COLUMBUS, Ohio — The NFL Draft was an obsession for Dane Brugler long before it became his chosen occupation.
The 1999 draft triggered his interest in how franchises scout prospects and decide which ones to select. While there’s always pressure to get high first-round picks correct, Brugler acknowledges that sometimes teams are at the mercy of the draft class.
“If the Browns had come back to the NFL in 1998 instead of 1999, Peyton Manning would have been their quarterback,” he said.
Brugler, 35, one of football’s most respected draft analysts, was a high school senior in 2004 when the Steelers landed Ben Roethlisberger with the No.