It is amazing what the NFL Draft has become and what it has evolved into over time. Darius Slayton Youth Jersey . For those who remember many years ago, the National Football League draft was more of a gathering of decision-makers with very few evaluating the very many and in many ways, hoping the decisions they make are correct. Now it is an investment that demands a performance dividend and if the dividend does not max out consistently on the football field, people lose jobs and revenue is lost. And these are well paying jobs and high revenue amounts. It is true that finding football players is 50 per cent science and 50 per cent art bordering on pure luck. Maybe that is why it is so entertaining because there really is no common denominator for draft success. Even the best in the business have missed big time on players and groups of players among the various years of evaluating. Some people in football are better than others but if you follow it close enough, not by much. No one really dominates in finding talent year after year. For Seattle in recent years, Richard Sherman as a fifth round pick and Russell Wilson as a third round pick made the team special. But last year was completely different with fifth round pick and Canadian Luke Willson as well as Michael Bowie in the seventh round really being major contributors. It was a great move to trade #1 for Percy Harvin but you cant say last years draft was as good as previous drafts. So what is everyone looking for? With all the scouts in all blocks of the country, the coaches who should always have an influence and the managers who have extreme job security if they draft well and no security if they dont, that is a great question. I think there are tangibles and intangibles. The tangible is how the player plays based on film analysis and competition. Truth is, to make good football decisions, all you need is enough good video and a good one-on-one interview. Everything else from the combine and individual workouts is icing on the cake. But sometimes that icing is so good it clouds decisions that could have been made without the "extra look", without pads and looking at movement more than actual on-field football ability. Many people in football become seduced by the visual in-person vs. the true reality of what happens on the field. The tangible "stuff" is easy to assess. It is the intangibles when the art takes over the science and sometimes is merely common sense. I think there are two words that make the difference in all drafting in football: maturity and passion. Maturity is really hard to recognize. Some players in the interview process pass with extreme confidence but when they make money and have to be completely self-motivated are anything but. In other situations, a player may have a criminal record or been involved in "stupid college stuff", then when they achieve wealth and independence, they change for the good. They grow up when you had to wonder if they would ever grow up. Some people are born with maturity on and off the field. Others create it at a certain moment for certain reasons and others yet never find it and it takes a possible great career and changes it to an experience. Having maturity is critical in every way and is difficult to assess correctly. The second intangible is passion. How much does the particular player actually like, even love, football? Now you would think all players love, or at least like, football. Not so. There is so much money in the sport now that playing for money is an easy motivation. By the time you reach your second contract, you could be set for life. Lets say you are 26 years-old, house and car paid off, money in the bank, happily married, success on the field with maybe even a Super Bowl or two. Why play any more football when you know what it does to your body and in some cases your mind? Only after the money is made does the football desire increase or diminish. Until that happens, you just dont know. Every football player will tell every team they LOVE football. But do they love football or do they love what football will get you and what you can purchase? Again just like maturity, you really dont know until time moves on. Come May 8-10, many of the very best will have their life changed in one phone call. For some, it will be a life changing moment that they will capitalize on in a remarkable way. For others, the sport at the pro level will be too much, whether it is due to competition or intensity. Which player will experience which life is an unknown. It may be due to height, weight, speed and everything you can see feel and touch. Or it may be because of how much you want it and how well you can adjust and handle it; a certain mental ability and a certain emotional ability that you can tap into. Between the best athlete with really good video and the lesser athlete, whos maybe not as dominant on the field but has his act together and loves the game, Ill take the latter. Welcome to the NFL draft starting May 8th, a gamble of research and a gamble of hope. Daniel Jones Jersey . Marek Hamsik, who had earlier missed a penalty, headed Napoli in front in the 23rd minute and Pandev added a second goal five minutes from halftime. Alessandro Matri got Juventus back into the game just after the break but Pandev was on hand to score again in the 68th. Harry Carson Giants Jersey . -- Max Gilbert captured his first pro victory at the Tour Championship of Canada. http://www.authenticnygiantspro.com/Harry-carson-giants-jersey/ .Y. -- First, Ryan Miller.ORLANDO, Fla. -- After enduring a rough stretch over the past two months, the Indiana Pacers will enter the playoffs on a bit of a roll. Rasual Butler and Chris Copeland each scored 19 points as the Pacers rested their key players and cruised to a 101-86 victory over the Orlando Magic in the regular-season finale for both teams. The Pacers sat three starters -- Paul George, Lance Stephenson and David West -- and played George Hill and Roy Hibbert sparingly. But they got good output from their understudies in the second half to put the game out of reach. It was the second time in two weeks Indiana won with starters on the bench. Coach Frank Vogel pulled all five starters during their victory over Milwaukee last week. "Theres always value in winning games, but anytime you have bench guys that have a chance to get extended minutes, thats really good for their rhythm and confidence," Vogel said. "Weve had pretty good health from our starters most of the season. So those bench guys havent had opportunities to get extended minutes like this. So the Milwaukee game was good and this game was good." The Eastern Conferences top seed ended the season winning three of four to shake off a nasty late-season slump. The victory was just Indianas 10th in their last 23 games. Still for a team expected to be one of the defending champion Miami Heats biggest impediments to a third consecutive NBA championship, its an encouraging boost for the post-season. The Pacers will open the playoffs against eighth-seed Atlanta. "Through all the ups and downs, were still locked into the No. 1 seed so we have to tip our hat for that," Hill said. "But its a new game now. Its playoff time -- 0-0. Its the first to 16 (wins)." The Magic trimmed what had been an 18-point, second-half deficit down to 12 in the fourth quarter before another late surge by Indiana helped secure the victory. Indiana also knocked down 11 3-pointers, and racked up 40 points in the paint. Dexter Lawrence Giants Jersey. The Pacers didnt look short-handed as they went back and forth with the Magic in the first half, and took a six-point halftime lead. Evan Turner had 11 first-half points, including one of the Indianas six 3-pointers in the opening 24 minutes. The Magic played 11 players in the half, with nine of them scoring. Orlando struggled from the field, though, shooting just 37 per cent. Maurice Harkless led the Magic with 14 points, and ETwaun Moore added 13 for an Orlando team that ended the season losing 16 of 20 and had the fifth-worst record in franchise history. It was not a huge surprise for a franchise looking toward future. To help with the ongoing rebuilding process theyll have two lottery picks in Junes NBA draft. The plan is to add more building blocks around rookie guard Victor Oladipo, and big man Nik Vucevic. That doesnt mean there were any happy feelings Wednesday night. "Im pretty sure everybody in the locker room is tired of losing and its something that we dont want to do again next year," Harkless said. "Hopefully its something that we can fix." Now that their brief rest period is done, Hill said he feels like he and his teammates are ready for the challenge that awaits them. "Its going to be tough, but nobody gets us without having the advantage of being at home in a seven-game series," he said. "Its great without any back to backs, which is really the toughest part of the season. Its just great, now that we have some rest, our guys can prepare to go from game to game." NOTES: Orlando played without starters Jameer Nelson and Vucevic. Nelson missed his third straight game with a strained left groin, and Vucevic was out for the seventh consecutive game with a sore left Achilles....The Magic were just 7-42 this season when their opponent scored 100 or more points. ' ' '