NFL Draft 2011: Why Day 3 Is the Best Day of the Entire NFL Draft

The first three rounds of the 2011 NFL Draft are in the books.  With 97 names off the board the first two days, the talent pool has been severely depleted. 

We’ve left the province of the hyped, where the picks flowed like milk and honey, and armchair GM's from coast to coast opined about the quality of the selections with commensurate fluidity.

Now we venture boldly into an undiscovered country, full of strange-sounding names that leave the bewildered masses searching for answers.

But bewildered or not, these masses will be amply rewarded for tuning in Saturday morning to watch the fourth through seventh rounds. 

Here are three big reasons why.

Mr. Irrelevant

On Day Three of the NFL Draft, hundreds of selections over several hours will flash across our screens, culminating in the stirring end-cap that we all celebrate with morbid fascination. 

I’m not talking about the long-awaited dismissal of Jon Gruden from our living rooms.  

No—it’s the last name to be summoned into the professional ranks; the concluding pick of the entire NFL Draft: Mr. Irrelevant.

But what does the man who’s ultimately christened with the ignominious alias receive for being conferred such an honor?

Historically-speaking, a whole lot of nothing.  Mr. Irrelevants of years' past have received inordinate amounts of press coverage only to fall in the line with a predictable fate: a short, lonely walk down the beaten path of failure. 

And yet, in spite of that, we save them from oblivion. We persist down this same road year after year, paradoxically attributing meaning to a pick whose very significance would seem to have been negated by the title we give it. 

But the truth is, Mr. Irrelevant is very relevant to us.  We get a perverse enjoyment out of watching him crash and burn, and we don’t mind waiting four rounds to find satisfaction.

Sleeper Picks

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FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 16: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots stands on the field during their 2011 AFC divisional playoff game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on January 16, 2011 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa

Although the percentage of players we recognize decreases considerably by the third day, the train of selections chugs on. 

But as it does, we are taken along for the ride, treated to countless vistas along the way.

The expert analysts, no matter where we are tuning in, offer specialized insight into the skill sets of players about whom we would otherwise know nothing.  Their vignettes invite the viewer to speculate about a variety of things, whether it be how player X will fit in on team Y or what prompted a certain coach to reach for a specific prospect. 

But part of the charm of the draft is that so much goes on in those war rooms that we don’t know about. Despite our compulsive need to prognosticate, and thirst for information, there will always be things in heaven and earth that are not dreamed of in our philosophy.

Whether the majority of so-called sleepers are born from hidden genius or a stroke of luck, we may never know.  But without fail, there are players drafted in the final four rounds who will end up surpassing the expectations of every forecast our minds can muster.  

We want to be there watching the action unfold, so that in 10 years we can proudly say we didn’t miss it when another Marques Colston or the second coming of Tom Brady was drafted.

Bonus Football

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NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 28: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (botom row R) poses for a photo on stage with the members of the 2011 Draft class and the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame class during the 2011 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 28, 2011 in

The hype surrounding the draft is unlike anything else in sports; all of the effort that goes into predicting who goes where and in what order is an industry unto itself. 

We’re beyond anxious to learn the results of the draft, but when it really comes down to it, we’re sad to see it go.

And especially this year, with a dark cloud hanging over the league we love, the real appeal of the final day of the draft boils down to this: it’s our last chance at escapism—to watch the normal business of professional football unencumbered by the doubts and uncertainties that for so many months have kept our desires at bay and our hopes on edge.

For one more day, we’re allowed to milk the marquee event of our favorite sport’s offseason without a shred of anxiety, and we must relish that opportunity.

The NFL may just remind itself what a horrible thing this would be to waste.