The NFL draft wrapped up today. The draft has always been a big deal in our house, largely because of Nick.
Nick loves the NFL draft. Each year, he would wait for it as eagerly as most kids wait for Christmas morning. In the months leading up to the draft, he religiously followed Mel Kiper's prognostications, diligently absorbed all the combine stats, and knew exactly which players would best fit the needs of the Ravens. Then, as the big day drew closer, his excitement would build.
Once the draft started, you couldn't drag Nick away from the television. As soon as the telecast would start, he'd wait patiently for the Ravens to be on the clock. When it finally came time for the Ravens to make their pick, he'd rise from the couch and stand up about 3 feet from the television. He'd sway back and forth, waiting to hear the draftee's name announced. Then, as soon as he heard who it was, he'd either whoop with delight or moan in despair. I'm telling you, there was nothing like watching the draft with Nick.
This year, he wasn't at home to watch the draft. Neither was I. I was traveling on Thursday night, all alone in a hotel room in Virginia Beach. As the draft started, I thought of Nick. I wondered if he was still as fascinated with the proceedings as he used to be. My guess was that he had finally realized that there were better things to do than sit around watching a glorified version of what we all used to go through as kids on the playground when teams were picked for kickball. As the night wore on and I didn't hear anything from him, I sadly concluded that my son had finally grown up.
I was having a hard time falling asleep. The Bills had traded back in the first round but I decided to stay awake to see who they would pick. Just after 10:15PM, they finally made their selection. It was E.J. Manuel, the quarterback from Florida State. "Seems fine to me," I thought to myself and prepared to turn off the light. Just as I reached over to do that, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Nick. "Gutsy pick," was all it said.
It wasn't quite the same as watching with him. But, it was close enough.