All Eyes on the Draft

With the NFL in the midst of its offseason and each team grabbing any available free agents, team management and coaching staff are looking toward the future of their franchises. All 32 teams are looking to pick up the top available athletes coming out of college in the 2017 NFL Draft, scheduled to begin on April 27.

This year’s draft class is one of the most talented yet, with Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, Louisiana State running back Leonard Fournette and Texas A&M defensive-end Myles Garrett being standouts in this year’s class. The question is where will they end up?

The draft order from first to fifth is Cleveland, San Francisco, Chicago, Jacksonville and Tennessee. The question is, what path will they take? Each team must draft the right athlete to fill their needs while building a championship team around them.

According to CBS Sports analyst Dane Brugler, the top five draft picks will be Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett by Cleveland, North Carolina QB Mitch Trubisky by San Francisco, Notre Dame QB Deshone Kizer by Chicago, Alabama DL Jonathan Allen by Jacksonville and Louisiana State safety Jamal Adams by Tennessee.

Despite what the experts predict, when it comes to the draft, nothing is set in stone on the team’s selections, even on the actual day. History has shown that things change at a moment’s notice.

In 2006, Heisman trophy-winning running back, Reggie Bush, was expected to be taken first by the Houston Texans, but Houston shocked everyone by drafting DE Mario Williams.  The pick sent Bush to the New Orleans Saints, and their second overall free agent pick, Drew Brees, went on to win a Super Bowl title for the team four years later.

The draft is just as dramatic and unpredictable as the game of football itself.  When a team is seconds away from making their draft pick announcement, they will pull an audible and come out with a surprise play. Teams often trade down to get more draft picks or trade up to get the best available prospects they wanted at the moment in exchange for higher second and third round draft picks in future drafts.

Just because athletes are taken in the later rounds doesn’t mean they are not as talented as the higher draft picks. History has shown that some of the greatest player in NFL history have come from the lower end of the draft board.

Take five-time Super bowl champion, Tom Brady, who was the 199 overall pick signed with the New England Patriots in the 2000 draft. Brady’s successful career outshines the six quarterbacks taken before him in that year’s draft.

The draft is unpredictable, and no sports fan should miss. The draft is an opportunity to see future stars in the making and how far their careers will go. Get out your draft boards because the future of the NFL is just a draft pick away.