Tag Archives: NFL Draft

Now that the NFL draft has been completed, 224 draftees and an undefined number of free agents are making plans to strap on their helmets and work to earn a spot on a team.
 

In 2012 the big news was how many rookie quarterbacks were opening day starters. This year, it’s how few quarterbacks were drafted in prominent rounds.
 

Florida State’s E.J. Manuel was taken by Buffalo but was the lone QB picked in the first round.
 

Second-rounder Geno Smith will have a shot at immediate playing time as part of the Jets dreadful offense, but the remainder of the 11 quarterbacks taken—with the exception of Southern Cal’s Matt Markley—are longer-term projects.
 

Matt Barkley, taken in the fourth round by the Eagles, looks to be one of the most intriguing picks. Injuries and a weaker Southern Cal team dropped his stock in 2013, and arm-strength questions remain. But Michael Vick’s 2013 performance was nothing memorable and new coach Chip Kelly will be looking for any way to score points.
 

The 2013 NFL preseason kicks off Sunday, August 4, when the Dallas Cowboys face the Miami Dolphins in Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
 

The defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens lead off the regular season with a Thursday night game on September 5.
 

Three days later, Bills fans will find out if Manuel will have the reins when Buffalo tees it up against New England. That same first Sunday of the season, the Jets may have West Virgina’s Smith under center against Tampa Bay.
 

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

The NFL draft has become perhaps the most important annual sports activity that involves no activity on the field.

When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell strides to the podium Thursday night—shortly after 8 p.m. ET—to announce the first selection in the 2013 draft, he’ll be in front of a packed house at Radio City Music Hall in New York and over 8 million viewers on ESPN and the NFL Network.

Such viewership, not even including months of pre-draft speculation and post-draft analyses, makes the NFL draft a television powerhouse that approximates viewership for hallmark sports events such as the final round of the U.S. Open, the Indy 500, NBA playoffs and most NASCAR events.

Typically, given the geography, fans of the New York Giants and New York Jets dominate the live audience and annually provide collective groans or cheers depending upon the fan view of the choices made by team executives.

This year, it is likely that the most vocal of those reactions will come from fans of the Jets, who watched their team end a disappointing 2012 season plagued by the Mark Sanchez/Tim Tebow quarterback puzzle and are now debating the pros and cons of the recent trade of star quarterback Darrelle Revis to Tampa Bay for the Bucs 13th pick in the first round and a chump change pick in 2014.

Jets fans unhappy with current starting quarterback Sanchez may plead for West Virginia QB Geno Smith, but the Jets are most likely to grab LSU linebacker Barkevious Mingo if he’s still available.

After several years packed with quarterback talents including Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Cam Newton, Smith may be the only QB taken in the first round, with Matt Barkley of Southern Cal and Ryan Nassib of Syracuse slipping to Friday night’s second round.

Most of those considered in the “can’t miss” category in 2013 are beefy offensive and defensive tackles. If Kansas City doesn’t trade down, watch for Notre Dame’s Luke Joeckel or Texas A&M’s Eric Fisher to be called first by Goodell as the Chiefs try to keep new QB Alex Smith protected from the concussion problems that knocked him out mid-season in 2012.

The first round of the draft concludes Thursday night, rounds 2-3 are Friday evening and rounds 4-7 are Saturday afternoon.
 

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.