The Draft by Wil Mara

it.”
    â€œHow’s he doing?”
    â€œWe’re not sure yet. We’ll know more in a few days.”
    â€œIt looked pretty scary when they brought him in.”
    Jon rose and began pacing. He wasn’t able to sit still for long periods. “It sure did.”
    â€œI remember when I first heard about Dale Earnhardt. He was unconscious when they brought him in, too. I remember saying to Debbie, ‘That’s not a good sign.’”
    â€œNo, usually it isn’t.” He’s digging for information , Jon thought. Trying to obtain clues as to Bell’s long-term condition so he could better position himself for the negotiation. If Bell’s career was over, the pick would be even more valuable. Asking for such information outright would be a breach of etiquette, so he simply disguised it as concern. Jon had little doubt that Skip truly cared about Bell’s health. But he also cared about the San Diego Chargers, and Jon understood this. It was his job.
    â€œSo look, I’m not going to dance around the point here. I think you know why I’m calling.”
    â€œI’m guessing it has something to do with that big fat pick we’ve got.”
    â€œCorrect.”
    â€œI figured as much.”
    â€œYeah, you and every sportswriter in the country. There’s no sense in playing games, Skip, so I’ll just ask outright—one, are you willing to part with the pick, and two, if so, what are you hoping to get for it?”
    This was merely a courtesy question. He was already well aware that Henderson had been shopping it around.
    â€œWell, I’ll tell you—I am willing to give up the pick. For the right deal, I certainly am.”
    â€œAnd, if I’m not mistaken, a few other teams are interesting in it as well. Am I right?”
    â€œYou are.”
    â€œThe Chiefs, the Seahawks, the Broncos, and the Texans, I believe.”
    â€œYou are well informed.”
    â€œIt helps to read the papers.”
    Skip laughed—a big, hearty Texas guffaw. “That’s a fact. Look, what I plan to do is this—I will inform the team that offers the best deal that they’re in the top spot. Then I will tell the other interested teams, but I won’t reveal any specifics. When this whole thing is all over, I’ll make all the information available so everyone knows I’ve been playing it straight. Sound okay to you?”
    By leaving out the names of the players and teams involved, it was impossible for an interested bidder to contact another one and sway their decision or conspire against the seller.
    â€œFine.”
    â€œGood. For the moment, then, the Chiefs are in the top spot. If the draft started right now, the pick would be theirs.”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œNow, as for what I’m looking to get, well … why don’t you tell me what you have in mind, and we’ll take it from there?”
    Jon took a deep breath. “Okay, sure. I sat down with a few other guys around here—Blanchard, Kevin Tanner, you know, the usual suspects—and we tried to get a fix on what your greatest needs were. We’ve gone through your roster pretty exhaustively, and we believe we’ve put together an excellent package offer.”
    â€œI’m all ears.”
    â€œAll right. First, concerning the upcoming draft, you can have our first four picks. That’s the last pick of the first round, two picks in the second round—forty-fourth and sixty-fourth overall—and our third-round pick, which is ninety-sixth overall.”
    Jon paused for just a moment to gauge Henderson’s reply. None came.
    â€œAs for established talent,” he went on, “we’ve surmised that you’ve got some rebuilding to do. In fact, if you don’t mind my saying so, it looks to be quite a bit.”
    â€œYep,” Skip replied, “that’s no secret. We’re in bad shape.”
    â€œOkay, so, with