What do you think?
Rate this book
NFL Novels
The Draft: A Novel
Some games are meant to be played.
It’s draft time in the National Football League. For most high-ranking team executives, this means endless days of high-stakes negotiations. But for Baltimore Ravens General Manager Jon Sabino—who has two consecutive Super Bowl victories under his belt—hiring new talent is the last thing on his mind…until his star quarterback gets into a car accident that leaves him unable to play. With his eyes on an unprecedented third Lombardi Trophy, Sabino sees only one option: acquiring guaranteed first pick Christian McKinley, the quarterback phenom from Michigan. But at what price?
Others are meant to be won.
The San Diego Chargers, who presently hold that pick, are not interested in McKinley—so they’ll offer it to the highest bidder. Now Sabino must jump into a cut-throat competition in which old friends become mortal enemies, and no one—not even your allies—can be trusted. The “McKinley Sweepstakes” could very well be the make-or-break moment of Sabino’s career, and the fork in the road that leads him and his team either into the history books—or to the tepid hell of mediocrity….
“The Draft provides…intriguing insight into a process that can be as competitive as those that occur on the gridiron itself.”—Marv Levy, Hall of Fame head coach and general manager of the Buffalo Bills
“Must reading…for any football fan.”—Bill Polian, president of the [Super Bowl Champion] Indianapolis Colts
285 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
5 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Wil Mara
262 books61 followersWil Mara has worked as an author for over 34 years and currently has more than 325 books in print. He has written both fiction and nonfiction, for children and adults. His books have won multiple awards, reached bestseller lists, earned excellent reviews, and been translated into more than a dozen languages. 2005’s Wave won the New Jersey Notable Book Award, and 2012’s The Gemini Virus remained on Amazon’s list of ‘Ten Bestseller Medical Thrillers’ for 14 consecutive weeks. The most recent novel in his disaster series, Fallout, was nominated for the Edgar Award for Novel of the Year. And his children’s nonfiction publications have won countless awards and terrific reviews in all the leading trade journals, including Booklist, School Library Journal, Kirkus, and others.
Much of his work for children has been nonfiction for the school-library market. He also ghostwrote five of the popular ‘Boxcar Children’ mysteries. And starting in 2019, Rosen Publishing released the first of his new ‘Twisted’ series, which has been described as “Twilight Zones for kids.” It became the most pre-ordered fiction series in the company’s history. The first ‘Twisted’ book, The Videomaniac, was released on January 1 and sold through its first printing in less than a month. The second, House of a Million Rooms, was released on March 1 and, just a few weeks later, was chosen as a Main Selection Title by the Junior Library Guild.
Wil was also an editor, administrator, and executive inside the industry for over 20 years, working for such houses as Scholastic, McGraw-Hill, Macmillan, and Prentice-Hall until turning to fulltime writing in 2005. He is an associate member of the NJASL and an executive member of the Board of Directors for the New Jersey Center for the Book, which is an affiliate of the US Library of Congress. He is also the vice president of the Literary Alliance of New Jersey, the host of the ‘Voice of American Libraries’ podcast, and the 2019 recipient of the Literary Lion of New Jersey Award, whose past winners include Gus Friedrich, Dean Emeritus of Rutgers University, and Joyce Carol Oates, National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Wil is also an experienced speaker, presenter, and voice artist, having visited more than 300 schools and other institutions, and done the audio readings for many books, including his 2012 thriller The Gemini Virus. He continues to speak to audiences across the country (including via video) and do voice work as his writing schedule permits.
Much of his work for children has been nonfiction for the school-library market. He also ghostwrote five of the popular ‘Boxcar Children’ mysteries. And starting in 2019, Rosen Publishing released the first of his new ‘Twisted’ series, which has been described as “Twilight Zones for kids.” It became the most pre-ordered fiction series in the company’s history. The first ‘Twisted’ book, The Videomaniac, was released on January 1 and sold through its first printing in less than a month. The second, House of a Million Rooms, was released on March 1 and, just a few weeks later, was chosen as a Main Selection Title by the Junior Library Guild.
Wil was also an editor, administrator, and executive inside the industry for over 20 years, working for such houses as Scholastic, McGraw-Hill, Macmillan, and Prentice-Hall until turning to fulltime writing in 2005. He is an associate member of the NJASL and an executive member of the Board of Directors for the New Jersey Center for the Book, which is an affiliate of the US Library of Congress. He is also the vice president of the Literary Alliance of New Jersey, the host of the ‘Voice of American Libraries’ podcast, and the 2019 recipient of the Literary Lion of New Jersey Award, whose past winners include Gus Friedrich, Dean Emeritus of Rutgers University, and Joyce Carol Oates, National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Wil is also an experienced speaker, presenter, and voice artist, having visited more than 300 schools and other institutions, and done the audio readings for many books, including his 2012 thriller The Gemini Virus. He continues to speak to audiences across the country (including via video) and do voice work as his writing schedule permits.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 2, 2009
I'm not sure if I've ever read a fictional football book, although I have fantasized about the Saints winning the Superbowl a few times. Mara's book was a nice introduction to the genre. It is a story about the GM of the Baltimore Ravens and his struggle to keep his team in competition for another Superbowl right.
