What fans watching on television see can be multiplied by 100 to get an idea of the adrenaline and the excitement that fills the theater. Once inside the Theater at Madison Square Garden, the scene unfolds. There is theater seating. The elaborate stage that is seen on ESPN serves as the centerpiece. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue comes from stage left to the podium to announce the first-round picks.
Television cameras are in the front and on the side.
A bank of computers is in the front of the stage for the latest information. Behind the stage is the green room where the players, their families and their agents wait until their name is called. As it gets closer to draft weekend, league officials talk with the teams that have the top picks. Then, once the NFL decides who the top picks will be, they are invited to New York to participate in the public relations-driven ceremony that draws some of ESPN's best television ratings. Alabama offensive tackle Chris Samuels, Florida State receiver Peter Warrick and Virginia running back Thomas Jones were invited to New York for the weekend extravaganza.