With the usual cacophony of loud Jets fans and disgruntled Eagles fans (likely the same ones who booed the selection of Donovan McNabb in 1999), the 69th annual NFL draft gets under way today shortly after noon.
And off the bat, there will be drama.
Will the Chargers, holders of the Holy Grail known as the No. 1 pick, trade that pick to the Giants, or take Eli Manning, who doesn't want to play in San Diego? Can Al Davis resist a receiver with the No. 2 spot and take tackle Robert Gallery instead? Will five or six receivers go in the first round?
But through two days, seven rounds, 255 selections (which include 32 compensatory picks given to 16 teams), for many of the players who get drafted, this weekend will mark the realization of a dream.
You know some of their stories. Times staff writers Roger Mills, Rick Stroud and Brian Landman have compiled some you may not have heard.
From Ukraine with love
Yup, it's Igor, as in Eee-gor.
And he is every bit the Ukrainian.
An immigrant who has played "American" football for only five years, Oregon defensive tackle Igor Olshansky is gaining ground on an impressive crop of defensive linemen.
At 6 feet 5, 315 pounds, Olshansky is mammoth tackle who once bench-pressed 515 pounds and did 41 reps at 225 at the combine. For most linemen 20-30 is considered good.
With the Ducks, Olshansky played both tackle and end, but appears headed for tackle in the NFL.
Seen as a raw talent who could make a team very happy in the middle rounds, Olshansky's journey from Ukrainian school boy to potential draft pick is what America is about.
In 1989, his family left for the United States and settled in San Francisco, "searching for a better future," he said. As he grew, Olshansky began to draw the attention of football and basketball coaches at St. Ignatius High School.
"My junior year was my first year playing," he said. "And I (gave up) my senior year (of college) this year. I'm still learning. Always learning. You've always got to learn."
But he isn't about to forget his roots.
"I remember my hometown a little bit - certain areas, the preschool that I went to, and some of my family members," he said. "(But) I was 6 years old. I don't have many."
The son of a butcher said he would like to return to the Ukraine and rediscover some of his roots.
"Absolutely," he said. "I haven't had much time, summers have been filled in with working out and just training to get here. I do have family (there). An aunt, an uncle and her daughter, their whole family."
Hair today
Iowa tackle Robert Gallery is arguably the cleanest player in the draft, a possible No. 1 overall pick. He is not, however, the cleanest cut.
Gallery said he has not cut his hair in more than 21/2 years and wears a long ponytail and a thin line of facial hair under his chin.
He is considered a favorite of the New York Giants, who might select him with the fourth overall pick unless they trade up for Eli Manning.
How would Gallery get along with no-nonsense Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who hasn't allowed players to wear long hair?
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Gallery said.
Is there a doctor in the house?
Ohio State's Ben Hartstock isn't mentioned first when scouts talk about the best tight ends in the draft. But if a team seeks a pretty good player and some inside medical help, Hartstock's a perfect selection.
Hartstock graduated with a pre-med biology degree and has his eyes, eventually, on a medical career.
"It's going to depend on how long I make football last," Hartstock said. "It would be very difficult to apply to medical school if I'm able to play 10, 12 years - as long as I can. If football lasts only three or four years, I'll go back and take the application test and go through that process."
At 6-4, 263 pounds, Hartstock said he plans to follow the (lab) coattails of former Ohio State and 49er tight end John Frank. Frank played with the 49ers from 1984-88 and now has a medical career.
"I met him earlier in my career and always looked up to him in a lot of ways," Hartstock said. "He's done everything I'd like to do. He's won Super Bowls and he's a practicing physician now. He's well respected in his field. I don't know him personally, but I've followed his career and met him a couple times."
It's a pretty easy guess what kind of medicine Hartstock would like to practice. He fractured an ankle as a senior, separated a rib in the spring of 2002 and broke a metacarpal before the opening game in 2003.
"I have an interest in orthopedics because of my sports background," Hartstock said. "But, in my fairy-tale ending of life, I'd like settle down in a small town. A small family practice would suit our lifestyles."
Hefty lefty
At Kentucky, 280-pound quarterback Jared Lorenzen was known as the "Pillsbury Throwboy."
Lorenzen says he as weighed as much as 300 but is working with a nutritionist and knows he has to control his diet if he wants a career in the NFL.
"I've always been Hefty Lefty as long as I can remember," Lorenzen said. "I've been Jughead, J-Rod, J-Rock, J-Load ... you name it, I've pretty much been them all."
Lorenzen is on a low-carbohydrate diet, although it's not Adkins. He has cravings for junk food. "Pizza. And chocolate, real bad," Lorenzen said. "That stuff. Ahhh. Then you see that Pizza Hut commercial. It kills me."
Hold that bloodline
There are many sons of former NFL players in the draft, like Miami running back Jarrett Payton, son of Bears Hall of Famer Walter Payton, and West Virginia's Quincy Wilson, son of Bears linebacker Otis Wilson. But only Florida running back Ran Carthon, son of Giants fullback Maurice Carthon, could wind up playing for his father.
