I don't think there has ever been such a big disparity in anything than between people who love the NFL draft and people who hate it. I fall into the former category, I think it's the most compelling reality television available.
First of all, you have to really like the NFL to appreciate the draft. And after the first round, no matter where any of these kids are drafted and no matter what they do, they will all have at least $6 Million in the bank, plus a guarantee they will make the NFL team they were drafted to.
It starts in high school, all of those Friday Night Lights kids play their butts off to get an opportunity to play big time college football. There are approximately 110 team Division 1 Schools, with approximately 90 or so scholarship spots open, so you are looking at 9,900 spots. Of course this does not include Division 1AA, D2, D3, etc, but you get the idea.
You would have to think at least 1/3 of these 9,900 kids have been scouted by the pros even before the step foot on a college field. So after 3 years out of high school, these kids can apply to the NFL for early admissions or they could stay and use their eligibility and go pro after 4 years. Either way it doesn't matter, if they are ready, they will make it to the next level.
Than comes the Senior Bowl and the countless other show cases individuals have to show how NFL ready they are. There are Combines where they are tested on all physical attributes, if an NFL is going to invest Millions of dollars onto these kids, they want to know what they are getting, the best thing about it, the NFL Network shows it all live, every kid, every position. Think of it as American Idol audition without the editing, plus the NFL Network has their analysis grade the performances.
Than comes months of hype followed by the draft. You finally get to see where these kids will get a tryout for the post college careers. Some excel, Peyton Manning, some fail, Akili Smith and some surprise the system, Tom Brady And it all happens in front of your eyes.
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