"It's the suspense, the rumors, the potential, the unknown. It really adds up to make for a very, very compelling event." -John Wildhack, ESPN's Executive Vice President of Production "It's reality television at its most voyeuristic." -ESPN's Jeremy Schaap, in an episode of E:60

For a country obsessed with reality television, the NFL Draft might be the ultimate experience, a broadcast that blends real-life drama with the rooting interests of sports fans. Grown men cry on stage. Futures are determined live, with cameras rolling and small fortunes riding on each pick. Surprises show up. And for a few days, every team - and every fan too - seems to have some semblance of hope. Since moving the first round to primetime in 2010, the NFL Draft has been averaging about 40 million viewers annually, getting better television ratings than playoff games in other sports. Here's why: There's a story behind every pick, and often a bit of controversy too. Even the personalities themselves have narratives that are better than anything a script could conjure up. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. narrowly missed a career behind the scenes as a personnel man for his hometown Baltimore Colts. Todd McShay may have never made it to television without an injury that ended his playing career. The NFL Network's Mike Mayock was a second-generation draft pick, following a father who chose a teaching career over football. Ozzie Newsome was a Hall of Fame player who has been perhaps even better as a general manager for the Baltimore Ravens. In the NFL Draft, everyone has a story. But ultimately, I wanted my own. I went through questions on the infamous Wonderlic test, to a fantasy game where I'd amass millions, and all the way back to my beloved Cincinnati Bengals, a team notorious for bungling the draft. It was a dizzying ride through the draft’s past and present, as every team turned an eye toward the future. My story, just like the 2012 NFL Draft itself, starts with the Colts. And they are on the clock...

Nathan Frederick is a former sports reporter and a long-suffering Cincinnati Bengals fan. His writing has won awards from the Keystone Press Association, the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Journalists, and the Associated Press Sports Editors. He currently lives and teaches in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.