The NFL Draft is a Powerful PR Tool

Remember when you read about the draft after it happened in the newspaper, or you heard about it on the radio? Those days are done. Now, thanks to NFL Network and ESPN, the draft has become Must See TV for millions of football fans.

And it’s an unlikely hit. Sure, there are great moments, real stories of human ups and downs, great emotion and connection. Watching those hard working young men hug their parents and coaches then take the walk to grab that jersey is really good stuff. But then there are the lulls between the picks, the chirons that just keep scrolling the same information, and the pundits and commentators who just can’t think of anything new to say.

Year after year, it’s the same. Surprise picks the panel denounce and shocked expressions when a favorite falls down the board. It’s the same cycle of emotion, again and again. But the NFL has managed to make it compelling for fans and interesting enough for even marginally interested viewers to stop and pay attention.

How many people are paying attention? More than 8 million at last count. But … why? I mean, it’s really just a guy in a suit most people don’t like, announcing the names of other guys most people have never heard of. And, in between, prognosticators who are wrong more than they’re right, argue over who should or should not have been picked with the most recent pick. On and on it goes, for hours. Yet, again, more than 8 million.

Part of the draw is in the drama. The fans really have no idea who might go next. Some teams are hurting so bad, that just about any pick could be a good one. Then there are the genuine wow moments, like when one commentator called our NY Jets the “worst roster in the NFL” and another commentator went ape. Sure, the Jets have been bad the last few seasons, but the worst … really?

And then there are the moments when fans have to swallow their emotions and accept the logical choice. Many Bucs fans desperately wanted vaunted FSU running back Dalvin Cook to be reunited with quarterback Jameis Winston, but that wasn’t to be. Instead, when it came their turn to pick in round one, Tampa Bay was shocked to find Alabama TE OJ Howard still on the board. They snatched him up. Winston was elated, and fans … well, the fans had to agree it was the right decision.

And that’s the factor that matters most in the interplay of the NFL Draft. Fan excitement. The Draft is hope distilled, an ultimate arbiter of enthusiasm for the coming season, even when – really, especially when – there hasn’t been too much to be happy about in recent years.

Look at those aforementioned Jets. They started their 2017 draft bringing a real “build around” presence to a notoriously porous defense. Safety Jamal Adams could be a major playmaker and a source of identity for a unit desperately lacking both playmakers and PR pop.

Will these picks and predictions pan out? That, too, is part of the draft magic. Fans will tune in just to see if they were right. By midseason they will be cheering or shouting “I told you so!” But they will be engaged … and that’s the big takeaway.


William Doonan is a tax law and legal expert in New York.