No one said getting drafted would be easy. I'm sure Brady Quinn never expected the hardest part of Saturday would be to "sit and look pretty."

Grace under pressure is easily harder than being tackled by a lineman. When the quarterback releases the ball and takes it to the gut with a crushing blow, any player would gladly take the physical hit versus the emotional smack of public embarrassment. While I've never been a Brady Quinn fan, I had to feel sorry for the poor kid as he sat there in uncomfortable silence as other names were called before his.

No one likes to be the last one picked in gym class when they were 10 and no one likes to feel overlooked when they are 20. Quinn's poise during Saturday's draft makes him a prime player for the NFL: one who is humble, well-composed, and a perfect role-model. (See Tiki Barber, for example.) Perhaps he's too clean for the NFL, someone who would make a better suit than a uniform. Regardless, he has enough fire in his spirit to start with the Browns and prove his standing. The Browns won a goldmine in their 22nd pick: they got the QB they wanted who is inspired to prove his critics wrong.

Even if Brady hadn't gotten picked until a later round, or not picked at all, the kid has more potential in his thumb to make something of himself than most college graduates have in their degrees. He'll succeed regardless of vocation...but will he be the next Tom Brady? Remember, Brady was No. 199 when he was drafted. The truth is in the rings, not in the numbers.

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In other news: I accepted my offer to attend Columbia University's School of Journalism as a New Media graduate student.