Chapter 4 Draft day

I already knew what to expect from the draft, as in the past I had fallen all the way to pick 24. But I wonder if my magical performance in the last game of the season had changed anything. Sooner or later the first pick came around and I had gotten no call, I looked and just like I imagined Alex Smith was somehow taken before me again at 1. I had a slight bitter feeling in my mouth but I knew what would happen.

INT. GREEN BAY PACKERS WAR ROOM - DAY

It's the day of the NFL Draft. The Green Bay Packers' war room is buzzing with anticipation. Scouts, coaches, and executives are crowded around a large table covered in laptops, notes, and scouting reports. The camera pans across their anxious faces as the commissioner walks up to the podium on a TV screen.

NFL COMMISSIONER (ON TV)

With the 24th pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers select… Aaron Rodgers, quarterback, California.

The room erupts in applause and cheers. The GM and head coach exchange a knowing look of excitement.

PACKERS GENERAL MANAGER

(grinning)

"We got him. We actually got him."

Cut to Rodgers, sitting at home with his family in Chico, California. Everyone around him cheers and hugs him as he stands up, a broad smile on his face. He puts on a Packers cap, the same moment he remembers from years ago, but this time, there's a deeper satisfaction in his eyes.

I looked at my family all around me celebrating with joy, "Here we go again."

Stephen A smith

"I just don't understand how a talent like AARON RODGERS falls down to pick 24, I seriously think teams are gonna regret not picking him up if he gets an opportunity to play behind Brett Farve."

I watched the media have many different opinions on me being drafted to the Packers, and I bottled it all up. Some believed in me and some believed I was a worthless wasted pick for a franchise that needed to win now. I'll remember everything they said, because this time everything will be different.