The elder Carthon is offensive coordinator for the Cowboys.
"It's kind of hard to say how that would work out," Ran Carthon said. "On a professional level, me as a player, I'd be able to differentiate between my father and my coach. I don't know if people in the organization would see it that way."
Where's the beef?
Gone are the days when college linemen have to put on weight to be ready for the pros. In fact, some are now expected to lose weight before training camp.
No worries. Weight loss seems to be routine for college players.
Southern California defensive end Kenechi Udeze knows a thing a two about it. He had to drop 35 pounds between his senior season in high school and signing day (two months later).
"At the most I was 382," Udeze said. "I was a big kid. When I was in high school, I thought I would go to some of the camps and get noticed. I went to USC's and ran into (defensive line coach Ed Orgeron). He said he liked me and told me if I lost 30 pounds by signing day that there would be a scholarship waiting for me.
"I lost 35 pounds and showed up. I knew I was pretty much going to redshirt. When I did, I started dieting ... and by the time next season opened, I was 285 pounds."
The weight loss issue has always haunted Udeze. In sixth grade, he weighed 215 pounds. He was 320 pounds by the 10th grade, and 340 the next year.
Determined to make himself a player, Udeze went on a strict diet and played football continuously. He said the weight started "falling off" and he had dropped about 90 pounds by the end of his freshman year at USC.
"When I lost the weight, not only did I gain a lot of self-confidence on the field when my athleticism started peaking, but as a human being I developed much more socially and became a different person," he said. "The discipline came from my work ethic. When it came down to it, I had a weight problem and USC gave me a chance. I didn't want to let them down."
He didn't. Udeze developed into a dominant pass rusher and finished the 2003 season with 56 tackles (26 for a loss) and 16.5 sacks.
Sibling rivalry
What's a Manning to do? All his life, Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning has had to deal with not one, but two family comparisons.
If being the son of former Saints quarterback Archie Manning isn't enough, he also is the younger brother of Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.
That would be NFL co-MVP Peyton Manning.
Now Eli and Peyton are going to play in the same league and the 6-4, 221-pound younger brother said it's no big deal.
"I don't compete with Peyton," Eli said. "I've always looked up to Peyton. He's always been my role model growing up. In college, I never tried to do better than him and when I get to the NFL, I'm not going to try to ... have better numbers. I'd much rather win games and try to play the best I can.
"Obviously, he set the standard for me being a quarterback and he was someone I look up to and hope to one day to be as good as. But I never tried to compete with him. ... We've always been big supporters of each other."
In his senior season, Eli threw for 3,600 yards with 29 TDs and 10 interceptions.
"We're pretty similar," Eli said. "We're both pocket quarterbacks. We're not going to beat anybody with our speed by any means."
Any final comparisons?
"Well, I think I'm better looking than Peyton," Eli said.
A bittersweet thing
For Washington State wide receiver Devard Darling, the prospects of a team drafting him today elicits a unique, all too understandable mix of emotions.
"It's a pretty exciting time, but it's a bittersweet time for me," he said during a recent telephone interview from his home near Houston. "I'm here accomplishing one of mine and Devaughn's dreams, but he's not here with me physically."
Devaughn, his identical twin, collapsed and died after a strenuous offseason conditioning workout on Feb. 26, 2001, when both were promising freshman at Florida State.
"Of course, Devaughn is still with me," Devard said. "I live life for him. I'm living life for two. I have my good times and I have my tough times, but I thank the Lord for getting me where I'm at right now. I'm blessed."
Though no morphological cause of death could be determined, the medical examiner noted that Devaughn carried the rare sickle-cell trait, a genetic condition that had been considered benign but an increasing number of studies have linked to sudden death. Devard has the same trait.
Devard passed countless heart and stress tests, but only Washington State would medically clear him to resume his career. In his two seasons at Washington State, Darling had 104 catches for 1,630 yards and 18 touchdowns.
NFL clubs asked a lot questions about his medical history, but he figures to be no worse than a second-round pick.
"There's nothing life can throw my way that I won't be ready for," he said.
If selected, Darling, 22, will be the first native of the Bahamas drafted by a NFL team.
"We're looking to make it real special and bring a sense of pride and appreciation to it," said his sister, Monique Smith, who has arranged to have his Washington State helmet on display, unbeknownst to Darling, next to Devaughn's FSU helmet.
Grin and Pickett
Washington quarterback Cody Pickett could land with any team, but his heart is with the cowboys. Not Dallas. Real cowboys.
Pickett's father is in the Rodeo Hall of Fame and Cody began competing when he was a freshman in high school, twice reaching nationals.
"I got fourth or fifth in the nation one year," Pickett said.
Pickett grew up on a 20-acre ranch in Caldwell, Idaho, on Chicken Dinner road. At one point, he owned five horses.
"I still have one. I had to sell the other ones to give me some spending money for school," Pickett said.
After going to college, Pickett walked away from rodeo. "Yeah, cold turkey," he said. "It's something I'll go back to one of these days. I'll end up roping one of these days."
