The NFL Draft has long been the league’s ultimate equalizer — rewarding the worst teams with the highest picks in hopes of closing the competitive gap. But in recent years, questions about “tanking” have surfaced more frequently, especially late in the season when teams with little to play for seem to pull starters or play it safe. While the NBA has dealt with its tanking issues, it took a big swing to combat the problem, and one prominent ESPN analyst believes it’s time the NFL follows suit.
Mike Greenberg Slams NFL Draft System: ‘Tanking Is a Disgrace’
Mike Greenberg, host of ESPN’s “Get Up,” let it fly in his latest take on the future of the NFL Draft. On the May 13 episode, while discussing the NBA Draft lottery system, Greenberg argued that the NFL should implement a similar structure to eliminate the incentive to lose and restore the integrity of late-season matchups. His comments showed a growing frustration among fans and analysts alike, who believe the current system undermines the league’s ultra-competitive brand.
Greenberg’s rant was rooted in one key premise: Rewarding failure is fundamentally flawed. “[NBA commissioner Adam Silver] recognizes, as does every sports fan, that tanking is a scourge. Tanking is a disgrace,” he said. “Tanking runs contrary to literally everything sports is designed to be.”
It’s a point that resonates with NFL fans who have watched bottom-dwelling teams rest starters, trade veterans, or simply stop competing in the final weeks of the season to secure a better draft slot. Under the current format, the team with the worst record is guaranteed the No. 1 overall pick — creating a system that, however unintentionally, rewards losing. Greenberg sees that as a mistake the NFL can no longer afford to ignore.
Mike Greenberg: "[Adam Silver] recognizes, as does every sports fan, that tanking is a scourge. Tanking is a disgrace. Tanking runs contrary to literally everything sports is designed to be. Incentivizing losing is the worst mistake any sport can possibly make… People saying,… pic.twitter.com/d5I4VLChV3
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing)
“Incentivizing losing is the worst mistake any sport can possibly make,” he added. “People saying, ‘Oh, this isn’t working because the worst teams aren’t getting the pick.’ Shut up! That’s exactly the wrong way to look at it. Win games.”
The NBA’s lottery format — which gives all non-playoff teams a shot at the top pick, with better odds for worse records but no guarantees — has drawn criticism. But Greenberg views it as a net positive, a necessary check against a toxic culture of tanking.
Adopting a lottery system would mark a radical shift for the NFL. But it could also bring a new level of excitement and fairness to the draft process. More importantly, as Greenberg stressed, it would align the league with the spirit of competition it claims to uphold.
“The NFL should add this,” he concluded. “Every sport should add this. The lottery is a brilliant idea.”
With Greenberg’s comments sparking debate across sports media, the question is whether the NFL will be bold enough to reconsider its most sacred offseason event. Or will the system stay the same — flawed, predictable, and ripe for abuse?
Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns Investigated for Tanking
The NFL penalized the Miami Dolphins after determining that the team had engaged in conduct that undermined the integrity of the game. While investigators did not find that Miami deliberately lost games during the 2019 season, the league concluded that the organization repeatedly emphasized draft positioning over winning — a strategy that raised serious concerns about competitive fairness.
The league did not find that Miami had intentionally lost games during the 2019 campaign. They discovered that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross did not purposely instruct anyone on the team to tank games for a better draft position, and “no witness contended otherwise.”
However, Ross commented that the Dolphins’ 2020 draft position should take precedence over their 2019 on-field results. While Ross essentially made those suggestions to Dolphins president and CEO Tom Garfinkel, he also echoed the same sentiment to general manager Chris Grier and former head coach Brian Flores.
Per the NFL, Flores took Ross’ comments as an indication to lose games and brought his concerns in writing to the team’s executives. The club convinced Flores that Ross and the rest of the club’s decision-makers were committed to a winning culture, and Ross no longer made any suggestions about Miami’s 2020 draft position.
The Cleveland Browns were also investigated over alleged tanking during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. However, after a formal review, the NFL announced insufficient evidence to support claims that the team intentionally attempted to lose games during that period.