[Goose]

Nobody gets to be the #1 pick playing for a team that doesn't even finish with a .500 record

Very True. Even if you are above .500 but don't win your conference it is tough to make a splash. That said, the decision to go to the NFL this year may or may not have been the "optimal" one. That we will never know. It may be that Mills goes in the first round. It also very well may be he does not, which I think more probable. I obviously don't know, but I suspect the decision was greatly influenced by the feeling he was ready to move on. Your draft position will have an effect on your first contract, but if you think you can play at the next level that first contract isn't the entire story. Starting one year earlier gets you one year closer to the second contract, and may get you on a team that is good enough they can let you sit and learn for a year or so while getting paid to do so. Not a bad alternative.

[Goose]

Nobody gets to be the #1 pick playing for a team that doesn't even finish with a .500 record

Very True. Even if you are above .500 but don't win your conference it is tough to make a splash. That said, the decision to go to the NFL this year may or may not have been the "optimal" one. That we will never know. It may be that Mills goes in the first round. It also very well may be he does not, which I think more probable. I obviously don't know, but I suspect the decision was greatly influenced by the feeling he was ready to move on. Your draft position will have an effect on your first contract, but if you think you can play at the next level that first contract isn't the entire story. Starting one year earlier gets you one year closer to the second contract, and may get you on a team that is good enough they can let you sit and learn for a year or so while getting paid to do so. Not a bad alternative.