FORT WORTH, Texas _ The NFL draft has evolved over the years.
The first known draft took place in 1936 before franchises even had things such as a scouting department. It's grown into a Super Bowl-esque event for the league, and it's expected to be bigger than ever when it comes to AT&T Stadium this week.
Teams have scoured through scouting reports and film and background checks to ensure they're getting a player who can help the organization succeed for years to come.
Players have spent thousands of dollars training for the NFL combine and pro days and are now ready to hear their names called for what will be a life-changing experience.
"It's gone from a one-story motel in some small town in Montana to the Sears Tower," longtime Cowboys executive Gil Brandt said. "What you see today is just unbelievable."
Brandt is among the reasons why it's become so big. He ranked as one the first scouts to conduct combine-type testing on college players in the 1970s.
Brandt recalled an Ohio State defensive back, Tim Anderson, who the school said ran a 4.42 40-yard dash. Brandt timed him at 4.78 and immediately had the Cowboys take him off the board going into the 1971 draft.
"The 49ers drafted him (23rd overall) and didn't even sign him because he was a corner who ran 4.78," Brandt said.
Brandt recalled a similar thing happening in 2008 at Oklahoma. Wide receiver Malcolm Kelly ran a 4.68 40-yard dash, which is slow for a receiver. But some thought he ran a 4.4, and the Washington Redskins drafted him in the second round.
"People said, 'Oh, it's a slow field.' Well, it's the same field that Adrian Peterson ran on, and he ran 4.4," Brandt said. "So you can see why teams put so much into it."
With that being said, the Star-Telegram talked with players drafted from the past six decades and how much it's evolved over time.
The stories range from a player in 1958 feeling lucky to get a $500 signing bonus to a 1978 Hall of Famer who got his draft call and then headed to class to a perennial Pro Bowler who fell asleep during his draft day in 1998.
