History Film / DraftDay

* ChekhovsParty: In the leadup to the draft, Browns GM Sonny Weaver's scouting staff tells him about presumptive top pick Bo Callahan's last birthday party, which none of his teammates attended. This, along with other revelatory character flaws, come up later on and serve to justify Sonny's decision to draft Vontae Mack instead of Callahan first overall.

** Seattle is particularly baffling. They initially traded #1 and dropped down to #7 while picking up 2 more 1st Round picks. There's no guarantee that Jacksonville would take Bo with the 6th pick ([[spoiler:Ignoring the fact that the Jaguars would certainly have demanded at least 1 1st Round pick when trading with Cleveland in real life.]] and usually NFL Drafts have more than 1 highly rated QB even if the 2nd QB falls ala Johnny Manziel or Aaron Rodgers in real life. Anyway, Seattle then [[spoiler:Trades ALL of the 1st Round picks BACK + a player... to move up 1 spot?]] when in real life they would've more realistically offered up the 7th Pick, a 2nd Round pick, maybe a future draft pick, and the player in question.

* MomentKiller: Vontae Mack throws a ball to his sister in the stands after scoring a touchdown... but is then flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. In the ensuing argument, Mack touches the referee and is ejected.

* SigilSpam: There is hardly a frame of the movie that doesn't have at least one NFL or NFL team logo visible on the set or costumes.

''Draft Day'' is a 2014 American sports drama film directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Creator/KevinCostner. The premise revolves around the general manager of the Cleveland Browns (Costner) and the challenges he faces in the final hours before the 2014 UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Draft.

When the idea was first made public, the film was to be centered around the Buffalo Bills, but the studio subsequently changed it to the Cleveland Browns because of cheaper production costs in Ohio. The film contains multiple RealLife football analysts, commentators and players. Most of them play themselves, like Chris Berman, but among others, Arian Foster is playing a rookie running back.

Key characters in the film include::
[[hardline]]
* Sonny Weaver Junior (Costner), the general manager of the Cleveland Browns. On Draft Day, he is the one responsible for the draft picks and making trades with other NFL franchises. When General Manager Tom Michaels of the Seattle Seahawks offers Sonny the first overall draft pick in exchange for multiple first-round picks in the next three years, Sonny takes up the offer, which would allow the Browns the chance to select top prospect Bo Callahan, yet he is adamant Vontae Mack is the better option. ''Draft Day'' revolves around Sonny's choices and the reactions of others in the Browns organization and the entire league.
* Vince Penn (Creator/DenisLeary), head coach of the Cleveland Browns. He has a different opinion than Sonny on who to draft in the first-round: Ray Jennings (Foster), a running back whose father Earl Jennings (Terry Crews) previously played for the team. Penn provides the primary contrast to Sonny's decision-making with the Browns.
* Bo Callahan (Josh Pence), winner of the Heisman Trophy, and regarded as a player with the raw talent to become a franchise quarterback and whom all trades depicted in ''Draft Day'' revolve around. Were Bo to be drafted with the Browns, this will inevitably put the team's current quarterback Brian Drew (Tom Welling) out of a job. However, is Callahan truly the future star everybody thinks he is?
* Vontae Mack (Creator/ChadwickBoseman), a rambunctious linebacker who enters the draft, eyeing an early pick since that means a better contract and more income to support his family. Vontae believes the Browns are his best chance after the team receives the first overall pick, as other franchises are not looking for a linebacker.
* Ali Parker (Creator/JenniferGarner), the Cleveland Browns salary cap expert. She's in a secret relationship with Sonny and discovers she's pregnant before Draft Day.

The film was moderately successful at the box office and received mixed receptions from critics, who deemed the story implausible, predictable but entertaining, nonetheless.

* AmbiguousSituation: Why were none of Bo's teammates at his 21st birthday party? Sonny suspects that it's because Bo doesn't get along with his team, but Bo gets out of explaining by claiming to have no memory of that night. Sonny has to concede that it's a plausible excuse -- he doesn't remember his 21st birthday party either -- and while he ends up trusting his instincts about Bo, his suspicions are never confirmed.

