Stormtroopers, Chewbacca, R2-D2 to announce 49ers NFL draft picks
Commentary: The NFL is trying to make Day 3 of the draft more (at all?) interesting. So it's letting teams make "entertaining" announcements.
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Are they ready for their big day?
Have you ever been glued to the NFL draft, excited to see which famous college player your team will pick?
How about the third day of the draft? Have you ever shown an interest in it at all?
I fear the answer may be negative. Which is why, this time around, the NFL is trying to make that third day -- Saturday -- more pulsating.
In a giddy press release, it explained that teams will be able to announce picks from unique locations. Which will also mean interesting characters will be involved.
Teams have chosen to involve youth organizations. After all, the NFL is struggling to attract young participants because of increasing parental angst over concussions in the game.
The San Francisco 49ers, however, have added a little extra flavor.
The team is having Chewbacca, R2-D2, a bunch of Stormtroopers and even Ron Howard, director of the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story, make its picks.
Some might wonder whether Chewie and R2 will be subtitled. The 49ers didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
However, the NFL says the Star Wars characters will be accompanied by the San Francisco Police Activities League's 49ers Prep Flag Football Team.
You might think this would be outlandish enough. But it seems the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have created their own version of peculiar.
The team is allowing a trained parrot to make one of its picks. One or two Buccaneers fans might observe that this has surely happened in previous years at least once or twice, given the team's recent lack of success.
As USA Today reports, this parrot is called Zsa Zsa. She's an 8-year-old Catalina Macaw, and she can expect to live until she's at least 70.
By then, Zsa Zsa will likely still be the same old Zsa Zsa. Our football players, however, will all be robots.
Will NFL teams then draft from various robotics labs around the world? That sounds like fun.
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