Normally, I wouldn't be a fan of this at all.
The reason it somewhat works for the NFL is that you have 7 rounds, and routinely, 4-8 players from the draft or UDFA signings will make the opening game roster.
By putting the draft ahead of free agency, it generally allows teams to address a high priority need with their first round pick, but there’s no guarantees that the second round pick will even make the roster.
Better to have free agency as the fall-back position to address needs because those are almost all going to be players who have a legitimate chance to make the roster; in most cases, it’s guaranteed they’ll at least get paid.
When the draft is your fall back position, though, it significantly increases the risk that that priority won’t be adequately addressed at all.
Having said that, it could make the lottery picks that much more valuable.
Hence, why I say "normally, I wouldn't be a fan of this at all." To my way of thinking, and especially because so few teams will have very much monopoly money to play in the free agent market this time around, this enhances the value of the highest picks. So, if you're Travis Schlenk, you might just find yourself on the other side of the table from this...
