NFL Draft 2016: Behind-the-scenes diary from Chicago
Monday 2 May 2016 13:42, UK
To watch the NFL Draft from afar and to witness the drama unfold in person are two completely different things.
Like many of you, I've sat in front of my TV watching teams cherry pick the cream of college football talent down the years, but on this occasion they weren't just names on a board, these were individuals I met in person.
For however brief the time, I had a sense of the pressure, the nervous excitement, the demands on their time that this year's highly touted players were subjected to in Draft week.
Twenty-four hours before the biggest day of their lives - a day where they would become instant millionaires - these young men were out and about in Chicago visiting hospitals and engaging with children at a Play60 event.
Jared Goff, who would eventually be the first player selected in this year's Draft, struck me by his calm demeanour. Such great composure for a college graduate, aware he would carry the hopes and expectations of an entire team and its fan base. Goff joined everyone else in huddles, fielding every question thrown his way and all did it with a remarkable maturity.
The Draft is a marquee event in the NFL's calendar and it is big business for the city which stages it. Fans from across the country gather to be a part of it, security is tight - even police dogs had their own accreditation badges around their necks! It's an occasion where the Commissioner plays the role of pantomime villain, getting roundly booed every time he walks to the podium, but it's also an event which means this organisation commands the national spotlight and the NFL aren't in the habit of wasting such opportunities.
Roger Goodell was ever-present, proudly lauding the qualities of this Draft class, keen to raise the league's profile and acutely aware that it's not just American eyes watching.
For the second straight year, Sky Sports were welcomed in and afforded our own set inside the auditorium - Dara Kennedy, Neil Reynolds, Jeff Reinbold and I witnessed the drama unfold. So, the Commissioner seized this opportunity to send a football message back to the UK.
With a game scheduled in Mexico for the coming season and plans to stage a game in China in 2018, Goodell took time time out of his schedule to speak to us directly and stated that plans to expand interest elsewhere have no implication for the game in the UK, insisting fans here can expect 'more games, more interest, more activity'. Even in draft week, there can be no doubt, developing the game outside of the US remains a top priority.
But this week was about the league welcoming its newest stars. From Goff realising he is the new face of the Rams, to Laremy Tunsil - a man for so long projected to be the first man picked but who slid all the way down to 13 after a video of him apparently smoking appeared online, to Eli Apple admitting he very nearly didn't even answer his phone when the Giants called because he thought it was a prank call from a friend, these few days in Chicago had all of the drama, the excitement and the headline grabbing moments the NFL thrives on.
If ever there was an example of how the NFL is now a 365-day-a-year business, this was it. No pass was thrown, no tackle made nor a touchdown scored but the NFL had football fans hanging on every word spoken, and every move was scrutinised.
The influx of fresh faces to all 32 franchises means already pundits and fans alike are projecting who will make a Super Bowl run and who will be picking No 1 in 12 months' time. In Chicago dreams were realised, hopes were raised, expectations lifted and yet this is just the beginning.
