a much-needed nfl draft reality check

Joe Thomas is at least down-to-earth enough to not buy into the mega-hype that surrounds the NFL draft every year. The likely top five pick is skipping out on a day of fame and glory, not to mention a chance to be lavished with all sorts of attention from just about everybody who has anything to do with the draft, so he can instead go fishing with his father and some friends. How cool is that? And he seems to have a decent perspective, too -- especially about the draft itself.

All of the obsession and scrutinizing surrounding this year's draft makes me sick. For a while I was looking forward to it and keeping up with the rumors and mock drafts and all, but recently it's gotten so out of hand I just want the thing to be over so I can stop being bombarded with it on every sports page I go to. Heck, why can't we just wait until draft day and see where folks end up? It would actually be more exciting that way, and you wouldn't have the sort of scenarios Thomas talks about where some poor guy suddenly gets all eyes and criticisms drawn to him just because he slips a few spots from where the omniscient draft pundits projected him to be selected.

As with most big events in our society, the whole thing has come to resemble a circus more than anything real and meaningful. It's a lot easier to just wait until it's over and read about what happened than follow the play-by-play coverage.