The NFL draft is one of, if not the most anticipated event of the offseason. Teams look for the future of their franchise, as prospects look for the future of their career. Draft day is important to everyone, the fans, the organization, and especially the players. It’s a stressful day for players of every caliber that have declared for the draft.

             Players from top to bottom are all eager to see where they’ll end up. They’re spot on the draft matters more than most people realize. All from where they have to live, to how much they’ll make (which has many more factors). Many fail to realize that a lot of players don’t get drafted and sit there until the end of the draft praying that their dream can come true. Sadly, this isn’t always the case, although they can get picked up by an organization through free agency signings.

             Usually the first overall pick is very predictable. This year the Carolina Panthers have traded for the Chicago Bears former number one overall pick. In need of a quarterback, there are three quarterbacks that have a real chance at going first overall. These being Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, and Florida’s Anthony Richardson. Anthony Richardson took a massive leap on draft boards after his impressive combine with impressive size at 6’4’’ and 244 lbs. He also ran a 4.43 second 40 yard dash as well as two positional records in his 10’9” broad jump, and 40.5” vertical jump. Experts say he’s shown shades over Mike Vick, but he didn’t prove as much on the field as the two other candidates. CJ Stroud was a two time Heisman award runner up, losing both thto his number one pick competition, Bryce Young. So what makes Stroud on the same level as Young if he had been slightly behind him in his collegiate career? A simple answer, size. Bryce is only 5’10” and 204 lbs while CJ is 6’2” and 10 lbs heavier at 214. This is very important, as the pro game is much more physically demanding than its collegiate counterpart.

San Marcos football player Tyler McLain’s thoughts were “Stroud is the obvious pick. Bryce Young just simply doesn’t have the size for the NFL.”

             As much as the tip of the draft is widely viewed as the most important part, the later rounds matter too. Taking a look around the league will show you that many of the sports stars come from the later rounds. 

             Overall, it’ll be as interesting as ever to see what each team does this draft. Especially as teams engage in mid draft trades looking to improve their future. Even to the most casual of football fans, watching the draft can educate on what goes on in the front office of organizations.