Mike Greenberg thinks the NFL needs to adopt the draft lottery. Greenberg, flanked by a generic bar graph, pitched the idea on Wednesday morning's episode of Get Up.
Greenberg laid out the case for the NFL draft lottery from an excitement and ratings perspective before insisting that it would curb tanking in the NFL, even though it has not done that in the NBA where bad teams and bad franchises continue to exist.
Just forget that for now though. Close your eyes and listen to Greenberg paint a picture.
.@Espngreeny believes the NFL needs a draft lottery like the NBA ✍️
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 14, 2025
What do you think? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/wui3DKBac2
"I would like right to pitch what I believe might be the highest rated show in the history of sports television," said Greenberg. "A TV special where the NFL announces its draft order live. Imagine that. Or even better you don't have to imagine it the NBA just did it this week and they've done it every year since 1985. Football needs a draft lottery. It would be great for the league. It would be great for the fans. Literally everyone would watch it. Imagine the 18 teams that missed the playoffs and all of the fans gathered around televisions waiting for the ping pong balls to do their things and the envelopes to be opened and Arch Manning is playing the role of Cooper Flagg. The ratings would be ridiculous."
Greenberg worries that with an 18-game schedule coming the tanking will just get worse, but the draft lottery would encourage teams to continue to try in games that don't matter. Finally, he wrapped it up by again pointing out how good the ratings would be.
"A lottery is a good idea because it makes losing less valuable and it makes for pretty terrific drama as well. It is the best idea that basketball has had in a long time and it would be, if you will excused a mixed metaphor, a slam dunk for football as well."
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mike Greenberg Has an Idea for the 'Highest Rated Show in Sports History'.
