Pre NFL Draft Musings

The NFL Draft is one of the biggest days in the NFL Calendar—the day when the best and brightest college football stars find a home in the NFL. It's a day when dreams come true. It's also a big day for Fantasy Football warriors who track the movement of players in the offseason in preparation for the Fantasy Football Draft.

A lot of rookie football players don't actually have fantasy worthy first years. Year one of an NFL football player is often a rough one. There are steep learning curves, the Rookie Wall, and a struggling to adapt to a bigger, faster, and stronger league.

But, every year, there are a handful of genuine stars who hit the ground running—the Adrian Petersons, the Matt Ryans, and the Matt Fortes. They are guys who don't look or play like rookies, are mature beyond their years, and are pro Bowl players of the future. Those are the guys that make tracking the NFL Draft worthwhile.

The Draft is often a crapshoot. There are players who have terrific stats coming out of college who never make the leap to the NFL level. A lot of times, a star is hidden behind the intangibles that don't show up in college stats. Jerry Rice was at Mississippi Valley State, a small black college in the obscure Southwestern Conference. He was scouted by the 49ers and drafted by the legendary guru, Bill Walsh, who turned him into pro football's most deadly wide receiver.

What made Jerry Rice stand out from the crowd was his speed after the catch. Receivers who don't have it cannot separate from defenders after the catch. They are easy to bring down for limited yards. Jerry Rice not only had great hands, he had that extra gear that made him so hard to defend.

The emotional moment of the NFL draft is a memorable event for drafted players. It truly is the realization of a lifelong dream: childhood aspirations to Pop Warner league, to High school football, to College football, and then to the NFL. They have endured days and nights of long practices, muddy cleats and uniforms, and scraped elbows and knees. They have worked out in the gym pumping iron, and have given weeks, months, and years of dedication.

It was all for this one moment when your name gets called out at the Draft, and then realizing that this is just the beginning. The Dream has just begun.

In one special weekend, the NFL gives life to the dreams of the chosen few.