One of the most underrated events in professional sports is the NFL draft. Most people I know who heard me talking about it wondered why anyone would want to go to this glorified day of "waiting." As a die-hard Jets fan who has gone the previous three years, I understand the allure of draft day. The futures of each and every team are being decided in a matter of hours.
The star power at the draft was noticeable. Not only did six of the top prospects out of this year's college class attend, but also local favorites such as Osi Umenyiora of the Giants and D'Brickashaw Ferguson of the Jets were on hand to offer their opinions for their team's draft day. Our press table was sandwiched between the two impromptu television studios, on one side were Mel Kiper Jr. and Chris Berman for ESPN, and on the other were Deion Sanders and Rich Eisen for NFL Network.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stepped out onto the stage at Radio City Music Hall to the cheers of every fan in the room. It was a roar that was only rivaled when the hometown favorites went on the clock. From the stage that was more accustomed to hosting the Rockettes and the Christmas Spectacular, Goodell welcomed the fans to the draft with a card in his hand. Usually, he would then announce that the draft had begun by saying that the first team was on the clock. This was not the case today, as today was no usual draft.
"As you know the first choice belongs to the Miami Dolphins," Goodell said as his announcement was booed by the throngs of Jet fans, "and I have that choice. With the first pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins select Jake Long, senior, Michigan."
The jeers continued as the longtime rival of Gang Green got their new offensive lineman. Perhaps with his help, they'll be able to get more than one win next season.
It was an unusual occurrence that the commissioner had the selection in hand. Long had been signed earlier in the week by the Dolphins, and besides wondering who the first pick would be, analysts were trying to figure out who the Rams would choose.
Less than 10 minutes later, they had their decision ready. Chris Long, defensive end from Virginia, was their first-round selection. Howie Long's son couldn't have been happier, as he said during his press conference, "I knew that I was going to be a St. Louis Ram when you guys knew. So really, it was a huge adrenaline rush. Best moment of my life."
As soon as the monitor showed Matt Ryan picking up his cell phone in the green room, the fans knew he was going to Atlanta. For the eighth consecutive year, the top-three picks of the draft included a quarterback. Later, he was asked about the inevitable comparison to Michael Vick. His response did not allude to his charges at all: "Well, I can't worry about it. I just have to go down and make sure I'm doing everything I can to be successful. And I've got to focus on what's important. And you know, that's playing the quarterback position well."
The Oakland Raiders grabbed Darren McFadden, a running back from Arkansas, before a disappointed New York crowd.
There had been talk about the Jets trying to move up, but they decided against it. The player who was the "best talent" and "biggest upside" of the draft was headed into a crowded backfield where he'll have to prove that he's the playmaker that the Raiders management thinks he is.
Kansas City was up next as the green room continued to clear out. Glenn Dorsey, a defensive tackle from LSU, was their pick. The cameras backstage rolled as he slowly rose from his table with tears in his eyes. After giving his mother a hug, he continued out to the stage to meet the commissioner. Dorsey was predicted as definitely going as one of the first four; however it seemed less likely when it leaked that the Rams weren't taking him.
After their disappointing 4-12 season, the New York Jets had the sixth pick. History has shown that the Jets normally disappoint the fans at the draft by going against the general consensus.
To chants of "Vernon Gholston," Goodell walked out to the podium. The fans' reaction was ecstatic.
After passing on great talent like Dan Marino and Warren Sapp, the Jets made everyone happy with their decision. Gholston, a defensive end from Ohio State, will greatly help the Jets defense, which struggled last year against virtually everything.
For the first time, the six players invited to New York for the draft went in the first six picks. There would be no Brady Quinn or Aaron Rodgers repeat this year, as the green room was empty after less than an hour.
With the Patriots on the clock, they made the first of eight trades in this first round. They traded their No. 7 overall pick and a fifth-round selection for New Orleans' No. 10 overall pick and a third-round selection. This was just an example of how much a team is willing to spend to move up a few spots.
Baltimore was supposed to pick next; however, they traded their No. 8 pick for Jacksonville's No. 26, two third-rounders, and a fourth-rounder, only to later deal that first-round pick to move up to Houston's No. 18 so they wouldn't miss acquiring Joe Flacco, a much-needed quarterback from Delaware. Trades continued to take place at the No. 15, 18, 19, 21, 25, and 30 picks.
After each was announced, the fans gave their criticism. You could either hear deafening cries of, "What?!" or loud shouts of approval.
For the most part, the teams addressed the needs that they had. As soon as the Giants made their pick at the 31st spot, there were cheers not just for their selection, but also for the first round being completed. There was no 32nd pick in the first round this year due to the Patriots pick being suspended due to the "Spygate" scandal.
Goodell noted that the first round had been completed in three hours and 30 minutes. It was the fastest completion since 1990. As soon as he said that, the crowd erupted. It is amazing how much of a difference the time change made.
He commented on the change for NFL.com, "Each first-round pick had been decreased from 15 to 10 minutes, and second-round picks were now seven, instead of 10. The total time it took for day one to complete was five hours and 53 minutes, as compared to last year, which took nine hours and 20 minutes.
Goodell spoke with NFL Network regarding the change in format. "I hoped to streamline it to make it shorter so that the pace will pick up, so that it'll be more entertaining for our fans," he said. "We'd like to make sure that the experience is good for them. [The teams] actually welcome [the change] also." He also spoke about the push back in the start time from the usual 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. "Having a shorter round gave us an opportunity to have it later in the day … this gives us a chance to get the West Coast fans in."
It is clear that the NFL cares about its fans, and having this time change is like a gift to everyone who goes to the draft regularly. It was the most enjoyable draft that I'd been to in terms of the event itself. Hopefully, the Jets have their pick much later in the first round next year, but that is a different issue.
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