Wednesday’s high temperature reached 90 degrees at around 2:45 in the afternoon. Also around that time I was en route to Parkland College to take my ECON 102 final, even though it was an online class.

It still doesn’t make sense to me.

Want to know what else did not make sense? Moving the NFL draft to May 8^th.

The draft used to be in April. The gap from a February Super Bowl until mid-April was bearable. It was, however, pushed back. Mock drafts after mock drafts were shoved in front of us. Commissioner Roger Goodell probably intended for this to happen as part of his evil plan for dominance.

Our minds were oversaturated with all the talking points.

Finally the draft rolls around, and I didn’t even watch the picks 1-14. I was out running in the first serious heat of the year.

While out in Urbana I got a text informing me that Jadeveon Clowney went first in a non-surprising pick. The Houston Texans surely are considered contenders now, as they are pairing Clowney with JJ Watt. You have to wonder how Andrew Luck feels about facing the Texans twice a year.

Let’s be honest though. This was a draft that had been anticipated for two years because of one man who has one of the best nicknames in the sport.

Johnny Manziel started this two-year anticipation when pulled off the upset at Alabama. His legacy was cemented when he won the Heisman. He dazzled during the epic comeback against Duke in January. Perhaps no player was more watched up until this point than Johnny.

Johnny Football would go in the top five, everyone said in their many, many mock drafts.

However, this is life and the NFL. Nothing ever goes as planned.

Manziel fell all the way to No. 22 in an Aaron Rodgers-esque slide. The Cleveland Browns eventually traded up to get their guy.

Brady Quinn and Brandon Weeden were also drafted with the 22^nd pick. It was those failed picks that allowed the Browns to essentially steal Manziel.

Manziel immediately took over the mantle left vacant by LeBron James as soon as Goodell said “Johnny.”  

The NFL needs Clowney and Manziel to succeed, because if they do, we as fans can be guaranteed more years of amazing football. We can also look forward to the inevitable 30 for 30 documentary, detailing how one of college football’s most polarizing figures rescued a city from the sports abyss.

Of course, this is assuming they live up the hype. Everyone knows how much of a crapshoot the draft really is with guys who dominated at the collegiate level.

Clowney, Manziel, Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater figure to be the potential franchise changers.

Others like Kyle Fuller, picked by the Bears at 14, will bring much needed youth and help. They’ll make their rookie mistakes, but clearly the Bears see Fuller as the heir to Charles Tillman.

The draft is not even halfway over and already there are “winners” and “losers.” It is virtually impossible to declare such points this early.

Six more rounds remain for NFL teams to re-stock their teams with talent, but the fireworks are over. The first round brings the most drama. I have to give huge props to those who watch all the way Mr. Irrelevant.

The draft is another reminder that football is around the corner. In a few weeks, the preseason hype will start anew.

Football, hurry back.

Erik is a senior in the College of Media. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @e_prada