Neil Stratton's Draft-Day Truths

that factor into how a draftee will perform.

Sure,
--talent
--character
--game awareness

all important, all things teams try to measure

--health/injuries
--chemistry with coaches
--chemistry with teammates
--systems
--dealing with new wealth
--dealing with new lifestyle/freedoms
--friend group
--personal tragedy

it all mixes together in unpredictable ways - you take your best shot and provide all the support you can. As long as the team is doing that, all you can do is make your best guess

Land in the right situation and a late round pick can be a star. Tom Brady, Brock Purdue, for example.

In the wrong situation, a talented first rounder can bust. Sometimes they get a second chance, sometimes not.

And injuries can easily derail a career. That’s luck, too. We had some of that with Barkley.