Sometimes a good rule can outlive its usefulness.
That is definitely the case for the rule that forbids draft choices and college free agents from participating in any NFL spring practices until their college has had its graduation. A couple of years ago, colleges and the NFL wisely updated their relationship and allowed NFL rookies on a semester system to enter the offseason training sessions in mid-May. But players from schools on quarter systems still have to wait. These players are allowed to attend mandatory May minicamps, but they can't attend any of the coaching sessions that teams typically hold in May and June.
But why would the NFL agree to keep players who don't have any college eligibility left out of practices? NFL teams and scouts rely on cooperation from colleges. Colleges allow teams the ability to come on campus to scout. Teams can watch film and see some practices when the coaches allow them. It would make it much tougher if scouts and teams were banned from coming on campus. The NFL is very sensitive to disrupting the cooperation they get from colleges.
That rule has kept players from schools such as Washington, Ohio State, Oregon State, Oregon, UCLA, Cincinnati, Stanford, Northwestern and Ohio at a severe disadvantage. Classes for those nine schools run until early or mid-June, putting their players behind everyone in terms of training and learning a new system. While a month may seem minor, it's not. For those affected by this outdated rule, the missed month of training can halt their budding careers.
Draft choices in the top three or four rounds won't suffer harsh consequences because teams aren't going to cut them just because they are a month behind the rest of the rookie class. The losers are the choices after the fourth round and the undrafted rookies. The time is right to review this rule.
Some teams shy away from signing undrafted players from schools that use a quarter system because they realize how hard it will be for the player to make the roster under the current constraints. Timing is everything in football, and the time away from a team by a young player works against him. UCLA players can't show up until June 17. Oregon and Oregon State players can't arrive until June 16. Coaches for many NFL teams head out on vacation by mid-June, so the only exposure those players will have had to NFL life was the three-day minicamp in May. The Steelers, for example, finish their offseason training on June 8.
The mention of adjusting this policy probably won't sit well with college football. But the NCAA must know this: NFL teams aren't coming onto campuses to steal players and affect graduations rates. That fight ended when the NFL stood toe-to-toe in court and battled Maurice Clarett, who challenged the well-thought-out rule that required draft-eligible players to be at least three full seasons out of high school.
In the collective bargaining extension currently being written, the NFL and NFLPA formalized the rule. Any player who wants to sue his way into the NFL without eligibility has no legal leg to stand on.
Come January of every year, underclassmen can solicit the opinions of a quality panel of NFL scouts who will tell them the projected round in which they might go. The player can judge his future accordingly. The system is set. It's not going to change.
What needs to be reviewed is finding a way for players at the nine schools mentioned to get a fair shot. If those players have graduated early, they are free to go into offseason programs, which is the case with A.J. Hawk in Green Bay. But what about players who aren't going to graduate and have no plans to finish school immediately? Shouldn't they have the option of getting a fair chance to win an NFL job? Under the current rules, they can't.
My biggest concerns are for the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round picks and the undrafted free agents. Each year it becomes harder and harder for them to make rosters. If you study rosters closely, starters for the most part come from the top three rounds. Second-day draft choices are fighting an increasingly hard battle to secure long-term starting jobs because teams are usually looking to replace them with higher draft choices down the line.
The road for an undrafted player is even tougher these days, so it is important for them to get the best chance to succeed. Only about 50-60 undrafted players will make opening day rosters, so they have to show enough to earn spots on practice squads.
Take a look at the plight of UCLA quarterback Drew Olson. He's scrambling to get professors to somehow let him complete his course work and get his grades so he can graduate early and join the Ravens before June 17. Olson wasn't drafted, but the opportunity is there for him to make the team in Baltimore. The Steve McNair trade is currently held up by the Titans and Brian St. Pierre is the most experienced quarterback behind Kyle Boller. The Ravens are looking for a quarterback.
If Olson can't get out of UCLA early -- and he may not -- all the coaches are going to be gone by the time he gets to Baltimore and he's going to have to catch up on his own. That isn't the only problem for the Ravens. First-round choice Haloti Ngata hasn't gone to classes at Oregon since December but he can't report to the Ravens until June 16. He weighs 340 pounds and would be aided by the daily routine at an NFL facility. Fourth-round pick Demetrius Williams from Oregon has a chance to be the team's third receiver but, because of the quarter system, he can't report until June 16.
It's time for an update. Not a lot of schools are affected, so there has to be some way to help players from these schools and give them the choice to finish classes or join their NFL teams before graduation. Offseason work is voluntary, but rookies need to be there.
NFL teams are more sophisticated in handling player education. Every team has a player relations department to help players who want to continue their education. Teams want players to complete their college education, and it has to be made clear if a player in a quarter system is close to graduating, he should be given the chance.
But the chance to make an NFL team can be fleeting. A blanket rule prohibiting players (including some who are no longer going to class) from joining their NFL teams until the class graduates is outdated and needs revision.
A college education is extremely important, and the NCAA is right in trying to make sure schools do their best to graduate players. Still, if a rule hinders those students from earning a job, it's time to look at that rule. The NFL knows this is a touchy subject with colleges and won't push for change. Logic, though, should prevail and offer some improvements.
While a month may not seem that long, it could be the difference in a low draft choice or an undrafted player making a team or not making a team.
John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.