The 2012 NFL Draft takes place this Thursday through Saturday. A much celebrated spring ritual for fans, draft day is also a time when the dreams of football players become reality. Each player chosen has his own unique back story, but some stories are more compelling than others.

The back story of Michael Oher, a player drafted into the NFL in 2009, is expertly dramatized by ‘The Blind Side‘ our Sports Movie of the Week. In the 2009 film, Quinton Aaron stars as Michael Oher, a giant of a young man who is drifting homeless through his formative years. Oher’s imposing size helps him gain admission to a private school, where it is expected that he will eventually play football.

At the school, Sean Tuohy Jr. (Jae Head), a youngster, befriends Oher. Eventually, SJ’s parents — Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) and Sean Tuohy (Tim McGraw) — reach out to Oher and take him into their home. The resulting family situation creates plenty of internal and external drama for Oher and the Tuohys, all while Oher blossoms into a highly recruited offensive lineman who must deal with some of the harsh realities of his past.

Five Reasons to Watch ‘The Blind Side’

1. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the 2009 Academy Awards, and Sandra Bullock won the Best Actress Oscar for her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy.

2. ‘The Blind Side’ has become the highest grossing football movie and sports drama of all time, domestically.

3.  SEC coaches Houston Nutt and Ed Orgeron, who coached Oher in college at the University of Mississippi, play themselves in the film. Other real-life coaches including Nick Saban, Lou Holtz, Tommy Tuberville and Phillip Fulmer, appear as well.

4.  Quinton Aaron worked out with the Georgia Tech football team in order to condition himself to portray Oher. He does a believable job.

5. ‘The Blind Side’ is based on the 2006 book ‘The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game’ by Michael Lewis, who also wrote ‘Moneyball.’

Click the play button to watch the original trailer of the film below:

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