Cannon Firing Line
Our Holiday
By Ellis G. Cannon
PSR Publisher & ESPN Radio 1250 Talk Show Host

Really, what better way to get ready for the warm days of summer than the NFL Draft?

The good news is America's Holiday returns this month. The bad news is we can't celebrate it again for another year.

I can just see the non-believers now, the "you have to wait years before you can tell if it was a good draft" crowd. Too bad for them; that's just more hype for us to digest rather than wasting it on them. Besides, we all know they'll be the first to crow about how good they thought a draft pick would be the moment he starts to shine.

Of course the proof is in the puddin', friend. But that's not the point when it comes to the draft. If you're sitting around nodding your head when the non-believers deliver their thinking, you might as well move on and spare yourself the aggravation that's to follow here.

That's because we're here to celebrate, not downplay, the hype. We're here to relish, not avoid, the great expectations. We're here to be entertained, and not dulled, by the over-the-top excesses that now are as much a part of the proceedings as the combine, personal workouts and endless mock drafts.

Some of us can actually have fun with this event. We know you can't predict the future with absolute certainty. Sure teams take too long to make their selections when they've been "on the clock" for months. Yeah there's an endless amount of analysis that seems to begin, well, right after the draft is over.

But there's a lot more to the draft. There's legitimate excitement about how a particular player matches up with his new team. You know, all that 'hope springs eternal' stuff.

But whether a draft pick can play is just part of it. How he fits into a team's needs and chemistry is fun to an amateur draftnik. How much "value" is in a pick; did a team fall in love with someone or did they get him at about the "right" spot? And with the salary cap the most important single influece in professional football today, where does the new guy fit into a scheme—today and tomorrow—and at whose expense?

Besides, there are the expensive suits, tons of ice and posses made up of friends and family that have to make you chuckle. And some of us, who actually watch a player's development with interest for years before the draft take a bit of satisfaction in remembering a thing of two about that path and how they may be important down the line.

With that in mind, you should particularly enjoy this Report, which offers the most in-depth draft coverage we've delivered to date, courtesy of Jerry DiPaola. The man's simply been a menace over the past few weeks, offering insight from every meaningful vantage point. In fact, take this Report wherever you go on Draft Day—a bar, backyard, or basement—and you'll be way ahead of the game.

While looking forward is a big part of the draft, of course, it's also a little fun to look back at, say, Mel Kiper, who is as singularly identified with the draft as any person is with any event.

Let's be clear; Kiper is a great American. The man has taken a personal obsession, turned it into a cottage industry and watch as it's been transformed into a national holiday, not to mention multi-million dollar PR coupe for the NFL. With that in mind, let's see who Mel had the Steelers "taking" in his annual Draft Report in years past. He probably updated those picks, but we're sick enough to still have those Reports; don't expect us to also carry around every last update with us too. He predicted:

2002 (#30): Lamont Thompson, S, Washington St.: Taken in the second round by Cincinnati, played 13 games, ended the season on IR. Right position, though.

2001 (#16): Dan Morgan, LB, Miami: Stud at UM, injured in pros. Taken earlier in first round by Carolina. Pittsburgh takes NG Hampton on a need pick and get their LB a round later in Ken Bell.

2000 (#8): Stockar McDougle, OL, Oklahoma: Big dude went to Detroit. Pittsburgh went for that big dude at WR.

1999: At least Troy could talk.

1998: It's here somewhere. The Steelers took Al Faneca, which is cool and all, but nabbing guards with the first pick is always a downer for a draftnik.

1997 (#24): Tommy Knight, CB, Iowa: Spent first six years with 'Zona, but Steelers went with another CB, Chad Scott. Of course, you may know this draft as the one in which Jim Farrior was taken #8.

1996 (#29): Chris Darkins, RB, Minnesota: Oh my. Forget all that nice stuff about Mel. Not a memorable draft, but great names: Keyshawn, Larry Phillips, Walt Harris, Ray, Mushin Muhammad, Biakabutuka, Israel Raybon, Karim Abdul-Jabbar, Stepfret. Oh, and Jamain, as in Stephens.

1995: Enough. Can't follow up Jamain.

Wasn't that fun? Join us, why don't you, this Draft Day. Have fun with this for goodness sakes. Laugh, yell, vomit when the guy you just heard of for the first time but managed to fall in love with nonetheless is taken two picks before Pittsburgh.

That's what this is all about. That, and the warm weather the draft signals.

Ellis Cannon is also a regular panelist on KDKA-TV's "#1 Cochran Sports Showdown" aired Sundays at 11:35 pm.