THE DRAFT - Pete Williams Sports business writer Williams follows the NFL's team selection process from the fall 2004 college football bowl season through the much-anticipated April 2005 draft in this behind-the-scenes look at how the big league secures its talent. Williams explains the draft's history, league-wide rating systems and the use of psychological tests with as much zeal as he invests in chronicling players' extensive preparation for lesser-known evaluative events such as the Senior Bowl, the National Invitation Camp or "Combine" and school Pro Days. Through these events Williams concentrates on agents, team managers, scouts, trainers and the talent with an eye trained on the unique business investment analysis process that the draft is. There's a great deal of sympathy for agents, but very little football played in this book; the reader does not get to see why athletes like Chris Canty and Fred Gibson, whose "stock" rise and fall during the season, or first-round picks Ronnie Brown and Carnell "Cadillac" Williams are the subjects of so much discussion. Williams may get inside the draft with concern for each interested party's stake in the outcome, but he does not get inside its various parties' heads with any significance. The lengthy quotes and lack of critical perspective on the draft process can give this book the patina of infomercial, but football fans will appreciate Williams' patient explanation of the vagaries of professional football's exhaustive job interview process. The BUCPOWER.COM review In the past year, John Feinstein brought out what I thought was going to be the best behind-the-scenes NFL book ever when he spent a year with the Baltimore Ravens. It was a superb book, but it is longer the best. This one is. Written by Pete Williams, it showcases the 2005 draft. It starts with the college prospects and how they are recruited by agents at the end of their senior year (or earlier in some cases), It deals with the scouting combine, the pro days and the work that goes into getting ready for these events. It looks at the process from the agents' perspective, the recruitment, the promises, the deals that do and do not happen. And it looks at it from the team's perspective in terms of scouting, character assessment and pick dealing. And it is the latter that has so much interest for Buccaneer fans as it features Falcons GM Rich McKay and Seattle GM Tim Ruskell, both who spent over a decade plotting the re-birth of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through many drafts. There are stories on Buc drafts throughout, including the selections of Warren Sapp, Warrick Dunn and Derrick Brooks, and some insights into why particular players didn't get picked. The book then continues into the 2005 draft and many of the featured players, including Cadillac Williams, share the euphoria and disappointment as they are selected. Players such as Chris Canty and Fred Gibson who went lower than expected, and what happened to them during the 2005 season. Once I started this book, it really was simply impossible to put down until I had finished. It is simply magnificent and every NFL fan should read it. In my eyes, it is the literary equivalent of baseball's Ball Four. Other reviews "Even if you already know how it all turns out, the plot, as it were, is as suspenseful as many a regular-season game." --Sports Illustrated "The most comprehensive look at the draft ever." --Sporting News "Football fans will appreciate Williams' patient explanation of the vagaries of professional football's exhaustive job interview process." --Publisher's Weekly “THE DRAFT isn't for everyone; it's only for those who prefer to know - who want to know - what goes on, why their sports world so often smells the way it does. Pete Williams, as he has done throughout his career, applies good, old-time journalism to provide a modern and important eye-opener." --Phil Mushnick, New York Post What you thought of it Add your comments on this book If you want to add a review for this book or any other book, please e-mail us at the contact address shown on the front page of BUCPOWER.COM.