NFL Draft: More Than Just Statistics

Mar 31, 2015; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Jameis Winston throws a pass as NfL scouts watch during FSU Football Pro Day at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday, April 30^th, 2015, the NFL Draft will actually happen. With all the hype, it’s difficult to believe, I know. But mercifully, the NFL Draft is almost here.

Mock drafts have been popping up like pimples on a teenager. Draft “experts” from Mel Kiper Jr. to yours truly have been debating every minutia of each college player. Any slight detail which might indicate what direction a team is leaning towards gets blown up into a breaking news story. Even the players themselves are getting in on it.

But for a moment, let’s all take a collective breath and remember one thing: these are kids. All of the numbers and statistics are actually evaluating real people. People with dreams and fears. Kids who used to knock on the door to their parents’ room at night when they couldn’t sleep. Some of them came from good homes, some not so good. They’ve overcome adversity many of us can’t imagine and now they’re here: at the traffic light of their childhood dreams, waiting for it to turn green.

Mar 31, 2015; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Karlos Williams runs an agility drill as NFL scouts time him during FSU Football Pro Day at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

The combine did the heavy lifting of measuring every detail of these athletes’ physical attributes. It quantifies their hard work and abilities into six simple workout drills in addition to position drills. Then comes their pro days, in which they get individual workouts at their colleges for teams that choose to attend. The kids are interviewed with questions ranging from “which NFL team do you use in Madden” to ex-Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland famously asking Dez Bryant “Your mom was a prostitute?”

"DB “My dad was a pimp.”"

"JI “What did your mom do [for a living]?”"

"DB “She worked for my dad.”"

"JI “Your mom was a prostitute?”"

"DB “No, she wasn’t a prostitute.”"

"-Jeff Ireland speaking to Dez Bryant"

This year, it’s been reported that a few teams have actually hired private investigators to follow Jamies Winston. No one seems to be making a big deal about the fact that a professional organization is hiring professional detectives to follow a 21-year-old kid. It’s generally shrugged off as just another part of the “evaluation process.”

After all, there is a lot of money on the line here. According to Bloomberg.com, the NFL makes nearly $10 billion a year. Billion with a “B.” That’s roughly three times more than the GDP of the entire country of Belize. Who wouldn’t want to ensure such a costly investment as the number one overall pick? That’s what the team wants. That’s what the fans want. And if they want to get drafted and sign that multi-million dollar contract right out of college, many only spending a year or two there anyway, that’s what the player wants, too.

Even the very last player selected in the draft is guaranteed almost a half million dollars. According to deptofnumbers.com, the average American income is $52,250; which means that these players will make in one year what it would take the average American to make in ten. Looking at that kind of money, I could shrug off a few indiscretions by the company giving it to me, too.

But remember, the average NFL career is only about 3.3 years long, as reported by statista.com. This means that an average NFL player making minimum salary will have made roughly $1.5 million in their NFL careers. It sounds like a lot, but if you’re retiring from the only thing you’ve ever known in your life at the age of 24 or 25, $1.5 million is not going to last you the rest of your life. Especially considering that you’re giving this money to a 21-year-old who may not be as fiscally responsible as, say, you or me. So when their career is over, what is a player to do? Fall back on that communications degree they didn’t finish?

Jan 25, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; David Plaza and son Noah Plaza (left) pose with No. 1 St. Louis Rams jersey and Heather Plaza and son Jonah Plaza pose with No. 1 Arizona Cardinals jersey at the NFL Draft exhibit at the NFL Experience at Phoenix Convention Center in advance of Super Bowl XLIX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

To say the NFL doesn’t care about their players would be a cheap shot. But with business booming, there certainly is a lot at stake. After all, if the players look bad, the NFL looks bad. It’s an industry built on PR, hence their new concussion protocols and domestic violence initiatives. If a player is playing at a high level, doesn’t do anything off the field to embarrass the company, and isn’t over 30 years old, they can keep their job and silently collect their millions until the NFL no longer wants them. It’s the volatile nature of the business. And a future that these newest draftees and the unspoken of veterans who will lose their jobs as a result now face.

Yes it is fun to prognosticate and evaluate and debate. But what’s also important to remember in our fandom is the fact that we’re not just talking about numbers. We’re talking about human beings with beating hearts. They are achieving something they believe to be truly great, and if you’re a fan of them and the team they go to, I’m assuming you’ll feel the same way.

So on April 30^th through May 2^nd, 256 human beings will fulfill the realization of their childhood dreams. Millions of people around the world will either cheer about it, or gripe to their friends and wait for next year. And the world will keep on turning.

Next: Ravens Seven Round Mock Draft

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