AEW's Tony Khan Compares Missing Out on an NFL Draft Prospect to Wrestling Botches

By Connor Casey

The 2022 NFL Draft begins tonight in Las Vegas and the Jacksonville Jaguars, owned by the Khan family, have the No. 1 overall pick. AEW president Tony Khan, who still works for the Jaguars on top of running his wrestling promotion, was asked during an interview with Josh Martinez of Z100 this week which he finds more frustrating — botches during wrestling matches or losing out on a star player in the draft because they get picked one spot ahead of you. 

"I think when there's an avoidable botch because that's part of the draft process and you have to be ready for that. You don't control what happens in the draft," Khan said (h/t Fightful). "There's 31 other teams and you can't take it for granted. That's happened many times, a player that I really was wanting us to draft, and they get picked right before we pick. Or even a player I wanted to sign in undrafted free agency and they're one of the final picks in the draft. 

"So then, you know, you're pulling your hair out. A lot of times it does work out. More often than not they don't get picked," he added. "The odds are there's so many players out there that that's not what's gonna happen, especially as you get later in the draft. So it's exciting. With avoidable stuff, that is more in your control. But you know, the one thing you don't want in pro wrestling is for the fans to have a bad time. So I think in pro football, you're playing 31 other NFL teams, and there's so many great coaches and great players out there that so much is out of your control."

The Jaguars stumbled their way to a 3-14 record in the 2021-22 season, due in large part to the poor head coaching performance by Urban Meyer that kicked off the season with a 2-11 record.  Meyer was fired on Dec. 16 and Doug Pederson was later hired to be the team's new head coach. With 13 draft picks at their disposal and their potential franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence now playing with a full season under his belt, the team will look to make noticeable improvements this year. 

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