"With the first pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans pick Reggie Bush from USC."
After NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue utters these words, NFL fans will endure a one-and-a-half day marathon of picks, analysis and Chris Berman-isms.
For months, we've been hearing who's going to draft whom and why. Heck, The State Press sports desk even made four predictions about the draft in this week's "Picks" section (which I will win after a stunning 13-0 performance this weekend).
With that aside, the NFL draft has become over-hyped. There is no game and there is no competition.
There is a lot of waiting around and tape of old football plays that we've all seen a million times before. How many times can ESPN expect us to watch Reggie Bush juke a Fresno State defender on the sideline?
It's kind of like a 16-hour rain delay with brief outbursts of applause every 15 minutes.
Regardless, this doesn't take away from its importance. Great players always come out of the draft, even in the later rounds.
However, there's always Ryan Leaf and Curtis Enis -- but even they weren't as overhyped as the draft.
Reach the reporter at thomas.j.kelley@asu.edu.