To watch the NFL Draft from afar and to witness the drama unfold in person are two completely different things. Like many of you, Ive sat in front of my TV watching teams cherry pick the cream of college football talent down the years, but on this occasion they werent just names on a board, these were individuals I met in person. For however brief the time, I had a sense of the pressure, the nervous excitement, the demands on their time that this years highly touted players were subjected to in Draft week. Jared Goff tells Richard Graves hes ready for the pressure of leading the Los Angeles Rams Twenty-four hours before the biggest day of their lives - a day where they would become instant millionaires - these young men were out and about in Chicago visiting hospitals and engaging with children at a Play60 event.Jared Goff, who would eventually be the first player selected in this years Draft, struck me by his calm demeanour. Such great composure for a college graduate, aware he would carry the hopes and expectations of an entire team and its fan base. Goff joined everyone else in huddles, fielding every question thrown his way and all did it with a remarkable maturity. Eli Apple tells Richard Graves why he almost didnt pick up the phone call from the New York Giants The Draft is a marquee event in the NFLs calendar and it is big business for the city which stages it. Fans from across the country gather to be a part of it, security is tight - even police dogs had their own accreditation badges around their necks! Its an occasion where the Commissioner plays the role of pantomime villain, getting roundly booed every time he walks to the podium, but its also an event which means this organisation commands the national spotlight and the NFL arent in the habit of wasting such opportunities.Roger Goodell was ever-present, proudly lauding the qualities of this Draft class, keen to raise the leagues profile and acutely aware that its not just American eyes watching. Carson Wentz talks to Richard Graves about his selection by the Philadelphia Eagles For the second straight year, Sky Sports were welcomed in and afforded our own set inside the auditorium - Dara Kennedy, Neil Reynolds, Jeff Reinbold and I witnessed the drama unfold. So, the Commissioner seized this opportunity to send a football message back to the UK.With a game scheduled in Mexico for the coming season and plans to stage a game in China in 2018, Goodell took time time out of his schedule to speak to us directly and stated that plans to expand interest elsewhere have no implication for the game in the UK, insisting fans here can expect more games, more interest, more activity. Even in draft week, there can be no doubt, developing the game outside of the US remains a top priority. Richard Graves gives us behind-the-scenes access to the Jacksonville Jaguars But this week was about the league welcoming its newest stars. From Goff realising he is the new face of the Rams, to Laremy Tunsil - a man for so long projected to be the first man picked but who slid all the way down to 13 after a video of him apparently smoking appeared online, to Eli Apple admitting he very nearly didnt even answer his phone when the Giants called because he thought it was a prank call from a friend, these few days in Chicago had all of the drama, the excitement and the headline grabbing moments the NFL thrives on.If ever there was an example of how the NFL is now a 365-day-a-year business, this was it. No pass was thrown, no tackle made nor a touchdown scored but the NFL had football fans hanging on every word spoken, and every move was scrutinised. Richard Graves takes you backstage at the 2016 NFL Draft. The influx of fresh faces to all 32 franchises means already pundits and fans alike are projecting who will make a Super Bowl run and who will be picking No 1 in 12 months time. In Chicago dreams were realised, hopes were raised, expectations lifted and yet this is just the beginning. Pick Six Neil Reynolds analyses six key storylines Also See: Goff picked at No 1 Pick Six Duo drafted despite injuries WATCH: Jags in London Discount Shoes Online Uk . With their top three point guards and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury, the Lakers signed Marshall out of the D-League on Friday before their home game against Minnesota. Cheap Shoes Uk Online .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.cheapukshoes.com/ . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Cheap Shoes Uk Wholesale . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. Cheap Shoes Clearance Uk . The 29-year-old Baines has established himself as one of the top attacking full backs in the country and was the subject of two bids from United during the last off-season. Everton manager Roberto Martinez says that keeping Baines at the club is a "massive boost and exciting for the future" because he brings "maturity and football knowledge in a very specialized position on the pitch" and an "infectious and positive influence to the rest of the squad. Alex Stewart, a heavyweight contender who fought Mike Tyson and nearly beat George Foreman, has died. He was 52.Stewart died last week after being rushed to a hospital in Mount Vernon, N.Y., said Mike Gilberg, a close friend of the former fighter. He had a blood clot in his lung, Gilberg said.One day he wasnt feeling good, the next this happened, Gilberg said.Stewart fought in a golden time for heavyweight boxing, and he fought almost all the big names of his time. A perennial contender, he was never able to win the big fights of his career but had a reputation as a smart and tough fighter.Stewart lost twice to Evander Holyfield, and was knocked out in the first round of his December 1990 fight with Tyson. But it was his April 1992 fight with Foreman in Las Vegas that was the highlight of his career.Foreman was in the middle of a comeback that he would cap two years later by knocking out Michael Moorer to become the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship at the age of 45 when he met Stewart in a scheduled 10-round bout.Foreman knocked Stewart down twice in the second round and was battering him in the third, when Foreman motioned to referee Richard Steele to stop the fight. But Steele let it continue, and Stewart began pummeling Foreman around tthe ring.ddddddddddddI thought I had him in the third round but the referee let it go on, Foreman said. I didnt want to hurt the kid and now the kid hurt me.Stewart would lose a controversial majority decision, but it was Foreman who looked like loser after the fight with his face hidden behind large sunglasses.Was that a fight or was that a fight? Stewart asked reporters afterward.Stewart lost his second fight to Holyfield the next year, then spent the remainder of his career mostly as an opponent for younger fighters to measure themselves against. He retired with a record of 43-10 with 40 knockouts after losing his last fight in 1999 to Jorge Luis Gonzalez by second round knockout.Stewart was born in London and raised in Jamaica and fought for Jamaica in the 1984 Olympics before turning pro.Gilberg said after retiring from boxing Stewart was a driver for a liquor distributor in the New York City area, and later worked in a factory making boxes for the same company.Gilberg said the fighter is survived by his wife, Angella, and a daughter, Ajay-Tenille. Services will be held Nov. 29 at the Pelham Funeral Home in Pelham, N.Y. ' ' '