Hey, it's Latif from Radio Lab.

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This is the takeaway.

I'm Jene Pierre, sitting in from Melissa Harris-Perry.

With the first pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Jacksonville Jaguar select Trayvon Walker, Georgia.

Making it to the NFL is the dream of countless young boys and men across the nation.

Less than 2% of college football players will make it to the NFL.

For those who do make it, before they can down the uniform of a professional team and see those dreams realized,

they must be selected in the NFL draft.

Draft Day is like winning the lottery for those selected to play on an

NFL team, but the draft isn't without its critics who find the process dehumanizing.

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick expresses this sense of dehumanization in Netflix's

Colin in black and white. Before they put you on the field, teams poke, pride, and examine you,

searching for any defect that might affect your performance. No boundary respected. No dignity

left intact. Both Kaepernick and football executive Troy Vincent likened the process to a modern-day slave auction.

With the NFL draft taking place later this month, we check in with Dave Ziren, sports editor at the nation and author of the Kaepernick effect, about the state of the NFL draft and how it stacks up against other professional sports.

Dave, welcome back to the show.

Oh, it's great to be here.

Thanks so much for having me.

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