Draft Day Experience (part 3)

Chants of J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS, broke out faster than acne on a teenager. I was hoping the Jets would take a cornerback and I would not have booed if they selected Leon Hall from the University of Michigan or Darrelle Revis from the University of Pittsburgh.
“Revis! We got Revis!” Everyone wearing a green and white jersey was exuding delight and my passion brought me an extended close-up on ESPN. Another dream come true.
At 3:38, the New York Giants came onto the clock with their first selection, the 20th pick. Brady Quinn was still available, prompting Steiner to comment, “Brady Quinn just sold his car. Will he even bother to come out at this point?” It would take forty minutes and a trade, but Quinn would eventually join the Cleveland Browns. In return for their pick, the Dallas Cowboys received the Browns’ first round selection in the 2008 draft.
Nothing shuts up obnoxious Eagles fans quicker than trading your first round pick to your archrival. This trade could become the equivalent of the Lou Brock trade from the Cubs to the Cardinals. I really hope Anthony Spencer, the defensive end the Cowboys selected, becomes a great player.
The Eagles followed up this move by selecting a quarterback, Kevin Kolb from the University of Houston, with the team’s second round choice. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, an avid Eagles fan, commented on the selection of Kolb, stating, “It boggles the entire mind.”
Towards the end of the first round, I spotted Commissioner Goodell signing autographs and talking with fans in the orchestra. I successfully went down to the ground floor and slipped into the crowd of fans. Goodell not only signed an ESPN draft magazine with Brady Quinn on the cover (which they ironically gave out for free) and my ticket, but also partook in a conversation with me.
“Oh, so you’re a Jets fan,” he said while signing my ticket and looking down at my Vilma jersey. “Yeah, and a happy one at that,” I replied.
“I just hope you’re happy in September,” he said with a bit of a smirk.
“Me too,” I said.
At exactly 6:18, after only six hours and eight minutes, the longest first round in draft history concluded. The most entertaining moment of the second round took place during the Carolina Panthers’ pick, number 45 overall. Keyshawn Johnson, a wide receiver for the Panthers at the time of the draft, was a special draft analyst for ESPN. He was surprised, although pleasantly, when his squad took Dwayne Jarrett, a wide receiver from USC, the same college Johnson attended. Ironically, Jarrett, a similar receiver in terms of speed and height to Johnson, would ultimately replace him, as the Panthers released Johnson three days after the draft.
The Green Bay Packers were slated to choose two picks later; however, the Jets, once again, swooped down and gave up later picks in order to trade up 16 spots and select linebacker David Harris from the University of Michigan. I actually got quite a bit of face time on ESPN during this pick.