Draft to Lockout

The lockout is a pain for so many reasons. Many have been talked about to nausea. The work stoppage now, possible cancellation of the season later, the sale of wings on fall Sundays, etc. Pretty much the only thing going on, the only touch of reality, is the progression towards the draft. The whole draft process is exhilarating. Everyone knows that. It does lead to something few people seem to be considering. One of the greatest thrills of the draft is seeing these kid's dreams coming true. This has been their goal for years. As soon as his name is called during the draft, there will be thrills, excitement, relief, so many great feelings. Then what? Previous years they would hop on a plane and fly to their new football home. Now, they go from that high to a lockout. The coach or general manager calls, says "welcome to the team, now you gotta stay away, see you whenever." It has to be a shock to drop from that thrill to the reality of a ridiculous lockout. I'm much more concerned about this than the owner's next get rich scheme.