** Sonny acquires the #6 pick from Jacksonville for three second-rounders and then immediately flips it to Seattle for three first-rounders plus a player. Jacksonville could have gotten a much better return on their pick if they'd traded it to Seattle instead of locking in on Cleveland as their trade partner. Jacksonville settled for second-round picks because Cleveland had no first-rounders to trade at this point, and it was public knowledge that Seattle fans were irate at their team's first trade because it risked losing Callahan; Jacksonville should have anticipated the desperation of a team that had more to offer than Cleveland did.

** Sonny acquires the #6 pick from Jacksonville for three second-rounders and then immediately flips it to Seattle for three first-rounders plus a player. Jacksonville could have gotten a much better return on their pick if they'd traded it to Seattle instead of locking in on Cleveland as their trade partner.

* ExtremelyShortTimeSpan: The movie starts 12 hours before the draft and ends after the first-round picks (ignoring the epilogue).

'''''Draft Day''''' is a 2014 American sports drama film directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Creator/KevinCostner. The premise revolves around the general manager of the Cleveland Browns (Costner) and the challenges he faces in the final hours before the 2014 UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Draft.

* DarkestHour: [[spoiler:When Sonny selects Vontae instead of Bo as the first overall pick in the Draft]], the Browns traded away their first-round picks for the next three years for this player, a person who they could have grabbed without sacrificing any trades at all ''and'' selected him as the seventh overall pick (which they intially had before the Seahawks offered them their first pick). This effectively destroys their chances to build a team in the next few years; at that moment, Sonny has all but lost his job. [[spoiler:Averted when other franchises take Sonny's consideration into heart by ''not selecting Bo themselves'', inevitably disrupting the Draft]].

* HeelFaceTurn: InUniverse, Sonny - he fired his father Sonny Weaver Senior as head coach of the Browns, which villified him to the organization and its fans. [[spoiler:When Sonny chooses Vontae over Bo, Coach Penn, the fans and [[UnclePennybags Browns owner Anthony Molina]] want his head, until Sonny's decision changes the rest of the Draft's structure. After multiple acquisitions via trades with other teams during the Draft, the Browns wind up with their original choices they had wanted from the start, turning Sonny into a hero for the organization. Even Penn, his staunchest critic, is impressed]].

* WhamLine: InUniverse example - "The Cleveland Browns select...''[[spoiler:Vontae Mack]]''!" While it's hardly surprising for the audience at that point, NOBODY expected the Browns would have agreed to such a trade with the Seahawnks to [[spoiler:acquire Vontae as the first overall, or simply the fact that Bo Callahan was not the first as everyone thought]].

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The hype surrounding Callahan and the fictional draft is reminiscent of Johnny Manziel, [[{{Irony}} who ended up in Cleveland and turned out to be a major bust]], during the RealLife 2014 NFL Draft. Furthermore, the trade for Callahan is almost the same as the trade between the Rams and the Redskins in 2012.

'''''Draft Day''''' is a 2014 American sports drama film directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Kevin Costner. The premise revolves around the general manager of the Cleveland Browns (Costner) and the challenges he faces in the final hours before the 2014 NFL Draft.

When the idea was first made public, the film was to be centered around the Buffalo Bills, but the studio subsequently changed it to the Cleveland Browns because of cheaper production costs in Ohio. The film contains multiple real life football players, commentators and analysts . Most of them play themselves, like Chris Berman, but among others Arian Foster is playing a rookie running back.

