The future of football starts tomorrow and here’s the knowledge you need to talk shop with the best of them.
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The Last Night’s Game Team
Five Things To Know About The NFL (National Football League) Draft
1. How it works – The candidates for the draft primarily consist of college football players hoping to play in the NFL. The first round picks are determined by the teams’ win/loss record from the previous season. The worst team picks first (because it’s presumed they need the most help) and the Super Bowl champions pick last. Any ties in season records are settled by a coin toss. RULES
2. This year’s draft is at the home of the Dallas Cowboys and it is the first time the draft has ever been held in an NFL stadium. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will announce the first round of picks on Thursday and don’t be surprised if he’s booed by Cowboys fans. Last year was a contentious year between the Cowboys organization and Goodell. (For the record, the fans boo Goodell every year – it’s like a fun, family tradition). MORE ABOUT THE COWBOYS CONTROVERSY
3. To keep fans engaged throughout the three days and seven rounds, teams have come up with intriguing ways to announce their draft picks. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are using a live parrot, the Minnesota Vikings will call on the gold medal winning U.S. Men's Curling Team to read their name, the Oakland Raiders will announce their pick from Nellis Air Force Base in their soon to be new home, Las Vegas and members of the Stoneman Douglas football team will make the announcement for the Miami Dolphins. MORE ON THE FANFARE
4. Pizza Hut is the new official pizza sponsor of the NFL and to celebrate the company is giving the 78th pick of the draft free pizza for a year. Why? The 78th pick equals pi therefore why not give them free pizza pies? (Pi is 3.14 and the 78th pick is in the third round, pick 14). Worth noting – the later the pick, the less likely it is that the player will make an NFL team. A superstar exception? Quarterback Tom Brady who was the 199th pick. PICK ME
5. Speaking of picks, the Cleveland Browns have the first pick in the draft. The team has been silent on their choice for the number one spot. So quiet that the general manager of the Browns won’t even tell his coach who he’s picking because he doesn’t want it to leak to the media. FIND OUT WHO MIGHT GO FIRST
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There’s more to life than being drafted and today that includes why the NFL could be like the Price Is Right with a $1 offer, another woman breaks through in sports and the player who held a press conference to discuss his dirt bike skills (because why not)? READ
What to watch
The NFL draft starts Thursday night and runs through Saturday. One player to watch is Shaquem Griffin from Central Florida who only has one hand after having it amputated at an early age. He impressed teams in his tryouts but will he make a team and history? SCHEDULE
