It very well could be that by the time you have dragged yourself out of bed to read this little piece of prose, the Green Bay Packers have taken drastic steps to determine the look and shape of their 2006 roster.

Sure, Brett Favre is back for at least another year, and Charles Woodson has signed as a free agent. But in the National Football League Draft (which got underway one day before this column was published), what the Packers will try to accomplish is anybody's guess.

One thing, though, is certain; the Packers have taken steps toward their future this weekend. Whether that future is for better or worse remains to be seen, and perhaps the fact that this column is being penned well before Ted Thompson locks himself into the Lambeau Field War Room better proves the point.

With the exception of perhaps the ongoing indoor soccer league playoffs, the Bowl Championship Series, and the first three rounds of the NBA playoffs; there is perhaps no bigger waste of time in all of sports than the NFL draft. Alleged experts and pundits are everywhere to be found, willing to share their highly-researched opinions for an often nominal fee.

There is no more annoying human being on the planet than the guy in a bar a day after the draft who asks others for their opinion on how a cornerback drafted in the third round will help his favorite team. Well, nobody with the possible exception of Mel Kiper, Jr. and that idiotic cell phone commercial, but that's another story.

The draft is a made-for-TV circus similar to the any number of holidays dreamed up by greeting card manufacturers. It's a chance for the league to showboat itself, as well as a chance for agents to make some extra scratch. The TV networks can rake in the cash from advertising and commercials, and fans get another excuse to call sports talk shows and keep attention away from baseball, hockey, and the never-ending saga that is the NBA playoffs. (OK, in retrospect, one out of three isn't too bad).

Some of the greatest illustrations of the insanity that is the draft come in the ESPN preview shows. One clip features a general manager discussing the expertise of Mr. Kiper -- or more specifically -- his lack thereof.

Legions of fans follow his word as if he were a prophet sent down from on high, yet the only thing this guy seems to know is where a guy will be chosen. But apparently, that knowledge allows him to go along with the farce of being some sort of football expert?

That's almost as insane as thinking that Favre's return means a guaranteed trip back to the Super Bowl this year.

Whatever the Packers do this weekend -- draft and otherwise -- will have little to no bearing on the team for at least a year. A.J. Hawk, the linebacker from Ohio State expected to be taken by Green Bay with the fifth pick -- was a mighty fine college football player.

From the limited amount of him seen on television around here, he looks like he knows how to play football. But will he have the ability to keep up with NFL speed and size? Will he suffer a freak accident in a week and never play football again? What if he decides to join a cult? Or move to Montana and start a dude ranch?

Hey, how about a holdout?

Anything can happen. And no matter what the experts try to sell you, the NFL draft is still nothing more than a glorified crapshoot. Tony Manderich was one of the single most dominant college football players in the last 30 years, yet he is remembered today more so for being an incredible bust than for his ability to knock a defensive lineman on his butt.

Some team this weekend will draft a player that will have an impact for years to come, while another team will draft a player that will be regarded as a tremendous failure. Nobody knows what team will draft what player, nor is there any way to know for sure what player will fit what role.

And no matter what you see on television or hear on sports talk radio, there is nobody that has that answer.