Most important characters are:

* Sonny Weaver Junior, played by Creator/KevinCostner. Sonny is the general manager of the Cleveland Browns. On Draft Day, he is the person who is responsible for the draft picks and making trades with other franchises. At the start of the movie, the GM of the Seattle Seahawks offers him a trade: the first overall draft pick - and thus Heisman Trophy winner Bo Callahan - in exchange for multiple first round picks. However, he feels Vontae Mack is the better pick. The movie revolves around the choices of Sonny and the reactions of others in the Browns organization.
* Coach Penny, played by Creator/DenisLeary. He has a different opinion than Sonny on who to draft in the first round. He would like Ray Jennings, a running back. Will he get what he wants?
* Bo Callahan (Josh Pence), winner of the Heisman trophy. Regarded as a player with the raw talent to become a franchise quarterback. He's the player all the trades depicted in this movie revolve around. However, is he really the future star everybody thinks he is?
* Vontae Mack, played by Chadwick Boseman. A linebacker who enters the draft. He's eyeing an early pick in the draft, since that means a better contract and therefore more income to support his family. The Browns are his best chance for an early pick, since other franchises are not looking for a linebacker.
* Ali, played by Creator/JenniferGarner. She's the Browns salary cap expert. She's in a secret relationship with Sonny Junior and found out she's pregnant.

The film was moderately successful at the box office and received mixed receptions from critics. The film was deemed implausible, predictable but entertaining nonetheless.

