The NFL Draft is one of my favorite times of the year. I listen to draft coverage all of April. I make my own mock draft. I’m even wearing a suit and Chicago Bears hat to work today (don’t judge me). Even if you aren’t as extreme as me, there are still plenty of reasons to watch the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Here’s a list of the top 5 reason to watch:

5. Draft “Experts”

Unlike other league’s drafts, the NFL Draft is extremely unpredictable outside of the top couple picks. Teams do a great job of disguising who they are targeting, and the draft is full of trades. This recipe makes it almost impossible for the best draft experts to get even 50% of their mock draft correct. Want to feel better about your last place March Madness bracket? Print off a few mock drafts from several experts and get your red marker ready.

4. Mispronounced names

Just like last year, the 2^nd round of the 2012 NFL Draft will have former NFL Players announcing their team’s selection. With NFL alumni like Terrell Davis, Barry Sanders and Eddie George reading off their past team’s pick, there are sure to be some brutal pronunciations. Early favorites to have their name butchered on Friday night are Kelechi Osemele, Amini Silatolu, and Alameda Ta’amu.

3. Fashion Nightmares

Bow ties and draft hats are an amazing combination. Unfortunately the only events that these two are an acceptable combo are drafts. The NFL Draft always has its fair share of questionable fashion choices. The NFL draft will make everyone feel better about their wardrobe.

2. Watching the Last Player Left in the Green Room

I like to refer to this as the “train wreck pick”. You can’t help but feel bad for the player that is left staring at his phone waiting for it to ring. Aaron Rodgers is the most memorable individual to go through this painful experience. With 26 players invited to this year’s green room, there’s sure to be a few players left at the end of the first round.

1. Watching Dreams Come True

This is by far the best part of the draft. The real emotion that is displayed when these young men embrace their family members when they get that phone call saying they’ve been selected. The countless hours of training and sacrifice made by each player, and their supporting cast, culminates in this one moment. In my opinion the NFL Draft is the best reality television in existence.

Robert Griffin the 3rd…when you first hear this name you might be asking yourself, who? Well wonder no more college football fans as Robert Griffin 3rd is your 2011 Heisman Trophy winner. The Junior quarterback from Baylor was an unknown pick this year, as many pundits believed he was a dark horse candidate to win this year’s Heisman. When the 2011 Vegas Heisman odds were posted back in July, Griffin wasn’t on the list and Baylor wasn’t expected to do much in their conference during the 2011 season. Even as mid-November rolled around, the Baylor quarterback was still not expected to come close to finishing first for the Heisman, especially because he faced some stiff competition this year.

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, whom Robert Griffin almost played with a few years ago, and Alabama running back Trent Richardson were rumored favorites to win the coveted award but Griffin overcame the odds and put up some impressive stats to boot. The junior threw for 3,998 yards with 36 touchdowns passes, rushed for 644 yards and put up an additional nine touchdowns. Pretty good numbers for a kid who tore his ACL back in 2010.

It’s beyond amazing the Griffin could come from being so far behind in the race to winning the prestigious Heisman award. How did he do it? Perhaps his speech perhaps his acceptance speech said it best when he urged people to believe the impossible and go for it. “This moment…here is unbelievably believable,” Griffin said during his acceptance speech “but, it’s believable because great things don’t happen without hard work.”

Robert Griffin III accepting the Heisman Trophy

Congratulations on your hard work and 2011 Heisman Trophy win, Robert Griffin. You earned it!

Miami at NY Giants (-10.5) – Miami is seriously challenged offensively. While I think that the Giants will probably end up a sub .500 team at the end of the season, this is a win they will get for sure, preserving Miami’s lead in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. Think about this from another perspective: If you were Andrew Luck, and your other potential future homes included Indianapolis, Phoenix, St. Louis, Minneapolis and Seattle, how could you not be rooting for the Dolphins to go 0-16? Giants win and cover at home.

Minnesota at Carolina (-3) – Last week, I said that only a Rex Grossman led team could be an underdog at Carolina. Forgot about the Minnesota Vikings when I said that, but can you blame me? The Vikings have a lot of talent, but unfortunately it’s all in Adrian Peterson. They’ll need more than that to get past the Panthers. Carolina to cover.

New Orleans at St. Louis (+13.5) – St. Louis winning this one would make turning water into wine look like child’s play. Even with Bradford getting healthier, and Brandon Lloyd getting more comfortable with the offense, they won’t come close to the Saints offense which is on a major roll right now. Saints cover easily.

