Of all the events in sports, one of the best is when athletes put away their uniforms in exchange for flashy suits and baseball caps. It's an event where there are no officials, no punting and no missed free throws. The commonly used words of touchdown and slam-dunk are replaced with "up-side," and "on-the-clock."

I'm talking about the draft.

The pro sports draft is one of my favorite events.

When else can you spend hours arguing about players who haven't done anything at the next level?

Most sporting events last only a few hours, but the draftÖit can last days. In the case of the NFL, the draft lasts two days. The NBA draft is a bit shorter and usually goes about five or six hours. Wall to wall coverage is available on dedicated sports channels.

I remember going to the Jazz draft parties at the Salt Palace as a kid to watch the draft on the big screen. I must have been only 10, but I was fascinated with the process.

The sports draft is like going down the cereal isle at the grocery store. You have so many enticing options to choose from. There are so many tough decisions to make.

Do I want Cocoa or Fruity Pebbles this time? Lucky Charms or Marshmallow Mateys? What sizes do I get, regular, family, or jumbo food-storage size? They are all great decisions to have.

So it is with the draft. So many wonderful decisions to make, so little time.

Just ask any fantasy sports fan how they feel about their fantasy drafts. They will most likely agree that drafting their team is one of the major highlights of the year.

There is a certain thrill with researching your players, assessing their value and then hoping they will be on the board when you select.

I can only imagine the adrenaline rush professional sports executives must go through when they are "on-the-clock."

The NBA draft is today and again I'm excited to see all the new prospects wait for "the call." Locally, the Utah Jazz will be selecting 25th and 55th respectively. I'm no expert but the player I think they should go with, if he's available, is Morris Almond.

He is everything the Jazz needs, a shooting guard that can actually shoot. He shot 49 percent from the field during his career with the Owls, 43 percent from the 3-point line and to top it off, he can actually make a free throw. He was 82 percent from the charity stripe last year. At 6-5, he has size and quickness. Nice bonuses.

His ball-handling skills are suspect, but with Deron Williams running the show, that shouldn't be too much of a concern. He has be compared with Ray Allen and if he turns out to be half as good as the guard from Seattle, the Jazz would be crazy not to consider him if he is on the board at 25.

I would compare him to a box of Honey Bunches of Oats, a great tasting cereal with a little bit of substance as well.

What ever happens, the draft promises to be interesting, with big names like Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, and Al Horford getting assigned to their future professional homes.

Too bad Davis County doesn't hold a draft for high school athletics. Then the Clipper could devote an eight-page wrap-around section and send me to cover it. Davis Cable 17 could run 24-hour coverage of speculation and conjecture. It could all be a part of the Bountiful Handcart Days Celebration. We could have the top five picks in the parade.

OK, maybe I'm getting a little carried away. If you don't find sports drafts as appealing as I do, there's always the cereal isle.

thatch@davisclipper.com