by Ryan Mercier
Boots on the ground in this actor’s hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2022 NFL Draft. What did you miss? Here are some live observations of the first round and a couple opinions on the draft itself at the end.
Magician Mat Franco took the stage to perform a few tricks as the lead-in to the beginning of the draft. Seems harmless, right? Apparently not. Franco was booed, mercilessly. He might as well change his name to Roger Goodell. It was incredibly awkward.
How did the traditional booing of Commissioner Goodell sound in person, you ask?
Here’s the reaction to the Jaguars No. 1 pick, Travon Walker. The later cheers are actually Detroit Lions fans believing the Jags made the wrong pick and letting Aidan Hutchinson fall to them.
While that may be a fair opinion, it is stunning to witness how little people actually know about one of their favorite pass times, NFL football. When the New York Jets selected cornerback Sauce Gardner at No. 4 overall, one fan within earshot said in condescending fashion, quote, “A defensive end? Typical Jets.”
Mat Franco. Roger Goodell. Travon Walker. Derek Stingley Jr. Any team name. These are things a large crowd of people will boo. In fact, being in a large crowd gives the impression that people will boo literally anything. One thing brings them together, however. A Make-A-Wish kid.
Sam Prince, a 19-year old New York Giants fan with health issues (explained in link above), stopped a rowdy crowd from booing immediately. Rightfully so. Sam owned his moment with pure joy and charisma. This was a pleasure to witness in person.
Away from the main stage, there was a tremendous private party for Jacksonville Jaguars fans put together by the Bold City Brigade.
A staggering amount of former Jaguars players were in attendance along with former cheerleaders with an open bar, games, and music. The first member of the Jags to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Tony Boselli, had a ceremony complete with the USC marching band.
I met my personal football hero and favorite player of all-time, Fred Taylor. I snapped a photo for a moment I will remember forever.
The night ended with a free performance from Weezer and of course, when in Rome, the Bellagio Fountains.
Quick thoughts on the actual draft:
- Ravens may have had the best draft of Round 1. Safety Kyle Hamilton might end up being the best player overall, and they got him at No. 14. Then, they traded a good-to-very good wide receiver in Hollywood Brown for a first round pick (No. 23) and traded back to get another possible stud, center Tyler Linderbaum. Masterful.
- New York Jets may or may not have outdone Baltimore and everyone. Will the Jaguars, Lions, and Texans regret not taking CB Sauce Gardner? Plus they nabbed WR Garrett Wilson and a DE who many loved in Jermaine Johnson II.
- New York, New York! The Giants also had a terrific outing as they grabbed DE Kayvon Thibodeaux and T Evan Neal. They could be the best players at their respective positions in this draft.
- Live at the draft, it sure looked like Derek Stingley Jr. was completely dejected after being picked by the Houston Texans. It’s hard to find that moment on the internet now. Something to watch.
- Trades! Trading up for rookie wide receivers, trading away established star receivers. My goodness, the trades!
Struggling Actor Sports 