On the Clock: The Story of the NFL Draft

by Barry Wilner, Ken Rappoport

Overview

The NFL draft features no action on the field. No passing, running, tackling, or kicking. Hey, there isn't even a field. Yet the draft has become more popular than many other sporting events, including the NBA and NHL playoff games, against which it goes head-to-head for viewers. In fact, the draft has spawned its own cottage industry in which names such as Gil Brandt, Mel Kiper Jr., and Mike Mayock have become as well known as any of the first-round selections. In On the Clock, Barry Wilner and Ken Rappoport chronicle the history of the proceedings. The veteran sportswriters take you from the first grab bag in 1936, when Philadelphia chose Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago only for him to decline to play in the NFL, to the 2014 draft—considered one of the deepest in talent ever. Along the 78-year journey, learn about the competitions for the top overall spot (Peyton Manning vs. Ryan Leaf), the unhappy No. 1s (John Elway and Tom Cousineau), the big flops (JaMarcus Russell), and the late-rounders-turned-superstars (Tom Brady). Meet the draft wizards, from Paul Brown to Bill Walsh and Jimmy Johnson, and read about the draft whiffs that cost personnel executives their jobs. On the Clock takes you behind the scenes at one of pro football’s most suspenseful annual events.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781630761011
Publisher:	Taylor Trade Publishing
Publication date:	04/01/2015
Pages:	220
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Barry Wilner has been a sportswriter for the Associated Press since 1975. He has covered virtually every major sporting event, including 13 Olympics, 9 World Cups, 30 Super Bowls, the World Series, and the Stanley Cup finals, and has written 51 books. He is also an adjunct professor at Manhattanville College. He lives in Garnerville, New York. Ken Rappoport is the author of 68 sports books for adults and young readers. While working for the Associated Press in New York for 30 years, he has written about every major sport. His assignments have included the World Series, the NBA Finals, and, as the AP’s national hockey writer, the Stanley Cup Finals and the Olympics. He lives in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

1.Draft Day 2014: The Most Exciting Draft Ever 2.Ringing the Bell 3.The First 4.African American Breakthrough 5.The War between the Leagues 6.A Draft Genius and Three Wise Men 7.The Lists 8.Watch This! TV and the Digital Age 9.Fan Frenzy 10.The Underwear Olympics 11.The Gurus 12.Three for the Show 13.Irrelevant Men, Tall Tales, and Short Stories 14.Mock Drafts

Editorial Reviews

03/23/2015
Sportswriters Wilner and Rappoport chronicle the fascinating history of the National Football League (NFL) draft day, created in 1936 to allow all NFL teams an equal chance to pick the country’s top college players, and which by 2014 has become “more popular than many other sporting events,” including the playoff games of the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League. Although the authors give an excellent account of how the draft works through an in-depth look at the 2014 draft, they never lose sight of the players and professionals who have given the draft its drama over the years. Jay Berwanger, the first Heisman Trophy winner and the #1 overall pick of the initial 1936 NFL draft, turned down playing with the Chicago Bears because “they weren’t paying any money, something like $100 a game.” Bo Jackson, another Heisman Trophy winner, in 1986 turned down a “reported five-year deal of $7.6 million” with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to instead play professional baseball with the Kansas City Royals. But football fans will be most delighted by the heart of the book, lists of “the bold and beautiful, the fantastics and the flops, in NFL draft history,” including a look at the best and worst picks of each franchise, and separate best and worst lists for quarterbacks, running backs, linebackers, and safeties. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

A compelling look at NFL history through the draft, which has become, for many fans, more important than any single game outside the Super Bowl. Wilner and Rappoport weave compelling little-known facts into the brilliant moves, the blunders, and many of the oddities of the draft process. Informative and a wonderful read.

Dave Goldberg