8%1.8%0.0%1.8%
Texans37.9%20.7%12.1%13.8%6.9%6.9%0.0%1.7%0.0%0.0%
Jets37.9%37.9%0.0%3.4%3.4%5.2%5.2%6.9%0.0%0.0%
Browns37.3%20.3%8.5%8.5%5.1%15.3%1.7%0.0%1.7%1.7%
Broncos36.9%13.8%7.7%6.2%4.6%13.8%10.8%3.1%0.0%3.1%
Redskins36.1%21.3%13.1%8.2%3.3%14.8%0.0%1.6%1.6%0.0%
Buccaneers35.9%17.2%10.9%7.8%6.3%15.6%1.6%3.1%0.0%1.6%
Colts35.6%13.7%4.1%11.0%6.8%23.3%5.5%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Bears35.6%28.8%6.8%6.8%3.4%13.6%0.0%3.4%0.0%1.7%
Chargers35.6%18.6%6.8%13.6%5.1%13.6%0.0%3.4%1.7%1.7%
Eagles35.5%16.1%16.1%6.5%3.2%17.7%0.0%0.0%4.8%0.0%
Seahawks34.8%18.2%13.6%10.6%6.1%7.6%6.1%3.0%0.0%0.0%
Jaguars33.9%24.2%11.3%11.3%0.0%16.1%1.6%1.6%0.0%0.0%
Chiefs32.3%17.7%14.5%14.5%3.2%11.3%4.8%0.0%0.0%1.6%
Steelers31.8%13.6%18.2%6.1%3.0%15.2%7.6%3.0%0.0%1.5%
Vikings31.8%12.1%15.2%15.2%1.5%16.7%3.0%3.0%1.5%0.0%
Panthers31.7%23.8%12.7%4.8%7.9%12.7%4.8%0.0%0.0%1.6%
Giants31.7%20.6%6.3%14.3%6.3%19.0%1.6%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Bills30.9%34.5%3.6%3.6%9.1%12.7%3.6%0.0%0.0%1.8%
Patriots30.6%21.0%22.6%9.7%3.2%8.1%0.0%0.0%3.2%1.6%
Titans30.5%33.9%8.5%8.5%5.1%10.2%0.0%1.7%1.7%0.0%
Cardinals29.5%13.1%6.6%9.8%11.5%18.0%4.9%0.0%4.9%1.6%
Saints28.8%23.7%11.9%15.3%6.8%11.9%1.7%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Raiders28.3%31.7%5.0%6.7%11.7%8.3%5.0%0.0%3.3%0.0%

Team Roster Construction: Draft Status

Finally we look at where the players were drafted on each team. Many of these players are still on a rookie contract but many are not.

If everyone played up to expectations of their draft the teams that should be the best this year are the Raiders, Falcons, Saints, Steelers, and Packers. Of course the Raiders are a bunch of old men but if you just blindly look at where the players were drafted they have amassed a talented group. Is that talent still there?  Most would say no. Teams like the Chargers and Redskins would be the other teams with high top 3 round investments.

The surprising one is probably the Vikings who have a lot invested in the roster and have found some of those top tier players in the lower portions of the draft, perhaps not that different than Seattle years ago. If you look at where everyone came from on the team you would not expect much but they are clearly a super bowl contender.

The other teams who need players to play above their draft level are the Colts, who you can argue have the least talented group in the NFL, the Jets, Lions, Bills, and Bears among others.

TeamUndrafted1st Round2nd Round3rd Round4th Round5th Round6th Round7th Round
Cardinals39.3%21.3%6.6%9.8%6.6%4.9%8.2%3.3%
Saints35.6%18.6%11.9%15.3%5.1%6.8%1.7%5.1%
Raiders26.7%18.3%15.0%13.3%8.3%11.7%5.0%1.7%
Steelers34.8%18.2%13.6%10.6%7.6%6.1%7.6%1.5%
Panthers36.5%17.5%14.3%3.2%9.5%7.9%4.8%6.3%
Falcons23.1%17.3%13.5%15.4%7.7%9.6%11.5%1.9%
Texans25.9%17.2%5.2%12.1%13.8%6.9%13.8%5.2%
Chargers32.2%16.9%10.2%11.9%6.8%10.2%8.5%3.4%
Titans32.2%16.9%8.5%10.2%5.1%15.3%5.1%6.8%
Redskins24.6%16.4%9.8%13.1%8.2%9.8%11.5%6.6%
Eagles29.0%16.1%11.3%11.3%9.7%12.9%6.5%3.2%
Patriots25.8%16.1%9.7%9.7%9.7%6.5%12.9%9.7%
Rams29.7%15.6%9.4%7.8%10.9%4.7%15.6%6.3%
Packers25.4%15.3%15.3%8.5%15.3%11.9%5.1%3.4%
49ers23.3%15.0%6.7%13.3%6.7%10.0%11.7%13.3%
Ravens31.3%14.9%6.0%10.4%16.4%9.0%10.4%1.5%
Cowboys36.1%14.8%9.8%9.8%14.8%1.6%9.8%3.3%
Bills34.5%14.5%9.1%7.3%9.1%16.4%5.5%3.6%
Giants41.3%14.3%12.7%11.1%9.5%3.2%6.3%1.6%
Dolphins28.6%14.3%12.5%8.9%12.5%8.9%12.5%1.8%
Bears32.2%13.6%10.2%3.4%13.6%10.2%10.2%6.8%
Browns27.1%13.6%15.3%8.5%15.3%5.1%8.5%6.8%
Bengals21.3%13.1%13.1%11.5%14.8%9.8%6.6%9.8%
Vikings42.4%12.1%9.1%3.0%7.6%12.1%6.1%7.6%
Seahawks30.3%12.1%9.1%13.6%9.1%10.6%7.6%7.6%
Jaguars43.5%11.3%11.3%11.3%3.2%9.7%3.2%6.5%
Buccaneers40.6%10.9%17.2%9.4%6.3%6.3%4.7%4.7%
Broncos38.5%10.8%9.2%10.8%7.7%10.8%9.2%3.1%
Lions28.1%10.5%12.3%7.0%15.8%14.0%7.0%5.3%
Jets29.3%10.3%3.4%20.7%10.3%6.9%10.3%8.6%
Chiefs35.5%9.7%12.9%16.1%8.1%6.5%8.1%3.2%
Colts39.7%8.2%11.0%5.5%12.3%9.6%6.8%6.8%
Summary
2018 NFL Roster Construction
Article Name
2018 NFL Roster Construction
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How do teams build their rosters in the NFL? We look at each team by draft round and contract type to set expectations for the 2018 season
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Over the Cap
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