Jamie Nye: Does the NFL need a draft lottery to reduce tanking?

The NHL does it. The NBA does it. Is it time the NFL does it as well?

I’m talking about the draft lottery. The issue comes up when the topic of tanking comes up and it seems like it comes up more and more often as the years go by.

The Miami Dolphins tanked a few years ago. The Philadelphia Eagles tanked last week. And it was all to improve their draft pick.

The lottery was put in place to help quash tanking. A lottery is there to give teams no guarantee where they are actually drafting and reduce the odds that they’ll actually pick first or even in the top three.

But here’s the reality: It won’t matter. Teams are still tanking when there is a lottery just to get better odds at the top picks in the draft in the NHL and NBA.

And, if I might say, does it matter? In the last 30 years, 19 quarterbacks have gone first overall. How many have started and won a Super Bowl? Two: Peyton and Eli Manning.

Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady — none of those men was drafted in the top 20.

So tank away, if you’d like. There are no guarantees on draft day.