Arizona at Baltimore (-14) – This line has gotten bigger as the week has progressed. Judging by how the Ravens offense played last week, it’s hard to see why. Not taking anything away from the Jacksonville defense, but this Ravens offense has been offensive as of late. I won’t go with the upset, but I think the Cardinals can keep this close. I’ll take the Cards and the points on the road.

Indianapolis at Tennessee (-10) – Yes, Indy looked horrible Sunday night. One of the worst performances in the history of the franchise. Which is exactly why I think they will be out to redeem themselves against a Tennessee team that isn’t that great either. This could be a game that comes down to the final possession, and I’m thinking the Colts could get their first win of the season in this one. Ten points is too many to give, so I’ll take the Colts.

Jacksonville at Houston (-10.5) – Looks like the Texans offense is back on track, with Andre Johnson coming back and Arian Foster back to his 2010 form, which makes them hard to stop. I know Jacksonville’s defense had a great showing last week, but they were motivated by being at home on Monday night. Now they go on the road, with a short week, against a good defense and a great offense. Foster might not get 200 this week, but I see the Texans winning easily in this one. Houston to cover.

Washington at Buffalo (-7) – Buffalo is undefeated at home, winning 3 games by a grand total of 13 points. The Redskins look better with Beck under center, but will it be enough to pull the upset? I’m guessing that Washington keeps it close, but the Bills continue their streak of close wins at home. I’ll take the points and the Redskins against the spread however.

Detroit at Denver (+2.5) – Could Detroit lose 3 in a row? Sure, this isn’t the New England Patriots here. Will they? No. I’m looking forward to the first time Tim Tebow tries to run through Ndamukong Suh on a QB draw. Should be entertaining. Detroit to cover on the road.

Cleveland at San Francisco (-9) – Two weeks ago, “The Handshake” happened, and the Bay Area will never be the same. Maybe Karma will show up and smack Harbaugh on the back too hard, but I’m guessing that a Cleveland team that managed a grand total of two field goals at home last week isn’t going to keep this from becoming a blowout. I would take San Fran if the line was 20. They should cover easily.

New England at Pittsburgh (+2.5) – Decimated by injuries, the Steelers are now signing offensive linemen off the street. They are actually trolling the Pittsburgh area Gold Gyms and asking people to block for Big Ben’s blind side. Luckily, the Patriots have Albert Haynesworth, who hasn’t been to a gym in years. I’ll take Pittsburgh as a home dog in a game that should come down to the last drive.

Cincinnati at Seattle (+2.5) – My “I don’t care game of the week”. I keep thinking that Seattle at home is tough, so Seahawks in the upset.

Dallas at Philadelphia (-3.5) – The Eagles need to win this one, or they can pretty much write off the rest of their season. Tony Romo is facing a defense that has not two, but three All-Pro cornerbacks. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Well the Cowboys could very easily be 5-1 at this point, and in the Super Bowl conversation if not for a few misguided Romo passes. So instead of Romo, I think that DeMarco Murray runs wild again, and the Cowboys ride him to their second win in a row, and essentially end the Eagles’ season. I’ll take the points and the Cowboys.

San Diego at Kansas City (+3.5) – Todd Haley has performed an amazing turnaround in Kansas City after getting blown out the first two games of the season and losing their All Pro running back. Already playing for the second time this season, and despite KC losing to the Chargers in week three by a score of 20-17, these seem to be two teams heading in opposite directions. A win here, and the Chiefs will be tied for first place in their division. I say it happens, and will take the points and the Chiefs.

Last week: 6-7 against the spread, but 1-0 in number of INTs thrown by Carson Palmer.

Denver at Miami (-2.5) – In what I’m sure will be called the Andrew Luck Bowl (part 1), two teams that just look horrible in almost every aspect go head-to-head in a contest to see who has the least amount of pride remaining. It’s hard to see either team playing well, especially since the Broncos just made Tebow’s job easier by trading away their best wide receiver. Even though Matt Moore has thrown for 3x the amount of yardage that Tebow has this season, I can’t see the Broncos losing this one. The Dolphins just look that bad, and I don’t think Tony Sparano wants to stay to watch this season. I’ll take the Broncos to cover (and win) and a new head coach in Miami.

