Friday, April 27, 2012

Draft 2012!

Last night I watched the NFL draft almost in its entirety.  This is an event I have never cared about until a few years ago.  I recall the guys at prom in high school wanting to linger around the TV because the prom was during the draft and I could have cared less.  I was watching by chance when Chris Long first caught my eye a few years ago and that is how it all started.  I still don't care a whole lot...I mostly like to check out the cute but huge early 20's aged dudes and try to pick out players of interest to follow next fall.  They don't necessarily have to be the best players (although if they are in the draft the must be the best...).  They just have to catch my attention for some reason. 

The first thin I noticed was that this event would be a fun thing to attend.  The chairs of the auditorium were full of crazy (and probably under the influence) hoodlums yelling and acting crazy like it was a regular sporting event.  When it was the New York Jets' turn to pick a bunch of crazy hockey fans stormed into the aisles to see NY pick.  Their team had just won a playoff game and they wanted to keep the crazy going I guess. 
The second thing I noticed was that there is an excess of male to male love displays that might not be acceptable elsewhere (not in my opinion, I don't care what anyone does, but in the opinion of society as a whole).  That commissioner got hugged nonstop.  I missed the moment, but apparently it went even further!

Awww...sweet...

I also noticed that the baby stat comparing obsession is nothing compared to the physical statistic precision of the NFL draft.  For example, did you know that Matt Kalil, the Vikings' first pick, has hands that are 10.4 inches across?  Or that his arms are 34.4 inches long?  (By the way, his arms are extremely long...the average length appears to be around 31 inches per arm.  If that guy spread his arms out his reach would probably be around 8 feet across with the width of his body!  He could almost span his arms from wall to wall in a bedroom in our house!  He could stand in our kitchen and just grab everything without taking a step!  I think he might just be in the 100th percentile for arms...haha...)  Also, the height is measured to the eighth of an inch.  I have to wonder why an eighth of an inch makes a difference but whatever...
I was very entertained by the sweet hairstyles of many of the players.  If you are a huge, talented NFL prospect who can get away with whatever you want it seems to be a trend to fashion your hair (or probably have someone fashion your hair) into elaborate twists and braids that add several inches to you height and make you look like a ram or other horned animal.  I tried to find pictures but all the players had hats on in the photos. 
You can tell something crazy is going on under the hat because it does not fit the head and is clearly stretched over a big hairstyle.  Each was crazier than the last!

So...my favorites...
Based only on his cute post pick interview where he talked about how growing up on the farm in Idaho gave him his work ethic and good values, I was attracted to this guy.  Also, I like his huge neck and his arms are an impressive 32.6 inches long. 

I also like Robert Griffen III.  It's not very original to favor a #2 pick and Heisman Trophy winner but I saw him on the today show (by the way, I thought Matt Lauer and Al Roker were decent sized guys but next to Robert Griffen III and Andrew Luck they looked very small) and I liked his personality.  In his post pick interview he talked about wanting to make his family proud and doing something someone with his name (he is a III after all) has never done before.  Also, I love his huge silly grin. 


So, that is my draft recap for 2012.  If you actually care about football related stats and whatnot you came to the wrong place! 

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