NFL Draft - Kind of a Big Deal

Within the hour the NFL draft is going to begin. Why has this become a sporting event unto itself (bigger, in my opinion, than the Olympics, the entire NHL season, the Indy 500, Wrestlemania and Wimbeldon ,among others), when all other drafts just take up a section in the back of the sports page?

A few thoughts.

1. The NFL draft is the event that caps two great seasons - the college football season and the NFL season. We've watched these guys play 2, 3 or 4 years on Saturdays, and now we get to see where they'll spend their Sundays for the foreseeable future. The same can't be said of the MLB or NBA draft, where many of the players come from high school or (in the NBA) foreign lands. Stupid foreigners.

2. The suspense is killing us - what will those Cleveland Browns do next?

Hey guy - at least you don't have the first pick this year!

3. The green room. Everything about the green room is fantastic. At the beginning, it's bursting with people - players, families, agents, hangers-on. I always enjoy seeing what the players' moms are wearing - usually can get a few good laughs. The players are all faking like they're talking on the phone to some team executive, while they're really talking to their little brother, or aunt, or nobody at all. But then the crowd thins, as most top players are off the board, but there's always some poor mope who sits in that green room pick after pick, getting interviewed by Suzy Colber or Stu Scott, who talk to the player in a hushed voice, like the players dad just died or something. It's just outstanding.

4. Mel Kiper. One of these years, after Kiper gets done railing on another Lions pick, I just know that Matt Millen is going to climb on to the set and just beat the living tar out of Kiper. Perhaps his hair helmet will protect him somewhat, but Millen will inflict some serious damage. And who's going to help him? You think fat Berman or Mort is going to jump in betweem Millen and Kiper? Absolutely not. Should make for great TV - here's hoping 2007 is our year.

UPDATE:

The green room has lived up to the hype: Gaines Adams' mom (or sister, aunt, or somebody) was rocking a nice female mullet, and Brady Quinn continues to sit in there like the little Golden Domer baby girl that he is. At least he got the Suzy Colber interview out of the way early...after pick #3.

UPDATE #2:

Brady Quinn is finally off the board. However, the appeal of the green room was lessened when the NFL let Quinn move out of the green room when he really started sliding...