Draft, And More Draft

The growth in the interest of the NFL Draft has been amazing. The coverage of the draft has obviously grown with it. If there's attention in something the media is inevitably going to cover it. Usually in excess. I remember the days when the draft was on Monday and Tuesday. There was no coverage. No internet. No television! It was pretty much impossible to find any information until the newspaper arrived the following morning. The local radio stations might provide the picks of the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders. That was of no help for a Minnesota Vikings fan growing up in northern California. I might get lucky if the Vikings drafted a local player. I lived for that newspaper delivered  hours later. It sucked. ESPN became a savior in 1980. It was the most incredible thing. The NFL Draft on TV! What an idea!?!

Now, the Draft is a monster. It's televised by two networks. ESPN still has it. NFL Network now has it. Two networks! Brilliant! I'm with NFL Network now but I so appreciate what ESPN did in 1980 and every year since. It's hilarious to see clips of the coverage of those early days. See those awkward graphics next to the glossy production of today. The Draft is even in prime time now. I still prefer the weekend event but I'm slowly warming to the three-day prime time event. I'm assuming the viewing numbers have grown with the move to prime time. We'd be back on the weekends if they hadn't grown.

People are nuts for the draft. There was a time when Sports Illustrated and the Sporting News were the only publications that produced a mock draft. Maybe, Sport. You had to wait by the mailbox or the newsstands to find them. Now, they are everywhere. Everyone has one. Publications, websites, fans. There's even mock draft contests. Here a mock, there a mock, everywhere a mock, mock. The draft is a monster.

We are just over 50 days from the 2014 NFL Draft. We have to wait until the end of the first week in May this year. About two weeks longer than usual. Brutal. NFL Network just kicked off the their "Path to the Draft" series. Thursday was the first day and it will continue every single weekday until the draft. Then NFL Network will kick off their "Path from the Draft" series. "Path to the Draft" is a terrific series. Charles Davis and Daniel Jeremiah are excellent as the hosts and draft commentators. Mike Mayock is awesome as the "draft guru." I even look forward to the appearances of Charley Casserly. All of the NFL Network personalities are informative and fun. They know the draft and the players. Great show. Great coverage. Can't get enough of that draft stuff.