Since ESPN's favorite sport is football, I've been hearing a lot of draft discussion lately. Granted, I'm not a NFL Draft fan. I actually think it is one of the most boring television events, period.But since there's so much hype about it, and I'm always watching sports, I become inherently interested in what happens to some degree.
Then again, is there anything more boring than when your team drafts an offensive lineman in the first round? Especially when you've already waited two and a half hours just to get to your pick at number ten. Listen, I understand the importance of a good line, and I realize that no football team can be successful without those guys.
But offensive lineman are in a position in football that unless you're one of the Mark Schlereth's of the world, it's hard to track their progress.
Sure, you can watch them, and the average fan can figure out if the guy is letting up a bunch of sacks. But if he's not, how else do you measure whether he's good, pancake blocks?
The offensive line is the most disguised part of a football team. When they're doing well, you don't notice them. When they're not, you might notice them. Thus, it makes their jobs the least exciting of any other team in the NFL.
So if my team is drafting a Jason Smith out of Baylor this year, or a Jake Long last year, or any of these other guys, don't expect me to be excited. Could those players ultimately help my football team? Absolutely. But it's not fun to project the future for a guy who's going to be blocking the rest of his career.
With a receiver, a quarterback, or a running back, you can watch old highlights of them on YouTube and start to dream about how they would fit into your offense. Same thing with any great defensive player.
Yet you can't turn on a game of Madden so you can play as your team's newest offensive lineman. And if you could, how boring would that be?
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