What are the talking head gas bags going to talk about now that this costume party is over? For months anyone with a belly button and a rectum has been making mock draft lists and spending hours explaining why their list is better than the next guy's. In the end it's always much ado about nothing, football will be the same this year as it was last. The NFL will still have trouble defining what is a catch and what is not, the stupid "Illegal man downfield'' will still be enforced (isn't the whole idea of the offensive team getting downfield?), it will still be possible for a ball carrier to get 1/8th of an inch of the football across the goal line, fumble the ball and still have it called a touchdown and receivers can still make a catch on the sideline in bounds, be bumped out, lose the ball on contact with the ground and have the pass called incomplete. Like umpires in baseball, refs will make a lot of bad calls, some that will determine the outcome of the game. That needs to be cleaned up and all bad calls reversed. Why wait till Monday morning to admit that a ref screwed up on Sunday when visual proof is available seconds after a bad call takes place.
I watch a lot of baseball and it is just amazing how many balls are called strikes and how many strikes are called balls. Baseball has the means to correct this, we the viewers are already seeing the mistake in real time when the pitch is thrown. It is a heartbreak to see a guy struck out on ball four in a tight game with the bases loaded. Baseball also has a lot of trouble determining when a swing is not a swing, only about 50% of the calls they make are correct. Basketball has it's issues as well, travelling is rarely called anymore and is more common than ever. And the difference between a block and a charge is negotiable. At least they are reviewing some plays and trying to get it right.
In the end the NFL draft is not near the big deal it's blown up to be. Some teams will draft well and be measurably improved by the addition of a key player but in the main it will be business as usual. Some players will turn out to be great but most will be gone in 5 years, 3.3 years is about average. Some will take advantage of the opportunity and the influx of cash to prepare for life beyond football but many-having failed to complete college-will burn through their bonus money and will work menial jobs the rest of their lives. So draft day is kinda like the Oscars in the movie industry- a chance to dress up and be glamorous and be recognized for past success. But now the rubber hits the road and it is time to play big boy football with the real big boys. Some will realize they should have stayed in college.
