Just one week after the NFL draft began, draftniks have moved on. There's another group of prospects to hype.
For NFL teams, however, the work with these players has just begun.
Another D-phase that separates NFL winners from losers – development – is the next step. It's far from the last.
“I haven't seen a player in this draft that doesn't need development,” Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco said the week before the recent draft. “We have players on our roster that are still developing."
Development is no less than teaching players how to succeed, both on and off the field, in a $9-billion industry that eats its own in short order.