Draft dynamics and fair value in college football: A Saturday Blitz Podcast

The conclusion of the NFL Draft and a recent coaching contract extension spur the discussion this week on the Saturday Blitz Podcast.

With spring practices largely winding down, the college football universe leaves some gaps in the conversation. When it comes to the Saturday Blitz Podcast, though, we can always find something to keep talking about the gridiron for as long as we can get away with.

This week, John and I go into some thoughts about the NFL Draft that took place last weekend. We take a look at the Russell Wilson All-Stars we discussed last week and where each of these intercollegiate talents actually landed in the draft pecking order.

But not only will we go into the nuts and bolts of who was selected, who should have been selected, and who might have been an overreach or a steal. We also leave the space to dive further into players who leave early for the pros with eligibility left on the table, and whether they ought to retain that eligibility should they fail to get drafted.

Then the discussion turns to Dabo Swinney’s giant renegotiation all the way to a $93 million payday. While Swinney is the most recent coach to sign an eye-popping contract, we discuss how coaching salaries in general show that the money exists when there is the will to spend that money.

We also delve into how these salaries lay waste to the myth that college football at its highest echelons is about anything bigger than football itself. If education and providing extracurricular opportunities was truly the mission of intercollegiate athletics, would the money really be concentrating so heavily at the top?

So tune on in, because while college football is winding down into the doldrums of the long offseason we still have plenty to discuss this week.

The Saturday Blitz Podcast is part of the FanSided Radio Network at Spreaker. The show goes live every Wednesday morning. You can reach John Mitchell at @jlmitchell93 and Zach Bigalke at @zbigalke on Twitter.