Atlanta at Detroit (-3.5) – Detroit is playing in their 3rd home game in a row, against the offensively challenged Atlanta Falcons. Matty Ice has not been as cool this season, with 6 interceptions on the year. The Lions defense is hungry this year (just ask Jay Cutler) and as long as Matthew Stafford can stay healthy, the Lions should keep rolling. The short week hurt them against the 49ers, but I see them coming back this week and winning one for the Schwartz. Besides, who’s going to cover Megatron? The Atlanta starting cornerbacks are 5’10″. I’ll give the points and take Detroit.

Chicago (-1.5) and Tampa Bay in London – I’m shocked that the Bears are a favorite in this game. Tampa just beat New Orleans, while Chicago beat Minnesota. Looking good against the Vikings is relatively easy this year, unless you are the Cardinals. I don’t buy that the Bears offensive line can suddenly hold together, as the only thing that hasn’t hit Cutler this year is a PG rating. I’ll take Tampa and the points on this one.

Washington at Carolina (-2.5) – Only could a Rex Grossman-led Redskins team could be an underdog at 1-5 Carolina this week. Wait, what’s that? Bad Rexy is out, and John Beck is in? If Beck just hands the ball off to one of Shanahan’s plethora of running backs over and over, they should be able to beat Carolina. I’ll take Washington and the points against the Panthers.

San Diego at New York Jets (+1.5) – Who are the Jets this year? Certainly not the same team they were in years past, with the swagger and girth of their head coach. The only reason they won so easily on Monday night was that they were playing Miami, who would make the South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs look impressive. Add to that they are coming off a short week; San Diego is coming off a bye… you could make this line 7 and I’d still take the Chargers.

Seattle at Cleveland (-2.5) – Who cares. Ok, fine… Cleveland covers.

Houston at Tennessee (-3.5) – I think this is a classic case of one team being overvalued, while Houston has had two losses in a row against two good teams. Oakland is better than people think, and Baltimore at home is almost impossible to beat. Tennessee just got schooled by a porous Steelers offensive line, and will get run all over in this game. I can see Arian Foster running up and down the field all day in this one, so even with Andre Johnson out the Texans will put up a lot of points. I’ll take Houston, the points, and Matt Schaub getting back on track.

Pittsburgh at Arizona (+3.5) – The Arizona Cardinals of old are back. And that’s not a good thing. I’ll take the Steelers to cover and Larry Fitzgerald filing for free agency as soon as this game is over.

Kansas City at Oakland (-7) – The return of Carson Palmer. The ghost of Al Davis somehow negotiated this deal, as the Raiders now don’t have a first round pick until 2025, all for a player the Bengals didn’t want anymore. How does Brandon Lloyd get traded for a 5th rounder and Carson Palmer is worth 2 first rounders? Kansas City is horrible, but I could really see Palmer throwing 3 INTs in this one. Shouldn’t matter, as they will most likely just hand the ball to McFadden, and repeat. Oakland barely covers.

St. Louis at Dallas (-14.5) – No, this isn’t the Cardinals at Rangers, although they will be playing on Sunday in Dallas as well. Seeing as how Sam Bradford is playing on a hobbled ankle in this one, maybe the Rams should recruit Chris Carpenter to come play QB. Someone has to get the ball to Brandon Lloyd if the Rams have a chance in this one. However, this line is so huge, I’m counting on a couple of late Romo interceptions to keep it closer than it should be, and prevent Dallas from covering. Dallas 28, St. Louis Defense 14.

Green Bay at Minnesota (+10) – Minnesota starting a rookie QB vs the Packers and Aaron Rogers. Even though this is in Minnesota, this line couldn’t be big enough for me. Green Bay wins and covers easily.

Indianapolis at New Orleans (-15.5) – This spread has gotten larger as the week progressed, and for good reason. Drew Brees and the rest of the Saints have to be really angry after being embarrassed by Tampa Bay last week, and who better to take it out on than the winless Colts? Painter has looked good at times, but there is no way he leads the colts to a win here. In a repeat of last Sunday night’s game, we’ll have a blowout on our hands in the Superdome. New Orleans covers, 35-10.

Baltimore at Jacksonville (+9) – I could easily see a 14-10 score here, with Jacksonville fighting hard but coming up short at home. Then I picture Gabbert throwing at least two passes directly to Ed Reed that he runs back for TDs. Jacksonville’s only weapon is MJD, and Baltimore will stack the box and dare Gabbert to throw on them. This could get ugly. Ravens cover behind a couple of defensive touchdowns.