Based on statistical analysis by NFL Management Council and AonHewitt, the 206 drafted rookies who began their careers on NFL 53-man rosters this past weekend will have an average NFL career length of nearly seven years (6.86). Including the 60 undrafted rookies on Kickoff Weekend 2011 rosters – the most since 65 in 2003 — the expected average career length of a 2011 rookie still exceeds six years (6.36).
NFL Management Council calculated average expected NFL career length using statistics from its prior study on career expectancy for players entering the league between 1993 and 2002. 120 of the drafted players and 39 undrafted players entering the league during that time period earned spots on 2011 Kickoff Weekend rosters.
The average current experience listed on 2011 opening-day rosters is 4.3 years. However, this number does not represent average expected career length.
