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"FacebookPinterestnfldraft.png\n\nHope springs eternal, right? The draft is a chance for the league's worst teams to find the next franchise savior, whether it happens in the first round or the sixth. Newly-drafted players are sexy for fans who drool over 40-yard-dash times, bench reps, and Wonderlic scores\u2014without having to concern themselves with any on-field performance. Before Ryan Leaf was...Ryan Leaf, he was a Next Big Thing. An upcoming NFL draft is a magical place where Penn State running backs will live up to their hype and any late-round pick will be Tom Brady. For teams that are strapped for cash and/or coming off a losing season, the draft might be the only chance at rapid improvement. For fans of those teams, it is part of the illusion that things will get better soon.\n\nThe reality, of course, is that it will likely take a long time for any given loser to reverse their fortunes. There is also the potential that the draft will set a franchise back for years. The Lions and Browns are still feeling the effects of Joey Harrington (2002) and Tim Couch (1999). Draft watchers are just as eager to see teams screw up as they are to see their team succeed. Who will be the next team to dish out a record contract to a complete bust? Which workout warrior will Al Davis and the Raiders draft? Did the Lions just take another wide receiver? How long into the broadcast will ESPN air this phenomenal video (We want Sapp! We want Sapp!) of mishaps by the Jets? There is nothing quite like the unintentional humor of a bad team making itself worse while convinced it is getting better. People watch the draft so that when the next top-ten pick flounders in the league, they'll be able to say: \"I remember when the Bengals banked their future on that guy.\"\n\nThe Green Room has been known to provide much of the tension on draft night. It doesn't happen often but once in a while, a player invited to the draft isn't taken as early as expected and must sit awkwardly with his family while his peers step up to meet the commissioner. We don't hope that someone gets stuck in the Green Room, but we don't exactly feel terrible for the millionaires-to-be. When the 49ers were in the market for a franchise QB in 2005, they went with Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers. Brady Quinn saw JaMarcus Russell go first overall in 2007. Rodgers and Quinn were both the #2 QBs, but each spent several excruciating hours in the Green Room long after the other invitees had been selected. Maybe it'll never happen again, but those moments will hang over the heads of any player who starts to slip. Folks who enjoy watching wealthy men squirm can only hope for more.\n\nThe average fan wouldn't know a thing about any draftees if not for Mel Kiper, Jr., a man with a lot of hair gel and a curious desire to watch game film year round. Nobody would know to be excited or disappointed about a selection without Kiper's input. This man dominates the football world for three months a year without ever having played for, coached, or managed an NFL team. He is the draft Terminator, with detailed files of every eligible player stashed in his brain\u2014including Mr. Irrelevant, the last pick in the draft. This event is worth watching, if only to see Kiper drop his considerable knowledge on everyone.\n\nDo you think the ESPN marketing team knows we're obsessed? The past few years have seen the draft shift to a primetime slot, and for the first time it will be stretched over three days. Up against the NBA and NHL playoffs, the NFL Draft figures to get more viewers than ever. Maybe we're being used, but we couldn't care less. When the draft is inevitably changed to a one-round-per-day format, we'll still be watching.\n\n \u2014Nick Ingalls"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.gq.com/story/why-we-love-the-nfl-draft>