Bill Belichick suggests NFL should learn from NBA as he offers simple solution to draft ‘tanking’
Bill Belichick has a plan to fix one controversial aspect of the NFL. As the regular season draws to a close, it’s not just the playoff picture dominating conversations. Belichick has suggested the NFL can fix an aspect of their annual draftGetty For the teams that don’t make the postseason, attention will be turning to the 2025 draft, which could be one of the most exciting in recent memory. Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter will be on the board, alongside quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward and Jalen Milroe, as well as running back Ashton Jeanty. With so much talent on offer, NFL teams in possession of the top picks can be very excited about what’s to come in April. But being high in the draft order comes with a price, as the selection order is based on each franchise’s win – loss record. Given the team with the fewest wins in the previous season is awarded the first selection, there has long been suggestion that some have been guilty of losing on purpose to secure a higher pick. That practice is known as ‘tanking’ and has been a problem across plenty of other sports in the past too. Legendary NFL coach Belichick, who won a record eight Super Bowls, is clearly not a fan of it. In fact, he believes the NFL should change their rules – and implement a similar system to the NBA – to avoid it happening in future. “I was never involved in (tanking) but I don’t know what happens somewhere else,” Belichick told the Pat McAfee Show. “It’s different than the NBA. The NBA kind of rectified that by having a lottery. So even if you’re the worst team, you’re not guaranteed the first pick. Belichick, now a college coach, is not a fan of NFL teams that ‘tank’ to secure draft picksGetty Caleb Williams was taken first overall in the 2024 draft “In the NFL, that’s not quite the case. If you are the worst team, you do get the first pick. “Personally, I don’t think it would be a bad idea for the competitiveness of the sport to do something similar to what basketball does with those lottery picks. “Then we wouldn’t be having this conversation – well we might be having it, but there’d be other circumstances besides just your record. There’d be actually a lottery part of it.” Belichick, who has recently been named head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, makes a good point. A draft lottery should help rid the NFL of tanking and would avoid continually rewarding terrible franchises. Of course, the practice is no where near the problem it was in the NBA when their lottery was introduced. Some NFL teams can strategically bench their stars in the final week of the season to hold on to their high draft pick, but none will intentionally lose games for months at a time the way some basketball teams have in the past. Last Sunday, in fact, the New York Giants caused a storm on social media by winning their first game since October and dropping down the draft order. Going into Week 17, they had the first pick. But snapping their 10-game losing streak against the Indianapolis Colts means they will have the fourth pick if nothing changes in Week 18 – much to the annoyance of some fans. As it stands, the New England Patriots will now have the first overall pick. talkSPORT is your home of the NFL on UK radio, and you can stay up to date with all the latest from around the league via our dedicated ‘EndZone’ YouTube channel. talkSPORT will bring you live coverage across Week 18 with a double header featuring the Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions.
Bill Belichick has a plan to fix one controversial aspect of the NFL.
As the regular season draws to a close, it’s not just the playoff picture dominating conversations.
For the teams that don’t make the postseason, attention will be turning to the 2025 draft, which could be one of the most exciting in recent memory.
Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter will be on the board, alongside quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward and Jalen Milroe, as well as running back Ashton Jeanty.
With so much talent on offer, NFL teams in possession of the top picks can be very excited about what’s to come in April.
But being high in the draft order comes with a price, as the selection order is based on each franchise’s win – loss record.
Given the team with the fewest wins in the previous season is awarded the first selection, there has long been suggestion that some have been guilty of losing on purpose to secure a higher pick.
That practice is known as ‘tanking’ and has been a problem across plenty of other sports in the past too.
Legendary NFL coach Belichick, who won a record eight Super Bowls, is clearly not a fan of it.
In fact, he believes the NFL should change their rules – and implement a similar system to the NBA – to avoid it happening in future.
“I was never involved in (tanking) but I don’t know what happens somewhere else,” Belichick told the Pat McAfee Show.
“It’s different than the NBA. The NBA kind of rectified that by having a lottery. So even if you’re the worst team, you’re not guaranteed the first pick.
“In the NFL, that’s not quite the case. If you are the worst team, you do get the first pick.
“Personally, I don’t think it would be a bad idea for the competitiveness of the sport to do something similar to what basketball does with those lottery picks.
“Then we wouldn’t be having this conversation – well we might be having it, but there’d be other circumstances besides just your record. There’d be actually a lottery part of it.”
Belichick, who has recently been named head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, makes a good point.
A draft lottery should help rid the NFL of tanking and would avoid continually rewarding terrible franchises.
Of course, the practice is no where near the problem it was in the NBA when their lottery was introduced.
Some NFL teams can strategically bench their stars in the final week of the season to hold on to their high draft pick, but none will intentionally lose games for months at a time the way some basketball teams have in the past.
Last Sunday, in fact, the New York Giants caused a storm on social media by winning their first game since October and dropping down the draft order.
Going into Week 17, they had the first pick. But snapping their 10-game losing streak against the Indianapolis Colts means they will have the fourth pick if nothing changes in Week 18 – much to the annoyance of some fans.
As it stands, the New England Patriots will now have the first overall pick.
talkSPORT is your home of the NFL on UK radio, and you can stay up to date with all the latest from around the league via our dedicated ‘EndZone’ YouTube channel.
talkSPORT will bring you live coverage across Week 18 with a double header featuring the Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions.
