2014 NFL Draft held in May, Free Agency in March, Scouting Combine in February

The NFL has officially done it: they have pushed back the 2014 NFL Draft to May 8-10, supposedly because of a scheduling conflict with Radio City Music Hall. The rest of the offseason calendar remains untouched, with the league year and free agency starting on March 11, 2014 and the National Combine held from February 18-25.

The draft was held from April 25-27 this year, and has generally been held at the end of March. The NFL's excuse of a scheduling conflict is pretty weak, given that it's, you know, the NFL. They can find another location if they want to. Instead, the general expectation is that this will be a permanent change to shorten the dead period after the draft and before the start of training camp.

That means another three weeks of mock drafts and agonizing speculation for us, but also for NFL teams. And those personnel employees for teams will see their usual summer vacation before the start of the college football season reduced because of this change. I don't see how this helps teams in any way -- but it will undoubtedly help revenue.

2014 NFL Offseason Calendar:

• Several Regional Combines will be held on various dates from January 24 through February 16, 2014. Some Regional Combines may be held after the National Combine in Indianapolis.
• The National Combine in Indianapolis will be held from February 18-25, 2014.
• The new League Year, and the Free Agency period, will begin on March 11, 2014.
• The Annual Meeting will be held in Orlando, Florida, on March 23-26, 2014.

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