The writing is pretty good, if a bit predictable. The characters a also mostly two dimensional, but it works. Add a little cheese to the mash, and you have a fun book that shouldn't be taken very seriously, but will help you get through the off season.
The writing is pretty good, if a bit predictable. The characters a also mostly two dimensional, but it works. Add a little cheese to the mash, and you have a fun book that shouldn't be taken very seriously, but will help you get through the off season.
May 12, 2009
This book is cheesy... it reads like a TV movie. But, it is about a fictional NFL draft, and I'm a whore for the imaginary subject matter, so I will enjoy it guiltily.
March 18, 2019
Good, but somewhat predictable
I enjoyed this book. It felt a little predictable more that I would have liked, but overall it was decent. The major issue are all the editing errors. There were way too many in this book. With that being said, it was worth the read.
I enjoyed this book. It felt a little predictable more that I would have liked, but overall it was decent. The major issue are all the editing errors. There were way too many in this book. With that being said, it was worth the read.
January 5, 2021
Fun read. Very fast-paced while offering an insight to the insanity that is the road to the NFL draft.
June 29, 2016
2.5 Stars
The NFL draft, one of my favorite sporting events every year. It's an opportunity to start anew with a fresh sense of optimism and hope. So when I stumbled upon this fictional book about the draft, I knew I had to read it. With the actual draft a week away, it felt right to dive into this novel to get prepared.
The story does a good job of highlighting all the wheeling and dealing that's prevalent during the event. The authors research shows in the somewhat detailed environments created for the story, with references to famous players and analysts throughout. It was a bit strange at first that a fictional timeline was created for the story while using real NFL teams and historical references, but the author does a decent job of blending the two.
On the flip side, the entire premise of the story is extremely unrealistic and didn't allow me to suspend my disbelief. It follows the Baltimore Ravens GM Jon Sabino as he's met with a challenge of winning a 3rd consecutive Super Bowl despite a major injury to his star QB. From there, it's a multi-perspective story that shows all the moving parts of his quest, ultimately leading up to draft day. The unrealistic part really shines in the ending when everything is wrapped up nicely with a bow on top and everyone lives happily ever after.
Another run of editing would've helped this story out immensely as well, as their were multiple spelling and repetition errors throughout. Each one I stumbled upon distracted me further from the story.
All in all, the book does it's job of being a fictional story about football, which is a rare find in itself. Just keep your expectations low and try not to let the editing errors distract you.
P.S. - Despite myself being a Browns fan, I tried not to let it bias my opinion :)
The NFL draft, one of my favorite sporting events every year. It's an opportunity to start anew with a fresh sense of optimism and hope. So when I stumbled upon this fictional book about the draft, I knew I had to read it. With the actual draft a week away, it felt right to dive into this novel to get prepared.
The story does a good job of highlighting all the wheeling and dealing that's prevalent during the event. The authors research shows in the somewhat detailed environments created for the story, with references to famous players and analysts throughout. It was a bit strange at first that a fictional timeline was created for the story while using real NFL teams and historical references, but the author does a decent job of blending the two.
On the flip side, the entire premise of the story is extremely unrealistic and didn't allow me to suspend my disbelief. It follows the Baltimore Ravens GM Jon Sabino as he's met with a challenge of winning a 3rd consecutive Super Bowl despite a major injury to his star QB. From there, it's a multi-perspective story that shows all the moving parts of his quest, ultimately leading up to draft day. The unrealistic part really shines in the ending when everything is wrapped up nicely with a bow on top and everyone lives happily ever after.
Another run of editing would've helped this story out immensely as well, as their were multiple spelling and repetition errors throughout. Each one I stumbled upon distracted me further from the story.
All in all, the book does it's job of being a fictional story about football, which is a rare find in itself. Just keep your expectations low and try not to let the editing errors distract you.
P.S. - Despite myself being a Browns fan, I tried not to let it bias my opinion :)
May 31, 2012
Incredibly over the top, even for a work of fiction. So many unrealistic plot lines that take away from the enjoyment of reading the book. The book is meant to dramatize an NFL offseason, but why depict situations that would never happen in the actual NFL?
From insanely stacked trades, to the logic in making those very trades, nothing makes much sense relative to the real game.
I would advise against taking the time to read this book.
From insanely stacked trades, to the logic in making those very trades, nothing makes much sense relative to the real game.
I would advise against taking the time to read this book.
July 13, 2015
While not total garbage, this book is really, really not good. The author contradicted himself several times and many of the story lines are unbelievable. Poor editing too: homonym issues, misspellings, capitalization issues. A good editor would have caught the grammar issues and the story contradictions. I'd say skip it and watch Draft Day but that movie wasn't good either.
January 24, 2016
Even though it's a fact-based novel. this book gives an absolutely amazing inside look at the workings and organization of a professional sports team.
November 7, 2017
Enjoyed the story - probably closer to 3.5 stars but the editing was horrendous. So. Many. Mistakes.
August 6, 2008
Great read even if you are not a sports/football fan.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews