We all know the factors that NFL teams use to assess player talent -- speed, agility, height, weight, strength, character, intellect, etc, etc. But as we saw Thursday night when the Baltimore Ravens failed to make their pick in time and got leapfrogged in the order by the Chiefs, executing this simple act is critical.

So here is how the process actually works.

As soon as your team is on the clock, the individuals working the table in the front rows of Radio City Music Hall get a call from the "war room," which is usually at the training facility. The selection is written down on a pick card including the player's name, position and college:

The card is usually completed in speedy fashion but is not released immediately. Instead, the card is held while the clock counts down. Stated differently, the winding down of the clock generally has nothing to do with the team being indecisive.

Assuming the team isn't 100 percent committed to its pick (a la Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers), the gurus in the war room, then, use the remaining clock time to entertain offers from other teams. They will wait most of their allotted time. The team on the clock might be made an offer it can't refuse. Indeed, this year such an offer was made. While Cleveland was on the clock with the sixth pick overall pick, Atlanta traded up with the Browns giving away a wealth of picks (27th overall, 59th pick/second round, plus first- and fourth-rounders in 2012). If a deal isn't made during the team's allotted time, it then, of course, "makes its pick."

So, again, that brings us back to how does one actually "make a pick." Once a team is on the clock, a runner from the NFL stands behind the team's table. When the team turns around and physically hands its completed pick card to the runner, the team has made its pick (even if there is only one second on the clock).

The delay in announcing it has nothing to do with the actual making of the pick. Once the card is handed in, the pick is officially made and, at this point, cannot be changed.

But what happens after a representative at the team's table hands in the selection card? I was fortunate enough to track down Eric FInklestein, Director of NFL Events, who was able to give me a few minutes in his busy schedule to explain the process.

When a representative of the Chiefs, for instance, hands its completed selection card to an NFL runner standing behind him, the runner instantly raises his or her hand. An NFL official known as the "clock operator" and sitting at the head desk (located at the foot of the stage at Radio City Music Hall) takes that team off the clock.

The NFL uses three runners. Two to stand behind the table of the team on the clock and one behind the team on deck. Once the pick is made, one runner brings the card to the clock operator and the second runner joins his colleague on the team that is now on the clock. That runner informs the team of what pick was made (even before it is announced) so it knows which player is no longer available.

Next to the clock operator is an official who makes sure the team's pick is properly announced. In the middle of the head desk is an NFL official who advises the NFL Network and ESPN of the name of the pick. The stations need this information in advance so they can get the appropriate highlight tape cued up. The final two officials at the head table and verify the pick and record trades. They also check the selection card for any mistake or ambiguity. If there is a mistake (it is almost a minor one), these officials will work with the team to get it corrected.

The officials at the head desk quietly go about their business. They get very little attention and no TV time, but these five officials are the heart and soul of the draft.

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-- MATTHEW WEISS
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