29 of 32 NFL Draft first-round picks played multiple sports

The NFL Draft kicked off in Texas with the Cleveland Browns taking Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield with the No. 1 overall pick. Mayfield, who played baseball and football in high school, was among 29 of the 32 picks who were multisport athletes. In last year’s draft, 30 of the first 32 players chosen played multiple sports.

This information is great ammunition against those who claim that specialization paves the clearest path to college scholarships and professional sports. A long list of college and professional coaches have publicly stated they prefer to recruit athletes who have experience in a variety of sports.

We offer a number of resources for coaches and athletic administrators on promoting multisport participation. Here’s just a few:

• Why playing multiple sports matters, from former Georgetown football player Dawon Dicks.
• Strength training for multisport athletes, from Michigan State University strength coach Ken Mannie.
• The dangers of early sport specialization, from Dr. George G.A. Pujalte.

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