NEW YORK - At 11 a.m. on Saturday morning, just an hour before day three of the NFL Draft was scheduled to begin, a line of fans surrounded Radio City Music Hall, waiting to be a part of the day’s events.
2013 NFL Draft: Day 3 provides fans with unique experience at Radio City Music Hall
Few fans recognized the names coming off the board, but the NFL managed to keep fans interested.
On the inside of Radio City Music Hall, Roger Goodell was at the podium, making a curious announcement.
"After a trade with the Cleveland Browns, with the sixth pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Bo Callahan, quarterback, Wisconsin," Goodell said into the microphone.
Goodell then repeated the announcement twice more, as he and the crew for the movie 'Draft Day' shot scenes for the film. All weekend, cameras shot scenes for Ivan Reitman's upcoming feature. The film features Kevin Costner as the general manager of the Cleveland Browns tasked with turning the team around. Arian Foster also has a role in the film.
The movie was just part of the entertainment inside. Once fans entered the building and the picks began to fly off the board, the NFL took every measure to appease the fans. Free food was available, and league representatives were throwing merchandise into the crowd to fire up those who had stuck it out until day three.
On night one, Goodell was announcing picks. He was replaced by former players on night two, and some lucky fans got to take the microphone to announce their team’s selections with a bit of commentary on day three, which kept everyone in the building on their toes.
Forgetting for a second that many talented players were drafted in rounds four through seven, the NFL was able to make the event entertaining even for those that didn’t recognize the names flashing across the screen.The last few people in the building even got to shout from the balcony at Mel Kiper Jr.
But the weekend wouldn't have been complete without the announcement of Mr. Irrelevant by a man whose name is, well, irrelevant. The pick was Justice Cunningham, but it was first announced as Justice Hamilton before a quick correction.
The confusion was a fitting end to a wild weekend of picks that had those in attendance on the edge of their seats for much of the weekend.
More from SB Nation:
See More:
