Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 173 Weighing the pros and cons
There was a drizzle and a misty drizzle. The city outside the window was shrouded in a misty vapor. It was already April, but it was still bitterly cold, and the sharp wind was playfully drilling into my neck.

Levi looked out of the car window, and the city landscape of Philadelphia spread out before his eyes. It was a gray area, with traces of the Steel City left everywhere, and traces of history could be seen in the streets and alleys.

Among a series of big cities on the East Coast, Philadelphia is really not very conspicuous. The charm of cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, etc. easily attracts attention, and the low-key and ancient Philadelphia has been forgotten.

But in fact, the city of Philadelphia plays an important role in the history of the North American continent. In 2015, Philadelphia became the first city in the United States to be listed as a World Cultural Heritage, highlighting its heritage.

The city is one of the few places with teams from the four major professional sports leagues, including the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA, the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, the Philadelphia Phillies of the MLB, and the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL, because its ball market is large enough and its cultural heritage is deep enough; not only that, they even have a football team, the Philadelphia United. In terms of diversity and span, it is definitely far ahead.

It is for this reason that this year's NFL draft left New York and returned to Philadelphia for the first time since 1961, and is about to kick off here.

The live broadcast of the NFL draft is undoubtedly a major focus across the United States, attracting more than 15 million viewers every year. Based on a series of evaluations, the league will invite about 36 players to the on-site green room and wait patiently for the team to report the names of the draft.

Occasionally, some players refused to go to the scene and waited patiently at home.

But Levi can't. Even if Donald agrees, Goodell disagrees. They need Levi to be on the scene. Regardless of whether Levi can be selected in the first round, the league needs Levi's presence to boost Asian ratings.

History can be written at any time.

Most of the players went to the green room accompanied by their parents to wait for the results, but Levi knew that his parents were not used to it. Waiting in the green room for three or four hours was already a torture, and being surrounded by countless cameras and having every move put under the microscope was even more of a torture.

So, accompanied by Donald Yu, Levi arrived in Philadelphia.

Donald turned his head and looked at Levi, calmly appreciating the scenery outside the window. Although he was used to Levi's usual calmness, Levi was just a college student after all. He was so calm in the face of such a fateful moment. Donald couldn't help but wonder, "Aren't you nervous?"

"No, I'm very nervous." Levi replied with a smile on his face.

Even Donald was stunned, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether Levi was serious or joking.

Levi chuckled twice, "I'm serious. I've tried my best and now I have to leave my fate to others. It's impossible not to be nervous."

"What's more, there are more than one or two players in history who waited in the green room until the end but never had their names called. Rogers could drop to the 24th pick in the first round, Henry could be selected in the second round, and Brady could be picked up in the sixth round. Everything is possible."

Indeed, all the attention is now on Levi. From all aspects, everything seems to have come to fruition, but the reality is not so.

First of all, Levi is Asian, and so far the NFL has not selected an Asian player in the first round.

Secondly, Levi is a rookie and has only been on the football field for a short year.

Finally, Levi is a running back. It has nothing to do with Levi's personal performance or ability. The situation of running backs in the entire league is a cruel fact that cannot be ignored.

These factors still exist objectively, which may cause Levi to fall out of the first round; it is also possible that Levi will not be selected if a shocking upset occurs. After all, his fate is no longer in Levi's hands.

Surprises are always a major highlight of the NFL draft.

In fact, among a series of players who are considered to be strong candidates for the best in history, such as Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers who are currently at the top of the league pyramid, only Manning was the No. 1 pick, and all the others did not even make it into the top ten in the first round.

This is the NFL draft.

Who knows which player or team may become the protagonist this time?
Donald knew that Levi was right, and he was also full of nervousness, but the magical thing was that Levi's frankness and composure calmed him down.

"I believe you," Donald said.

Levi smiled. "Do you believe that I can be selected to enter the league, or do you believe that I can prove myself no matter which round I enter the league?" Donald raised the corner of his mouth slightly. "Both."

Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the 2017 NFL Draft will be held.

When Levi arrived at the scene, he could immediately feel the rolling heat wave coming towards him——

In the center of the venue, the tactical tables of the thirty-two teams were neatly arranged and the team representatives took their seats; the newly remodeled spectator stands were packed, with representatives of the fans of the thirty-two teams entering the scene, not to mention the fans who were waiting outside the stadium, it was simply a sea of ​​people.

In the conference hall, large screens, cameras and microphones can be seen everywhere. They are put under a microscope and their every move can be seen.

The whole atmosphere makes people excited and nervous.

Then Levi saw his friends from the same draft class. Allen, Foster, Humphrey, Howard and others from the Crimson Tide all received invitations to the green room. This was undoubtedly one of the universities with the largest number of players on site today. In addition, there were also familiar faces such as Mahomes, McCaffrey, Fournette, Garrett, Watson and others.

Compared with Levi, they were much more nervous and were all infected by the atmosphere on the scene.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is gearing up for action.

Over there, the rear area of ​​the thirty-two teams is the real combat headquarters.

Team managers, head coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators, salary cap analysis assistants, and so on, all gather in the war room to analyze and make decisions based on every dynamic on the front line.

Strictly speaking, it is calm here, but it is more tense and busier than the front line.

People take it for granted that team managers should have made a decision by now; this is not the case. It is normal that they are still considering, weighing and calculating until now.

Teams are still testing and trading with each other, and this morning is busier than ever.

The Baltimore Ravens are no exception.

Harbaugh was watching the game tape, watching it over and over again, so much so that manager Ozzie Newsome didn't notice when he walked in.

Newsom glanced at the computer screen without showing any change in expression. "John, you still can't give up?"

Hubble did not answer immediately. He waited for the video to finish, then shook his head. "No, we have discussed it and made a decision. I will not change my mind."

"Levi is good, Levi is very good, but if we need to trade up, the cost is too high and it's not worth it. I know the price to pay to build a championship team."

Hubble was very conflicted and regretful, but he had to see the objective reality.

The Jacksonville Jaguars and the Carolina Panthers have both shown great interest in Levi, one with the fourth pick and the other with the eighth pick, and the other is the Cleveland Browns who may go crazy at some point in time. If the Baltimore Ravens want to snatch him away, it will really cost too much.

After careful consideration, they reached a consensus that they should focus on the defense first.

Just then, someone opened the door and spoke directly.

“…Coach, Andy Reid is on the third line.”

Second update today.

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(End of this chapter)