NFL draft bores once more

Tickel your Fancy

By Hunter Tickel | Sports Editor

The final Saturday in April has passed and, with it, the most over-publicized yearly sporting event.

The 76th NFL Draft was full of pregame hoopla and hype, but only delivered a typical tedious three days of picks.

Waiting 10 minutes between each first round selection is one of the most monotonous things I have ever done — especially in the midst of one of the most entertaining NHL and NBA playoffs in recent memory.

Four NHL first-round series went the distance to a game seven, and, in the NBA arena, No. 8 seed Memphis knocked off No. 1 San Antonio Friday.

How can calling off name after name compare to that?

The draft has become nearly as lacking in newsworthiness as National Signing Day, the first Wednesday of February when high school athletes commit to colleges.

What's next? Middle school signing day for pre-teens?

Unless you were a desperate fan of a hopeless franchise looking for the quarterback of the future — which this year's class didn't have — or you were hoping to see how well your college team was represented, you had no reason to watch.

I figured few University of Cincinnati players would be drafted, so I took the high road. Instead of wasting hours watching this overrated media event, I checked the draft boards Saturday to read up on everything I needed to know in less than 10 minutes.

If you are a Bearcats fan, former center Jason Kelce dropped to the sixth round as an undersized offensive lineman. The Philadelphia Eagles scooped him up with the 191st overall pick.

The Cincinnati Bengals nabbed former Georgia wideout A.J. Green with the No. 4 pick. Green has a lot of talent and potential, and, with Chad Ochocinco's future in limbo, Green is his likely replacement.

In the second round, Cincinnati answered the question on everyone's mind: Who will throw to Green? Former TCU star Andy Dalton was selected and will likely earn a starting role next year by default if Caron Palmer follows through with his retirement.

The top overall pick was Heisman Trophy-winner Cam Newton. He heads to Carolina needing to fine-tune his game, but will likely be thrust into a starting role.

Former Notre Dame star quarterback Jimmy Clausen, Carolina's second-round pick last year, was placed in a similar plight as he posted a 58.4 rating in 10 starts as a first-year starter in the league.

The Panthers have selected three quarterbacks in the past two drafts, including UC alumnus Tony Pike.

This year's draft provided fans with the first relevant football news since Super Bowl XLV, and, with the 2011 season still in jeopardy, it could be the only aspect of professional football happening this year.

When this season's draft began Thursday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took the podium and awkwardly smiled at the crowd as boos poured down on him from the discontent crowd.

The fans showered him with chants of, "Let them play," and "We want football."

My message to those in attendance: Shut up or don't participate in the draft. If you really want to see games, why are you partaking in an event run by the owners of the NFL while there is a work stoppage? You're just giving them more power.

The current NFL players casually asked players in this year's draft class to skip out on the festivities, but it would be unreasonable to expect these college stars to shy away from their celebrated passage to the pro ranks.

This year's draft had a little more intrigue with so little happening in the offseason, but now it's time for prodigious postseason hockey and basketball.