You can always find good Halfbacks (HB) in the draft but there is an easier and less expensive way to get the best HB in the league on your team. If you draft any player high in the 1st round you will owe them a big rookie contract that you cannot get out of no matter what you do.
Sure, you can draft one who ends up being a beast – it may seem worth it – but there is always an easier way. Trading for HBs is very easy after their rookie year. You want to trade for them in their sweet spot, which is when they are a one-year pro and not yet a huge overall.
Rookies are generally tough to trade for but the minute he is a one-year pro the CPU lightens up in the trade game. Also, since he is not a high overall because he is a one-year pro, that helps as well. This makes him very reasonable to trade for even if they are an X-Factor.
Drafting payers is always a risk but with HB’s it doesn’t have to be. Just shop for what player you know will be the best in the future, and use your draft picks to pay for that guarantee.
When you do trade for him, the team who traded him to you will pay his Signing Bonus off right there and then, which – chances are – is most of his contract…making him very cheap. At this point, you will want to release him out of his rookie contract then pick him back up immediately. Then, resign him at the end of the year, not during the year, in order to increase the chances of him signing with you. You can lock him into a 7-year deal for around $40 million or less depending on his overall.
You will not only have one of the best backs in the league, but you will have one of the cheapest as well.