* BabiesEverAfter: Both Sonny and Ali are nervous about becoming parents and are having problems with their secret relationship. However, in the epilogue they became an official couple and while the baby is not born yet Ali is visible pregnant and are enjoying it.
* BadLiar: Bo Callahan a few times. The Redskins once attached a hundred dollar bill on the back of the playbook in order to test if quarterbacks actually read the playbook. All of them found the money or admitted they didn't read the playbook. Bo claimed he forgot about the money until after they (the Redskins) mentioned it to him, when he clearly just didn't read it.
* ButtMonkey: Rick the intern.
* DarkestHour: For the Browns, at a certain point in the draft they traded away there first and second round picks for the next three years for Vontae Mack, a player who they could have grabbed without the trades, and the number 6 overall pick. This effectively destroyed their chances to build their team in the next years. At this moment, Sonny Junior all but lost his job.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The hype surrounding Bo Callahan and the fictional draft really reminds us of Johnny Manziel - [[{{irony}} who ended up in Cleveland and turned out to be a major bust]] - in the real 2014 NFL Draft. Also the trade for Bo Callahan is almost the same as the trade between the Rams and the Redskins in 2012.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: [[DiscussedTrope A mere discussed]] version regarding Bo Callahan and Brian Drew. Ralph Mowry tells Sonny Weaver about a test from the Redskins. The Redskins send their playbook to possible quarterbacks and attached a 100 dollar bill on the back page. Most of the players found the bill or admitted they didn't read the playbook. Bo Callahan sticked with his lie, while Brian Drew returned the bill with the message they can pay him when he [[TheDeterminator wins]] them the [[BadassBoast Superbowl]].
* ExtremelyShortTimeSpan: The movie starts 12 hours before the draft and ends after the first round picks (ignoring the epilogue).
* FatalFlaw: Bo Callahan is a great player and has the raw talent to become a franchise quarterback, but [[spoiler: Sonny eventually didn't draft him since Callahan has personality problems.]]
* GutFeeling: Sonny Weaver has a lot of doubts whether he should draft Bo Callahan or not. Callahan is a very talented quarterback, but he has some personality issues. Ali tells him not to listen to other people, but to do on what he thinks is the best. Sonny Weaver also tells the GM from the Jaguars literally [[spoiler: that he didn't draft Callahan because of a gut feeling.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Sonny in the eyes of Cleveland Browns fans and owner Anthony Molina, who initially see him as an idiot for selecting Vontae Mack first-overall. He then engineers two trades that allow the Browns to get their seventh pick back from the Seahawks, all the future first-round draft picks they had originally sent to the Seahawks for the first-overall pick, and a return specialist. And with the seventh pick, he gets Ray Jennings, the running back they originally wanted at that position prior to the trade. By the end of the draft, he's a hero to everyone, even his staunchest critic, Coach Penn.]]
* HeroicBsod: Brian Drew when he learns that the Browns traded to get the first overall pick and thus Bo Callahan. Also [[spoiler: Callahan has a temporary one when he's not drafted first.]]
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Sonny Junior fired his dad as the head coach, because his father was at risk of dying during his stressful job. Firing him would have resulted in some relaxed years. Too bad his dad died anyway.
* IdiotBall: Sonny Junior trades three first round draft picks for a player he doesn't know, without consulting the head coach or the scouts. He researches Bo Collahan AFTER he makes the trade. If he at least did his research right after the initial trade offer from the Seahawks, he wouldn't have made the trade or would have achieved a much better bargain. No wonder the head coach, the players and the scouts are pissed.
* IronicEcho: Tom Michaels, the GM from the Seahawks, first offers his first round pick for the two first rounds picks from the Browns. Initially Sonny declines this offer. Later, when Sonny changes his mind and accepts the offer, Michaels raises his offer, stating it's a different world than three hours before. During the draft, when Sonny wants to trade his pick (Bo Callahan) with the first round picks he traded away to the Seahawks, Sonny also raises the offer, saying that it's a different world than 30 seconds before.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Coach Penn often acts like a jerk ass, but he's right when he points out the Browns made a draft analysis and created a playbook with Brian Drew as a quarterback in mind. Months or maybe even years of work has become worthless because of a rash decision by Sonny.
* ManipulativeBastard: Tom Michaels succeeds in making a trade with Sonny Junior which is very beneficial for the Seahawks. Later, Sonny is able to make a trade with the Jaguars and then an even better one with the Seahawks.
* NextSundayAD: This film centers around the 2014 NFL Draft. It was released in 2014, a month before the real draft. In the real NFL draft, some people actually referred to this movie.
* NoAntagonist: the closest thing to an antagonist this film has is Tom Michaels, although he's just doing his work. The conflict in this movie comes from the pressure on Sonny and the choices he has to make before and during the draft.
* NonActorVehicle: Arian Foster, a veteran NFL running back, does not play himself, but a rookie running back. Except in this movie, [[spoiler: he actually is drafted.]]
* OpenSecret: Sonny and Ali are in a secret relationship, but multiple colleagues already know this and even mention it to their faces.
* OptOut: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] with coach Penny. After he learns that their next three first and second round picks were traded away, he quits his job. Sonny asks him to at least wait until the end of the first round. If he still doesn't like the result of the draft, Penny can quit. However, it turns out the draft was pretty good for the Browns and Penny even get's the player (Jennings) he wanted. He stays.
* PetTheDog: Rick suffers some abuse from the Brown's staff, but when Sonny destroys his laptop in a rage, he apoligizes to Rick and promises him a better laptop.
* PrecisionFStrike: When Sonny Weaver is pushing Tom Michaels to make the trade:
--> '''Sonny:''' Come on, say it, you pancake eating motherfucker!
* RelationshipUpgrade: Sonny Junior and Ali have a secret relationship which also resulted in her pregnancy. At the end of the day, they decide not to keep it a secret anymore.
* TearsOfJoy: Vontae Mack when he is drafted [[spoiler: as the first overall pick.]]
* TheCameo: A lot of players, presenters, analysts and officials make an appearance in this movie. Among others Roger Goodell, Chris Berman, Jon Gruden and Rich Eisen.
* ThirdActStupidity: Sonny Junior is tricked into an epically bad trade by the Seattle GM Tom Michaels. That level of stupidity happens about once every 20 years. The movie is about Sonny dealing with the fallout amid team politics, etc. Then, in Act Three he manages to pull of two even more unlikely trades - one against the now suddenly stupid Tom Michaels, one against an easily-rattled rookie GM.
* {{Tomboy}}: Ali admits that football is her life and that she doesn't know anything about typical mother stuff.
* UnclePennybags: Cleveland Browns owner Anthony Molina.
* WellDoneSonGuy: At a certain moment, Browns owner Anthony Molina calls Bo Callahan the son he never had. Sonny Junior remarks that Molina already has [[TheUnfavourite a son]].
* WhamLine: [[spoiler: ''Vontae Mack!'']] {{In-Universe}} example. While it is not surprising for the audience at that point, NOBODY expected that the Browns would have agreed with such a trade to [[spoiler: draft Vontae Mack as the first overall pick. Or simply the fact that Bo Callahan was not the first overall pick was a shock.]]
* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough: Tom Michaels discusses his wish to make trade reminiscent of the RGIII trade with his head coach Walt Gordon. Michaels knows that someone has to be really stupid to agree with such a trade. Gordon asks him: 'Who's the most desperate guy you know?' Cut away to the [[ButtMonkey city of Cleveland]]...
* XanatosSpeedChess: The Browns have to play this during the draft to make sure their initial choices don't have disastrous consequences. The aftermath of all these trades is:
** [[spoiler: The Browns get Vontae Mack (1st pick), Ray Jennings (7th pick) and David Putney (punt/kick returner from the Seahawks) in return for three second round picks and (most likely) 7 million extra salary for Vontae Mack. They were able to turn three second round picks in two first round picks and an already established special teams player. Also, both Sonny as Penny get the player they wanted to select.]]
** [[spoiler: The Jaguars get three second round picks in exchange for one first round pick.]]
** [[spoiler: The Seahawks get a 7 million discount on a player they already wanted in exchange for a special teams player.]]

* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough: Tom Michaels discusses his wish to make trade reminiscent of the RGIII trade with his head coach Walt Gordon. Michaels knows that someone has to be really stupid to agree with such a trade. Gordon asks him: 'Who's the most desperate guy you know?' Cut away to the city of Cleveland...

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The hype surrounding Bo Callahan and the fictional draft really reminds us of Johnny Manziel in the real 2014 NFL Draft. Also the trade for Bo Callahan is almost the same as the trade between the Rams and the Redskins in 2012.

* ThirdActStupidity: Sonny Junior is tricked into an epically bad trade by the Seattle GM Tom Michaels. That level of stupidity happens about once every 20 years. The movie is about Sonny dealing with the fallout amid team politics, etc. Then, in Act Three he manages to pull of two even more unlikely trades - one against the now suddenly stupid Tom Michaels.

** [[spoiler: The Browns get Vontae Mack (1st pick), Ray Jennings (6th pick) and David Putney (punt/kick returner from the Seahawks) in return for three second round picks and (most likely) 7 million extra salary for Vontae Mack. They were able to turn three second round picks in two first round picks and an already established special teams player. Also, both Sonny as Penny get the player they wanted to select.]]

* UnclePennybags: Cleveland Browns owner Alfred Molina.

* DarkestHour: For the Browns, at a certain point in the draft they traded away there first and second round picks for the next three years for Vontae Mack, a player who they could have grabbed without the trades, and the number 7 overall pick. This effectively destroyed their chances to build their team in the next years. At this moment, Sonny Junior all but lost his job.

* DarkestHour: For the Browns, at a certain point in the draft they traded away there first and second round picks for the next three years for Vontae Mack, a player who they could have grabbed without the trades, and the number 6 overall pick. This effectively destroyed their chances to build their team in the next years. At this moment, Sonny Junior all but lost his job.

* BadLiar: Bo Callahan a few times. The Redskins once attached a hundred dollar bill on the back of the playbook in order to test if quarterbacks actually read the playbook. All of them found the money or admitted they didn't read the playbook. Bo stayed with his story that there was no money.

-->''"Enjoy the Draft"''

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Sonny Junior fired his dad as the head coach, because his father was at risk of dying during his stressful job. Firing him would have resulted in some relaxed years. Too bad his dad died anyway only a week later.

* NextSundayAD: This film centers around the 2014 NFL Draft. It was released in 2014, before the draft. In the real NFL draft, some people actually referred to this movie.