In one of my favorite scenes of many in , Frank Pentangeli testifies against Michael Corleone in front of a Senate hearing. Frankie Five Angels (One of the best mobster nicknames ever. It’s the Italian translation of his last name. Penta means five in Italian, and angeli means angel. Now, back to the draft column) sees his brother Vito entering the room. He realizes he cannot betray his sacred oath, so he decides to say everything he told the FBI was lies, lies, lies and more lies. That perfectly sums up the days before the draft—it’s all lies.
In fairness to all NFL teams, this year’s draft is truly in the eye of the beholder. There are few great players, and because of the lack of greatness, each team will have a different perspective on the talent. There are few sure things, which is why the top of the draft is so uncertain that even the books cannot make sense of the first five picks.
With the draft a day away, here are some conversations I’ve had with many teams: