NFL Hall of Famer Tim Brown: Pick Up GE

It's mini-camp time. The point of mini-camp is to help players and coaches in the National Football League to get acquainted with their playbook and with each other. In the end, it's all about assessing value, and I've found value in my pick today, General ElectricGE.

In football, it's the coaches' first chance to size up their new players and get a glimpse of their multi-million dollar off-season investments. At this time of year, most teams are full of hope that their first-round picks in the recent NFL amateur draft will turn out to be worth every penny and that they managed to find hidden gems buried in the later rounds as well.

In Miami, all eyes will be on offensive tackle Jake Long. In St. Louis, defensive end Chris Long will be the center of attention. Atlanta is banking on quarterback Matt Ryan. You get the idea.

While the high-profile picks are in the spotlight, the truth is that many lesser-known players in camp won't make the final cut for the opening day roster. The evaluation period is part of the business of sports. You are either an asset or a liability.

However, the season doesn't start for months and the mini-camps are generally only a few days long and filled with non-contact drills. There's a lot more work to be done before prime time and few major decisions are made this early on. Eventually the cream rises to the top.

I have found that there are many parallels between the player-evaluation process and picking stocks. Essentially, you must look at where a player or stock is currently at and then determine both its potential and downside. Once you determine that, you can set expectations and move forward.