The NFL draft beyond the 2nd round has almost become a joke in the last few years. Tell me the difference between a player taken in the 5th through 7th rounds, and a player who signs a free agent contract immediately after round 7. There were a lot of name players, from schools who had much better records than NU, who didn't get drafted.
I gotta admit I took pride in the draft streak, but honestly it's become less relevant than the sellout streak. When you have a long snapper from Air Force taken in the draft before a guy who has the top 2 receiving seasons in Nebraska history, that's a joke.
I think part of this is that the depth of the draft has increased dramatically over the years and fit/scheme has become more important than ever. There are guys picked in the 4th who fit the attributes of 2nd and sometimes even 1st round picks from an athletic perspective, but teams are less likely to take chances if they don't fit from a culture/scheme perspective these days. I think that all things being equal teams value players from winning teams even more than before and played well in big games and top competition. They can't afford to have any developmental guesses that are counted on to fill a very limited roster spot.
Here's a good example - small school versus bigger school
Maxx Crosby: 6-5, 255; 4.66 40, 36" vertical, 122" broad jump, 6.89 3-cone, 4.13 shuttle, 11.35 60 yard shuttle
Josh Allen: 6-5, 262; 4.63 40, no vertical, 118 broad jump, 7.15 3-cone, 4.23 shuttle, no 60 yard shuttle
One was the 7th pick overall and the other was in the 4th round. The 4th rounder went to a small school and needs to gain bulk and strength, but the 7th pick (Allen) has some flaws also. There are a lot of reasons he went to high, but the point is that the depth in terms of athleticism is really incredible these days.
Our recruiting and S&C need to be able to get us to that point. If Eastern Michigan can crank out a guy like Crosby, we definitely should be able to get and develop guys like that as well every so often