Ex-Viking Marinaro thought he was getting 'a Will Smith slap' at draft

Former Minnesota Vikings running back and actor Ed Marinaro made the most of his time on the NFL draft stage Friday, reminiscing about his own football career and sharing a few jokes before announcing the 42nd overall pick.

In an interview with Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Marinaro joked that he thought there'd be a recreation of the Will Smith slap incident from this year's Oscars after he took so long to announce the Vikings' second-round selection.

"It wasn't like it was a conscious effort to be kind of self-indulging, if you will," Marinaro said. "I just thought it was fun. I just provided a little bit of entertainment, if you will ... I was sort of surprised. I thought she was going to give me a Will Smith slap or something. But I got the hint.”

Marinaro was at the podium for over two minutes when Ashton Ramsburg, the NFL's senior manager of major events and team operations, came on stage to inform him he had to hurry up.

Marinaro said he spoke to someone before going on stage and wasn't told of any time limits.

"I said (to a draft representative), 'What do we do? Should I say something fun?' And she said, 'That'd be good,'" he said. "So, that's kind of what I did. I got caught up in the moment when I got out there when the fans were screaming, and it was a little overwhelming. I felt like the Pope up there with all those fans. I really didn't think about the time. They didn't say to me, 'You've got 60 seconds.'"

Marinaro, who starred in the football comedy series "Blue Mountain State," said he was "flattered" the Vikings asked him to announce a pick, but he also doesn't anticipate being invited back to the draft.