Within the past handful of years, it seems as if the NFL Draft has gained more and more publicity. I think it’s safe enough to say the draft is a bigger deal nowadays than it was just a mere five years ago.

The suspense seems to build with every passing day as fans grow more and more anxious as to who their team will take. For me, this has really begged the question, who REALLY decides who gets drafted and where.

Mock drafts nowadays are easier to find than cheese in Green Bay. It seems as if everyone has their professional opinion as to where prospects will be drafted and why. This is all fine and dandy but to a certain extent I believe we, the media, truly dictate where a fair number of these prospects go.

People like Todd McShay, Mike Mayock, and Mel Kiper Jr. are more popular this time of the year than at any point after the draft is over. I have to say, however, that some of the positions players have been drafted at in the recent past have been because the media has dictated it.

Last year, the buzz was whether or not the Indianapolis Colts would draft Andrew Luck first overall or not? Thinking back on it, did the majority of mocks and media not have the Colts drafting him? There was probably a solid week of indecision from all the experts as to who the Colts would select. In the end, it seemed as if the experts almost had the final say as to Luck was better or more deserving to be first overall than Robert Griffin III.

Does the media dictate where players get drafted?

Some teams and general managers I believe are more prone to what the outside mocksters and experts say than others.

I would even go as far as to say some markets may influence draft strategies as well. One might go as far as to say the New York Jets were pressuerd into drafting Mark Sanchez.

If I remember correctly, Sanchez was not projected to be drafted quite that high, but the New York media seemed to have the Jets conditioned to draft a quarterback regardless of the overall position of their pick.

As much as I don’t want to bring his name up yet again, to say that the Denver Broncos reached when they drafted Tim Tebow where they did is a complete understatement.

And just what really drove the Minnesota Vikings to draft Christian Ponder where they did? Talk about a pick that came completely out of left field and even caught the experts off guard.

“Draft and Develop” has certainly proven successful in Titletown.

While it seems some teams give in to expert opinions of who they should take and where, we should give Ted Thompson credit for his philosophy.

It has been proven to work and in the long run can only benefit the team itself. We should also credit him for being oblivious to what the outsiders say.

He has stuck to his guns with his “best player available” way of thinking and to-date really only has one major flaw in Justin Harrell.

So weigh in Packer Nation. Just how much influence does the media have on teams and who they draft?

Oct 7, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers throws a pass against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeated Green Bay 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

“Luck outplays The MVP” … “Is Luck more Clutch than Rodgers?” … “Luck the next Rodgers? No he’s better”

I have been reading headline after headline, and each seem more ridiculous than the last.

It’s time to set the record straight

Say all you want about Dom Capers and his suspect defense, our leaky offensive Line, or lack of a running game and you will hear no argument from me.

Say Andrew Luck outplayed Aaron Rodgers, or that he is more clutch then Aaron Rodgers and those are fighting words!

Yes, Luck brought his team back from being down 21-0 in just his fourth professional game and while that was impressive, it does not mean he outplayed Rodgers.

Don’t just take it from me, let’s look at the numbers.

Rodgers, who seemed to be under constant pressure most of the game threw for 243 yards, 3 touchdowns, completed 64 percent of his passes and had a passer rating of 103.5. He was also Green Bay’s leading rusher with 57 yards.

Luck, while pressured early, forgot what a pass rush was during the second half (and no one on Green Bay reminded him). As a result he had a career high 362 yards, but threw the ball 55 times, completed 56 percent of his passes and had only a 81.0 passer rating.

Sometimes stats can be misleading. This is not one of those times.

Rodgers played outstanding considering the circumstances. He was also without three starters on offense (four if you count Jordy Nelson’s magical disappearing act in the second half).

There were communication problems, penalties, sacks, you name it. Despite all this, Rodgers still drove his team 47 yards in the final 35 seconds to give them a chance to send the game into overtime.

Unfortunately, like his offensive line, receivers, and entire defense, Mason Crosby let him down, too … et tu Brute?

Luck made some good plays, and it was a great story, one for Hollywood. But it was a team effort by the Colts, not Luck, that outplayed Rodgers and wrote this script.

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Brett Favre said he didn't care about the Saints' Bountygate in an interview with Deion Sanders.

Brett Favre’s always been quotable. That’s why when asked who’s better – Robert Griffin III or Andrew Luck – Favre wasn’t afraid to sound off … and when he does everyone listens.

And in addition to providing his opinion about which of the two top NFL Draft picks was best, Favre also talked a bit with Deion Sanders about the New Orleans Saints, Bountygate, and how it all applied to him.

Yesterday the former Packer, Jet and Vikings great gave his short answers on the two topics – RG3 and he didn’t care, respectively.

“Griffin, he’s smaller, but if I was starting a team, I’d probably of went with RG3 just because, if they can’t protect you, you got to protect yourself,” Favre told NFL Network in an interview with Deion Sanders.

And as for the Saints and the off-season suspensions that resulted from Bountygate, Favre said he simply didn’t care. What bothered him most was the fact that the Vikings didn’t win the championship game. He told Deion that the important thing was that the Saints tried to take him out of the game, but failed. He also said that there had been plenty of other teams that had attempted to take him out and also failed.

“My feeling, and I mean this wholeheartedly, I really don’t care … They didn’t take me out of the game. They came close, but a lot of people have come close. I’m too stubborn to have come out, plus that was kind of a big game …”

More from the interview is being prepared to be broadcast next week as part of the network’s All Access program.

Robert Griffin III will be all smiles when he is selected by the Washington Redskins with second overall pick in this year's draft. Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

Though the deal can’t be officially completed until the start of the league season Tuesday, March 13, it was confirmed by multiple news sources Friday night that the Washington Redskins have traded for the number two pick in this year’s draft from the St. Louis Rams.

The Rams, who own the second slot in the draft, will get a king’s ransom for the pick, but on the flip side the Redskins will get the chance to pick the enormously talented Robert Griffin III. For the Baylor quarterback, the Redskins will give up first- and second-round selections this year, plus first-round picks in 2013 and 2014.

Yes, folks, that’s three first round and one second round picks.

With the opportunity to sign former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning looking dead for the Redskins, Washington brass put the huge offer on the table to get the shot at RGIII.

The trade solidifies the first two spots in this year’s draft as the Colts are slated to pick Stanford QB Andrew Luck and the Redskins set to pick Griffin. The Minnesota Vikings, at number three, will most likely pick an offensive lineman or wide receiver.

See the highlight video of RGIII below …

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