The NFL Draft for this year is over, and we’re here to break it down.
OK, that’s not exactly true.
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We’re not here to break down the “grades” or decide “who won the draft” like so many others have, but rather, point out some fun facts or happenings from the NFL’s annual spectacle.
Here were five interesting things that caught our eye.
1. The New Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft pick is younger than Tom Brady’s NFL career.
There are seemingly countless ways to illustrate and examine Brady’s longevity, but the latest one might be the most visible of all.
Brady has a new teammate in Tampa by the name of Logan Hall, a defensive end from the University of Houston who was taken in the second round by the Buccaneers.
So, what’s so interesting about that pick?
Hall was born on April 22, 2000, six days after Tom Brady was drafted by the New England Patriots, on April 16, 2000.
Yep, Brady’s career is now officially longer than the life of one of his teammates.
2. Just read the card, Mr. Marinaro.
Many know that Ed Marinaro is an actor who starred in the ‘80s TV hit “Hill Street Blues,” but he also was an NFL player for the Minnesota Vikings, who, this year celebrated the 50th year of him being drafted by the organization in 1972.
Because of that, Marinaro was invited to be a guest picker for one of Minnesota’s selections in the second round.
However, Marinaro took the spotlight just a wee bit too seriously in an attempt to entertain.
He went on the stage telling the story of the day he was drafted and how hard it was to find a purple sports coat in honor of Minnesota’s colors, among other things. A few minutes later, as the Twitterverse was essentially telling him to get on with it already, a stage producer for the NFL had enough, as well.
The producer went up to him and pointed to the card, essentially saying, “Read the card and who the Vikings picked, Mr. Marinaro. Enough with the stories.” (Those are our words, not the producer’s).
Marinaro got the hint, read the selection and exited the stage to cheers from the audience and TV viewers.
3. There’s brotherly love in Pittsburgh.
Forget Philadelphia being the “City of Brotherly Love.”
In terms of NFL rosters, Pittsburgh is the city to claim that title.
With the drafting of Michigan State tight end Connor Heyward in the sixth round, the brother of Pittsburgh defensive lineman Cam Heyward, the Steelers now have four sets of brothers on their roster. Four!
The others are T.J. and Derek Watt, Terrell and Trey Edmunds, and Carlos and Khalil Davis.
After seeing Connor get drafted, Cam joked on Twitter, “Guess I got a new roommate.”
Connor then quipped back that, “I’ll live with my grandma before I live with Cam, or I’ll get my own place.”
Given Connor is a sixth-round pick who might have a fight ahead in order to make the team, it’s probably a good idea for him to crash for a little bit at Cam’s place.
Cam Heyward is an 11-year veteran who has made more than $20 million in his career, so there’s likely an extra couch, room, or heck, maybe even a pool house, where Connor could crash.
4. Baltimore sets a record for most picks.
By way of a bunch of trades, the Baltimore Ravens had something no other team ever has had in NFL Draft history.
The Ravens set a draft record by having six — that’s right, six! — picks in one round when they had six in the fourth round.
Imagine if Marinaro was the guest picker for all of those selections. The draft might still be going on as we speak.
5. ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ 2022
Each year, there is a pick dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant,” which is the very last pick in the draft who has little shot of making the team.
This year’s “winner” was Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy, taken with the last pick of the draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
The good news for Purdy is that there is some precedent for past “Mr. Irrelevant” picks to make an NFL roster.
Last year, linebacker Grant Stuard of Houston was taken with the last pick of the draft by Tampa Bay and made the roster, playing in all 17 games on special teams and as a backup on defense.
The bad news though, is that no quarterback who has been taken with the final pick of the draft has ever thrown a pass in a regular-season game.