At Last The NFL Draft

Beginning on Thursday night and ending on Saturday, the seven rounds of the NFL draft bring hope to fans and teams, the culmination of a life’s work to players and all manner of other complications (money, fame) that relate to a life in the spotlight.

Here are a few things to look as round one unfolds on Thursday night in Chicago:

Quarterbacks rule. The first two picks will most likely send the University of California’s Jared Goff to the Los Angeles Rams and North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz to the Philadelphia Eagles. A third quarterback, Memphis’ Paxton Lynch, could go anywhere from seventh (San Francisco 49ers) to 20th (New York Jets).

If Lynch goes seventh, he’s a riser – a guy who moved up on a team’s draft board. If he doesn’t go by the 20th pick, he’s sliding. This isn’t the worst thing in the world. Aaron Rodgers was a slider and he has been nothing but gold for the Green Bay Packers.

You’ll hear about “red flags.” That can be a medical reason for not taking a player, such as UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, who had a serious knee injury that cost him last season. Or there could off-the-field issues. One might wonder why the stepfather of Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil is suing him again … or about the time they mutually dropped assault charges against each other.

The draft is televised by both ESPN and the NFL Network, guaranteeing viewers the opportunity to be talked into a complete stupor on competing stations. You’ll hear about three-cone drills (an agility test), 40-yard dash times (which are particularly ludicrous for offensive linemen, who should be timed in the 10-yard dash), and various arcane measurements (some teams believe Goff’s hands are too small – yes, they’ve been measured).

Good luck to your favorite team. May it get the player it seeks and bring you great joy. Let’s also hope that this player can actually, you know, play. No one wants to hear about the dreaded “draft bust.”

Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman