JaMarcus Russell. Jake Long. Matthew Stafford. Sam Bradford. Blaine Gabbert?
This is certainly a possible scenario, as the two-year Tiger starter hopes to join this heralded list of recent first overall picks at the NFL Draft, taking place inside the Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Thursday. It promises to be a historic night for Missouri faithful, as both Gabbert and athletic man-child Aldon Smith are expected to fall off the board sometime in the first round.
Although Columbia residents are shining a more intense spotlight on the draft this year than perhaps ever before, die-hard NFL followers bring that same appreciation and enthusiasm annually to this football holiday of sorts.
Since first being televised by ESPN in 1980, the draft has steadily grown into a ratings dynamo. As more fans have tuned in, coverage has become longer and more thorough, and Mel Kiper’s hair has transformed into somewhat of a national treasure. What was once a short look into the private wheelings and dealings of NFL management is now a three day, 16-hour commercial monster. The draft enjoyed its best ratings ever in 2010, and the league can expect more of the same this weekend.
To the outside observer, the NFL draft may not seem like much. There’s no violence, no collisions, and cursing and nudity are kept to a minimum. In essence, millions of people tune in to watch old men in suits deliberate. So why watch that when we could be watching CSPAN?
The answer is simple: It’s a chance for hardcore fans to further invest in their favorite teams. For a few days every year, we all get to play GM, and that’s an attractive prospect to hardcore fans. Football enthusiasts spend countless hours scouting college players and assembling mock drafts, all in an effort to know whether to cheer or boo their favorite team’s picks. The NFL Draft, more than anything else, separates the real fans from the posers.
It takes a real man to sit down, grab a beer and a cornucopia of snack food and stare at virtually nothing for eight straight hours. The casual fan will watch the first round Thursday and recognize just the star players who excelled in college. Some may even tune in for the second and third rounds Friday, provided there aren’t any kegs to handstand on or raves to mosh in. For most fans, that’s where it ends.
And then, miraculously, there are those who will diligently sit through Thursday and Friday’s action and then gladly embark on the eight-hour late round marathon Saturday. Those are the real fans; the different breed.
This weekend, many Columbia natives will applaud when Blaine is taken in the first 10 picks and perhaps stick around to see Aldon Smith find a home somewhere in the top 20. A smaller, more dedicated group will keep a watchful eye until Tim Barnes falls off the board somewhere in the third or fourth round.
However, there is that tiny, microscopic group of outliers that will stick it out. They will don their oldest pair of sweatpants, plant themselves on the couch, and remain virtually motionless for an entire weekend. They’ll smile, totally satisfied, as their favorite late-round sleeper finally gets nabbed sometime late in the sixth round. They’ll do all of this, despite the knowledge that these players may not even get a chance to lace up their cleats next season. Those are the legends, and I salute them.
