Friday Cannon Fodder: draft

The NBA draft was last night. All sorts of stuff happened, and those of you who follow basketball probably have a better idea of what and why than I do, so I’m not going to bother trying to talk through the big moves. My Duke Blue Devils had the #1 overall pick (Paolo Banchero) and three other Duke players went in the first round. As if we needed more fodder for rival fans to chirp us (because Duke didn’t win the National Championship).

Anyway. Any time there is a draft in any sport, I get to thinking about drafts in the context of the Premier League and in football, generally. It would never actually work because the academy system is far too entrenched, but it’s fun to think about.

Say there was a draft and all players 22 and under, regardless of current contract or team, were able to be drafted. Ostensibly, that’s college-age in the States, but let’s be real, all the players we’d take would have been one-and-dones and have left for the pros at 19.

Which U22 player are you taking first overall? Who would go Top 5?