“Draft Day” is a sports drama that stars Kevin Costner as Sonny Weaver. During the film, Sonny struggles with making the right draft day decisions to bring his team to the Super Bowl. However, his unconventional choices cause friction between the players, management and fans.
Plot Summary
In the opening scenes of “Draft Day,” Cleveland Browns general manager Sonny Weaver is in a meeting with the team’s owner, Anthony Molina. After discussing the team’s poor performance in recent years, Molina tells Weaver to use unconventional methods when choosing the team’s next draft picks.
In response, Weaver decides to trade three of his first-round draft picks for Bo Callahan, the number one draft pick. This decision angers Molina and head coach Penn because they feel another player would be a better choice. When the time comes for the first draft pick, Weaver unexpectedly chooses Vontae Mack, a defensive player for Ohio State.
After again facing backlash for his decision, Weaver makes a deal to exchange Mack for another player. However, he has to trade his first-round draft picks for the next three years to secure another player. Facing pressure from the players, coaching staff and team manager, Weaver struggles to decide what is in the best interest of the team.
Cast
“Draft Day” features a large cast of veteran actors, celebrities and real life NFL players. Kevin Costner, an experienced sports drama actor, excels in his role as Sonny Weaver. Costner strikes a great balance between showing his character as focused on the bottom line yet susceptible to considering the emotions of the players.
Jennifer Garner plays Sonny’s pregnant girlfriend and legal consultant for the team. Although her role is limited, Garner creates a memorable character and provides the basis for a subplot that balances out some of the sports-related drama. Frank Langella, who portrays Anthony Molina, and Denis Leary, who plays Coach Penn, both provide convincing portrayals of emotionally charged characters.
In addition to actors, “Draft Day” features several NFL players and managers. Cleveland Browns veterans Jim Brown and Bernie Kosar play supporting characters, and Cleveland Browns CEO Joe Banner makes a brief cameo. Texans running back Arian Foster also plays one of the players eagerly awaiting his fate on draft day.
Plot Construction
The plot of “Draft Day” is very fast-paced, and all of the events take place in a single day. This makes the suspense and action consistent throughout the film. Unfortunately, since the film’s primary focus is on draft day, the plot is very technical in regard to Sonny’s draft pick decisions. Audience members who do not follow sports closely may get lost at times during the film. However, this element is great for sports fans and makes the film very authentic.
In addition to the main theme, “Draft Day” has several subplots that make the film more character-driven, which extends the appeal of the film beyond sports fans. For example, Sonny finds out his girlfriend is pregnant on draft day, which adds more pressure to the already tense situation. Sonny’s girlfriend is also responsible for the salary distribution of the players on the team, which is an important consideration when drafting new players. Conversations between Sonny and Ali simultaneously explain the process of drafting players to the audience and provide a storyline that does not solely focus on the team.
Sonny is also affected by the fact that his father was also a general manager for an NFL team. This makes him question his decisions because he struggles with the prospect of not living up to his father.
Setting
The setting of the film and the inclusion of Cleveland celebrities furthers the authenticity of the film. Real NFL fans were used as extras to capture the intense emotions and reactions to draft day decisions. In fact, one scene shows an unscripted argument between Browns fans and Seahawks fans.
“Draft Day” also includes several local celebrities, such as Tony Rizzo and Aaron Goldhammer, who are the hosts of the popular Cleveland-based “The Really Big Show.” Additionally, the film is full of aerial shots of many Cleveland landmarks. The attention to the detail of the setting really elevates the film’s overall quality.