NFL Draft 2012: What to Watch for and How to Have Fun Doing It

Chances are, if you are reading this then you're going to be watching the NFL Draft. Do you know why? I'm not quite sure myself. As an Eagles fan, I'm pretty sure I will be outraged no matter what the Birds do. But that's not really the point, is it?

The NFL draft sells hope and it does so better than any other draft format I know, unless your team owns a top-3 pick in a good NBA Draft. A solid NFL draft class can improve a team faster than anything except importing an elite talent at the QB position. But even if you're the most hardcore NFL fan, will you really be cheering when your team drafts yet another offensive lineman in the fifth round?

I wouldn't consider myself an NFL Draft guru by any means. I enjoy college football, but not to the extend where I'm familiar with all (or even most) of the players in the draft. The majority of my draft knowledge will come from research and casual reading during the weeks leading up to the draft. There's no need to go crazy, because the one thing we do know is that the draft is a crapshoot. There is no guarantee that a player's physical talents or college skills will translate to the NFL.

But on Thursday night, I will make sure to finish my golf league match early enough to get home before the first round starts (8 PM EST) —even though we already know the first two selections (Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III). Most likely, I will watch the first two rounds in their entirety. After that I will most likely attempt to have a life this weekend, at least a little bit. (That might mean watching the later rounds in a bar or something of that nature.)

So how do you watch the draft? What are you rooting for? Here are some ideas and reasons for you to maximize the enjoyment of watching the NFL Draft.

THE SCHEDULE

Plain and simple, here's when the draft is on TV. Both ESPN and NFL Network will be offering live coverage.

Round 1 - Thursday April 26 at 8 PM EST

Rounds 2 & 3 - Friday April 27 at 6 PM EST

Rounds 4-7 - Saturday, April 28 at 12 PM EST

THE CHANNEL

I would highly advise you to spend time flipping back and forth between ESPN and the NFL Network. Usually I will start with ESPN (mostly out of habit) and switch to the NFL Network when Mel Kiper Jr. starts to annoy me or his hair starts to slowly freak me out. (You can also watch online at NFL.com.)

VIEWING

This is a marathon, not a sprint. You will want some sort of food, or at least the ability to have food delivered to you. You'll need some fellow viewers so that you have somebody both to cheer with and ridicule. Real life friends and family would be ideal, but Twitter and/or Skype can do in a pinch. And if you're into this sort of thing, I would recommend buying your cold adult beverages ahead of time. Maybe make Friday a "snow day" if you can.

WHAT TO ROOT FOR - YOUR TEAM

Unless your team has a top-6 (or so) pick, there aren't going to be deafening roars when your team makes its selection. You're looking for a few basic things out of the draft picks made by your favorite NFL team:

1. Players who will contribute right away at positions of need. (Rationale: At least they will play.)
2. Players who have insane physical abilities with true elite potential. (Rationale: He could be the next Jason Pierre-Paul.)
3. Players who don't seem like much, but make for a great story. (Rationale: He could be the next Danny Woodhead.)
4. Trading away draft picks for current NFL players. (Rationale: We know what this guy can do.)
5. Trading away draft picks for future draft picks. (Rationale: Boy will the draft be fun next year!)

WHAT TO ROOT FOR - FANTASY FOOTBALL

If you have one of the top two picks in your long-time, deep roster dynasty fantasy football league, you probably couldn't be happier. Your pick will be either Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III. But that's far from all this draft will mean for your fantasy football team, regardless of the league you play in. You're certainly not going to win your fantasy football draft on a weekend in April, but there's plenty to be learned and stuff to root for. (I distinctly remember Roy Helu being tossed out as a "sleeper" last season immediately after he was drafted by the Redskins.)

1. Teams to add the final piece of the puzzle. It often takes a certain player to take an offense from "good" to "great". We will be looking for a team like the Ravens, Panthers or Jets to try to add a player to help their offense (and QB) take that next step.
2. Teams that need RB help draft RBs. It's really quite simple. You don't have to be a high draft selection to be a successful NFL RB. Its more about the system and the opportunity to play. So when the Browns, Bengals or Steelers draft a RB, pay attention.
3. Rookie WRs who land on good offenses with established QBs. The developmental curve of WRs has sped up in recent years and rookie WRs can now make a fantasy impact in Year 1. So when the Chargers, Broncos or Cowboys draft WRs, mark it down.
4. Take note of any teams that seem to significantly try to improve their defense and/or offensive line. That's a pretty broad statement, but these types of changes can really affect the way your team's record looks at the end of the year.
5. Trades of current NFL players. There will be some movement on this front. Last year the trade market was down due to the lockout. With free agency already in the books, look for teams to fill remaining holes via trade if they don't like what they see in their draft position.

GOOD OLD-FASHIONED FUN

• Do you really think you know this draft stuff well? Then man up and write up your own mock draft. Post it on your blog, on Facebook and on Twitter. Link to it on message boards. E-mail it to everybody at work. Print out copies for your friends. Then get ready for the verbal jabs when you nail slightly less than 30% of your picks.
• Watching the draft with some gambling-type friends? Throw a few bucks in a pot and proceed to make as many wild proposition wagers as you can. Have everybody try to select the first ten picks ahead of time. Bet on the number of mentions of Kiper's hair. Wager on which player will wear the most ridiculous (but maybe in a good way) suit. Have some fun with this.
• After a player is drafted, find his Twitter account and ask him some ridiculous questions. Be reasonable—if you get arrested or something, this is all on you. (That's a legal disclaimer, right?)
• Poker night actually goes very well with the NFL Draft. As does afternoon golf on Saturday with the draft on your phone.
• Find the next great NFL Wife or Girlfriend (WAG). When a player comes up on TV, be sure to pay attention to the females on screen. Create some sort of rating system. Enjoy. Bonus points for determining if a female is a player's WAG or sister (or possible mother?).

Will all of this get you through 15-20 hours of NFL Draft coverage? Not a chance. But you're going to watch the draft anyway, right? So you might as well have some fun while you're doing it. And yes, booing can be fun too.

Final piece of advice: Preemptively apologize to your wife/girlfriend/mother/football-hating communist roommates. Three days of watching a football draft while eating and/or drinking can seem strangle to some folks. Promise to clean on Sunday and consider having some of those flowers she likes handy at the end of the weekend as well.

Thanks for reading. If you have anything to add or any questions, please use the comments below. 

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