With the NFL season looking more and more questionable, incoming rookies will have a hard time being successful at the next level.

This month’s NFL Draft April 28 is one of the biggest days for incoming rookies who get a chance to hear their name called on national television and receive their first NFL contract by the team that chooses them. The National Football League Players Association now wants its incoming rookies not to attend the upcoming draft to show a sign of unity against the owners.

“I have not heard anything about that, but hopefully I will be there to shake the commissioner’s hand,” said former University of Alabama receiver Julio Jones in an interview with WQXI in Atlanta, Ga. “Yes, sir, I want an opportunity to go to New York and be able to experience that.”

After the draft is over, the next step in becoming a professional athlete is signing that contract, but with the lockout in effect, no NFL rookies are allowed to sign with any team as long as this lockout is going on.

This means that when the lockout is resolved the team that drafts the rookies will get first dibs on the one they chose, leaving a possibility of that rookie not wanting to sign with that team, which is something that has happened in the past with former great, Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway.

“It has happened before with Eli Manning and John Elway, but I just don’t think it will be that big of a deal,” said UNA sophomore Wes Hughes. “It’s fair that the teams have first say, but teams need to evaluate their players first.”

After the rookies sign that first contract, the next step is getting on the field and getting to know the coaches so they can be successful players in the league in their first season.

According to the NFL, this is not possible if there is a lockout. No player in the NFL is allowed to talk to coaches or practice, making the transition even tougher for NFL rookies.

“A lot of the athletes just have the skills to play football,” said Hughes. “It just hurts the ones who came out early because they need the time more than the ones who graduated and have experience.”

Even with the lockout causing a huge work stoppage in the games, it isn’t taking away one of the most exciting events these players will ever experience: the draft.