NXT has almost always had a presence in WWE's annual roster shakeup in some form or fashion since the Draft was initially revived in 2016, though there's never been any explanation as to who is eligible and how many picks are afforded to each brand.
In years past, NXT champions have been drafted, so if the idea is that anyone from the active roster can be chosen and no one is exempt, nothing should be stopping the Raw and SmackDown general managers from picking all of the top talent the black-and-gold brand has to offer.
Night 1 saw Carmelo Hayes get selected by SmackDown and Kiana James get drafted to Raw. Baron Corbin was also announced as returning to SmackDown in the supplemental picks that were made on WWE's social media platforms following the televised portion of the Draft on April 26.
Hayes is a logical first-round pick given his ceiling for success, but the inexperienced James getting drafted over the likes of Lyra Valkyria, NXT Women's champion Roxanne Perez, Ilja Dragunov or even NXT champion Trick Williams hardly makes sense from a storyline standpoint.
Showing the the entire NXT roster reacting to each draft pick at the Performance Center is a fun touch, but WWE should make more of an effort on Night 2 to expand upon NXT's involvement in the Draft, who's eligible and if it's possible for anyone from Raw or SmackDown to sign with NXT.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
