The NFL Draft is one of my favorite events of the year. Why? Because it's all about business. You've seen recaps galore, but here's the countdown that hits the wallet the hardest.
$0: After University of Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith "went missing" from the Combine, we put out the number. Andre Smith could have lost as much as $23.8 millionby potentially sliding down to the bottom of the first round. Smith didn't have a good Pro Day either, but somehow managed to be drafted at No. 6 by the Bengals. That's exactly where many thought he'd fall before this whole debacle started.
1: Amount of weeks it will take the movie "The Blind Side" to outgross the guaranteed money that will be given to the story's real main character Michael Oher, who was picked 23rd by the Baltimore Ravens. The movie, which stars Sandra Bullock, Kathy Bates and Tim McGraw, is scheduled to be released in November. Oher, whose story now might be called "The Blind SLIDE," will get a signing bonus in the $7 million to $8 million range.
4: Amount of players drafted in the first two rounds hailing from University of Connecticut, the same amount of players that came out of Ohio State. How's that for recruiting credibility?
$199.99: The price for a real Darrius Hayward-Bey jersey. The Oakland Raiders are the only team currently offering this expensive option of its recent draft pick to the team's fans. Funny, considering the fact that not many Raiders fans were happy with this reach of a pick.
7,272: Number of people following the Twitter feed of New York Jets No. 1 draft pick Mark Sanchez as of 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday night. A day after he was drafted, Sanchez is briskly picking up followers at a 150-per-hour pace.
$7,406.88: Amount accepted by former Oklahoma quarterback Rhett Bomar that got him kicked off the team in August 2006. Who knows if Bomar would have been a first rounder if he wasn't coming out of Sam Houston State. Bomar went to the Giants in the fifth round and will make about $250,000 from a signing bonus.
$1 Million: Projected signing bonus of LeSean McCoy, who was picked 53rd overall by the Philadelphia Eagles. Everyone below McCoy will likely get less than this guaranteed.
$41.7 Million: Guaranteed money the Detroit Lions agreed to give first overall Matt Stafford. That's roughly the amount the Atlanta Braves agreed to pay Chipper Jones from 2010-2012 ($42 million). Stafford has done zip. Jones? Fifteen seasons worth of work, 410 home runs, a lifetime .310 average, a six-time All-Star and one-time league MVP. If he wanted to, he could buy 8.3 million shares of Ford stock with the money the Fords agreed to give to him. Not like we would recommend he should do that. At least Stafford told ESPN's Rachel Nichols he's trading in his Chevy Tahoe for a Ford.
Finally, let's give a tribute to the guys who helped make their programs millions of dollars, but still will be eating like college students as they weren't drafted: P.J. Hill (Wisconsin), Ian Johnson (Boise State), John Parker Wilson (Alabama), Graham Harrell (Texas Tech) and Chase Daniel (Missouri).
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