The NFL Draft, A Holiday for Sports Fans

The NFL Draft, A Holiday for Sports Fans

The 2023 NFL Draft is one of the biggest events during the calendar year for football fans. 

By Jonah Alewine

Q News

The draft always occurs in the early spring and is the best day of athletes' lives as their dreams are officially a reality. The NFL draft is not just a big day for the prospects involved but also for the fans. 

The Future is Bright for the Quarterback Class

The quarterback position is the most important on the field and last year the league saw only one selected in the first two rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft. That quarterback is former Pittsburgh Panther Kenny Pickett, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

This year is completely different. Four quarterbacks are projected to go within the first 10 picks of the first round while five could possibly go on the first night.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and Ohio State signal caller C.J. Stroud are the two prototypical top quarterbacks that normally come out of the draft each year. However, Florida’s Anthony Richardson may have the most potential out of the position that anyone has ever seen. 

QB Rankings created using Canva

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis also has a lot of potential, but his play in college has not been as appealing as Richardson’s according to many experts. Young, Stroud, Richardson, and Levis are all projected to go within the first 10 selections. Tennessee's Hendon Hooker is that fifth quarterback that could end up going Thursday night.

The potential is out of this world for the quarterbacks projected to go high in the draft, but in the later rounds, some signal-callers may still get a chance. UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Houston's Clayton Tune, and TCU's Max Duggan are all projected to go late day two or during the third and final day of the draft. However, all three quarterbacks could be given a chance at the next level depending on the team or situation they are drafted to. 

The Rest of the Draft Class has a Mix of Talent

The NFL draft consists of seven rounds with the first three rounds being designed to be future starters for teams and the final four rounds being made to have depth at positions in case of injury. However, every year multiple day-three picks end up becoming stars of the game. NFL Draft superfan and Arizona State student Nick Baer believes the position for teams to find depth is at tight end (TE).

Baer stated “In previous years you would not have more than one guy seriously considered as a round one tight end but this year we have multiple TEs in Dalton Kincaid and Michael Mayer being likely 1st round guys. In previous years, a player like Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave is probably a late first rounder but because of Kincaid and Mayer, he’s likely a day two TE.” 

Baer finds that due to Kincaid and Mayer being likely first-round picks, it pushes other prospects down into other rounds like Musgrave and Darnell Washington. Although I do agree with Baer that the tight end position is one of the deepest, I think the one with the most depth is at cornerback. 

1st-Round Mock Draft created using PFF
 

The Cornerback Position has Potential

Besides the top five guys like Devon Witherspoon and Joey Porter Jr., players like Clark Phillips and D.J. Turner have an immense amount of potential at the cornerback position. Players who are projected to go late in the third round or during the third day of the draft, I think can end up being starters at the professional level given the right coaching and development.

Many fans of the game also find ways to incorporate their thoughts and predictions into the draft’s prospects. Many companies and individual people create lists ranking these players better known as Big Boards.

 Another way fans of the draft incorporate their thoughts is through Mock Drafts. These “test drafts” are ways for people to predict which prospects go to each of the 32   NFL franchises. 

All of the top NFL Draft analysts like Mel Kiper Jr. and Daniel Jeremiah conduct these mock drafts and publish them online. Kiper Jr. and Jeremiah complete mock drafts just like the fans do, but in doing so, they give their thoughts and in-depth analysis behind each prediction.

Many fans of the NFL draft continue to make mock drafts on a daily basis as a way to contribute their own thoughts and predictions as to what could actually happen on draft night.

The Fan Experience is like None-Other

Besides the actual picks themselves, NFL Draft weekend brings fans of all teams together for draft parties and festivities. Fans announce their favorite team's picks every year, but none of them have experienced the reception Sam Prince did in 2022. 

Prince was one of the biggest stories of the 2022 NFL Draft and he only announced one pick. Prince was able to make the 5th overall pick in last year’s draft and started going viral on social media. Prince received a heart transplant 10 years previous, and through the Make a Wish Foundation, he chose to announce the Giant’s first-round pick.

When asked what announcing the pick meant to him, Prince stated, "It meant the world to me announcing the pick. My mom always said to me that’s always light at the end of the tunnel, that night I saw the light at the end of the tunnel." Prince's wish came true and the response afterward was nothing that he expected.

Sam Prince announces the Giants' first 2022 draft pick

"NFL draft weekend was the best weekend of my life. When I was on TV I was taking every moment in." Prince has been taken under sportscaster Rich Eisen's wing after the draft as well as appearing on numerous NFL and sports-based shows.

He has appeared on Good Morning Football, NFL Draft Draft Day Coverage, and NFL Game Day, amongst many other shows. 

"The response towards me after I made the pick has been nothing but amazing! I cannot stop thinking about how grateful I am for everything in my life. I am forever thankful for my donor family’s selfless act for donating their child’s organs."

Since the 2022 NFL Draft, Prince has been documented on SportsCenter and NFL Network. The current college freshman is an inspiration to many and deserves all of the recognition he has received.