A Letter From the Editor: The magic that is the NFL Draft

The 2019 NFL Draft is just a few weeks away, and I have to admit while I have learned to despise the lead up to the draft, I still absolutely love the actual event. I love when the speculation stops, and the picks start flying off the board.

In fact, I would go as far as to suggest it is one of my favorite sports events to watch.

Why? Because it is must-see TV.

Throughout the course of 7 rounds, you have 32 NFL organizations and fan bases, all 0-0, brimming with hope. Hope they will land the playmaker they need to take their team to the next level, and the potential of finding that diamond in the rough in the later rounds. Those 6th round gems, like Antonio Brown and Tom Brady, aren’t common but you just never know.

The acquisition of talent is one thing, but the spectacle of the draft is almost equally tantalizing. Who could ever forget Ryan Shazier walking to the podium during the 2018 NFL Draft to announce the Steelers’ selection of safety Terrell Edmunds?

There wasn’t a dry eye in the place.

The players hugging commissioner Roger Goodell as they are welcomed to the league. The respective fan bases showing incredible emotion, both good and bad, with every pick passing. The spectacle is just that, a spectacle.

But the one aspect of the draft which makes me sitting through 7 rounds of picks tolerable?

The unexpected.

Every year there are those players who are projected to be selected in the Top 10, who fall to the second round. There are surprise picks where a team who is projected to take a receiver takes a guard, and the ripple effect from that pick changes everything. Now prospects who you never thought would be available, are ripe for the taking.

Just thinking about it gets me excited.

Draft trades. Players falling. Players ascending the ranks. Improving the team every step along the way. Endless hope of the fan base. Arm chair General Managers thinking they could always do better.

No matter what anyone says, the NFL Draft itself, not the exhausting lead up, is an incredible event. The NFL is genius for making it a three day event, and there are plenty of people who remain glued to the TV for all three days to not only see the festivities and events, but to hopefully witness a player being selected who will get their team over the proverbial hump.

The NFL Draft is magical, and the definition of must-see TV.