MontrealAlouettes.com
Orlando, FL – The 2011 NFL Draft kicks off tonight at 8:00 p.m. and continues over the next three days before coming to an end on Saturday. While the event can often represent some of the best days of a young football player’s life, this is not always the case, as illustrated by the anecdotes below.
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Former Raiders draft pick Jerry Porter |
Currently present at the Alouettes’ Mini Camp in Orlando, Florida, Als newcomers and former NFL-draftees Ahman Green and Jerry Porter were willing to share their experiences from previous iterations of the event.
“It wasn’t pleasant,” said Porter, who was drafted in the second round, 47th overall by the Oakland Raiders in 2000. “I was a bit disappointed, having spoken to several teams prior to the draft, and thus holding certain expectations for myself.”
“I also made the mistake of not watching the draft in its entirety. The New Orleans Saints had called me to ask if I had spoken with anyone yet, and I told them no. Then the New York Jets, who had four first-round picks called, but went on to draft a number of other players with their first-round picks, including a receiver with their fourth.”
“After that, I shut the TV and went to sleep, only waking up later to the sound of my phone ringing. It was the Raiders, who were calling to tell me that I had been drafted, and I didn’t even get to see it live,” added the receiver who had been frustrated by waiting so long to hear his name called, after expecting to be picked earlier.
“I wasn’t very happy and the person who had called me from the Raiders probably thought that I was being somewhat silly,” concluded Porter, who played under the orders of Marc Trestman while in Oakland, with a laugh.
A long day
As for Green, he also had high expectations for himself on draft day.
“Let’s just say that it was an interesting experience which taught me a lot,” said the leading rusher in Green Bay Packers history.
“It was a long day. At the time, the NFL held the first four rounds of the draft on Day 1, and then the rest on Day 2. Although I had not passed any interviews with any teams, I did have an idea in my head regarding how I thought things would go,” added Green, whose scenario ended up playing out differently than expected.
“I was anticipating being picked in the first round, by either Kansas City or Miami, but both went on to pick linemen. I think the only player who was selected before me that is still active today is Fred Taylor, and maybe some other linemen,” added the running back who was finally selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round, 76th overall during the 1998 Draft.
Green, who had expected to be picked at the end of the first round or at the beginning of the second, went on to play two seasons with the Seahawks, alongside current Alouettes Defensive Line Coach Mike Sinclair.
Following his time in Seattle, Green then joined the Green Bay Packers, where he protected Brett Favre over eight seasons.
The 2011 NFL Draft begins tonight at 8:00 p.m. and will be followed by the 2011 CFL Draft just over a week later, on May 8. Both will air live on TSN.
