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What you said about relative salaries of NFL picks vs. those of scientists and engineers may be exaggerated and overgeneralized to some extent, and of course, neglects to mention that careers in professional football are much, much, shorter than careers in the sciences as a general rule.

It may not break your heart that these athletes can't choose their employer, but it should at least concern anyone who is an advocate of free market economics.

Not to advocate specifically for the players, but I should point out that not all of these NFL draftees have jobs "lined up" before graduation. Some will be injured or cut from their teams before they even get an opportunity to play their first professional game. Yes, it can be very financially rewarding for some, but it's a very risky business.

Hey, I'm happy.

It took them 19 years, but the Steelers today finally drafted a running back in the first round when they selected Rashard Mendenhall of Illinois with the 23rd pick.

Mendenhall has Barry Foster-like size at 5-10, 225 and should serve as the perfect complement to Willie Parker, a Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside, if you will. Mendenhall ran for 1,681 yards last season and averaged a whopping 6.4 per carry. He also has a 4.41 speed in the 40, considered excellent for his size.

He lasted a lot longer in the first round than most expected, and it did not take the Steelers long to snap him up.

My only reservation is that he played in the Big Ten. And, who is going to block for him? I think they will attempt to address that in the next rounds.

Go Steelers.

One thing that's interesting..

The NFL generates more revenue than any other sports league, but the highest paid football player in 2007, Leonard Davis, is only the 19th highest paid athlete in the world. The only other NFL player in the top 25 is Reggie Bush, at 23rd. (Source: Forbes).

Of course, that probably has less to do with the draft than it does with the salary cap, the large number of players, and the way the gear makes players less recognizable.

Jake Long signed a five-year contract with the Dolphins worth $57.75 million, $30 million of it guaranteed.

OK, so Jake is the exception.

The average NFL career is 4 years and the average rookie earns a minimum starting salary of @ $300K/year. At the end of the four year career, that average player is all of 25 years old. He’s made decent money for a few years, far in excess of his contemporaries. A pro player, even an average pro player, has career options at the end of his athletic careers. In the meanwhile, he’s had the opportunity of living out the experience of being an NFL player. Very, very few make it to that pinnacle of sports.
I really am missing what’s so horrible about this fate for a young man.

I understand the risks, but playing football is an endeavor they chose and — if they made it to the NFL — excelled at. They could be injured in high school or college football and never make it to the NFL. They can’t choose what team they will play for? Not everyone can choose what college they will go to or what company they will work for.

WWMFD? Dunno.