by Ashley Raybourn

Created on: January 25, 2009

On April 25th, 2009 NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will step to the podium and announce that the Detroit Lions are on the clock and will have 10 minutes to announce their choice. (In reality though, the Lions have been on the clock since December, when it was clear that they would have the worst record in the league.) After the first pick is announced they continue down the line for seven rounds and two days of decision making. If you have ever just sat and watched the NFL draft you know it is a long two days, especially for those in the draft room.

Live webcams hosted on team websites show shots of the draft team in their stadium offices sorting through names, combine stats, interview transcripts, and Wonderlic test results. Arround the room are charts divided up by position with names that are removed as players are drafted. Discussions are made about the team's most pressing needs compared to who is still available. As you can see, just from this one window into their world, draft day decisions begin long before the annual rite of spring begins.

Let's start at the very beginning. Scouts visit colleges throughout the fall to look at prospective players. College players then have until January 15th of the draft year to declare them selves eligible for the draft. At that point, a list is put together of every name from every level of college play. Various talking heads on television and radio will compile their mock draft, which, unless they are named Mel Kiper, is usually inaccurate. Meanwhile, each team is putting together their draft board of where they think players rank and deciding what positions on their team are lacking depth or talent.

The next major event is the NFL Scouting Combine in February. During this week over three hundred of who the NFL perceives to be the most notable players are invited to display their skills and mingle with team officials. For all intents and purposes: Show Off. Here they will interview, jump, sprint the 40, display their agility, take the Wonderlic intelligence test, and try to show each team why they are a person of good character. Yes, you can watch this too if you have NFL Network. (Personally, I find it rather addictive).

Individual teams come away with a better sense of Joe Linebacker as a player and a person. In discovering this, they can better estimate how a particular player will blend in with the team in terms of both skill and chemistry. While a player might be highly skilled, it doesn't mean they will "fit in,"

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