Become One With The Draft, You Must!

Here around Sports Outlaw we have started making Yoda-like references about learning to feel the draft. I must admit I have done so in our fantasy advice forums. While it may seem a little comical it is actually some great advice.

Mock a lot, do you. Yes, Mocking is a great preparation for your draft. Even if you don’t participate in mocks yourself, finding mocks to watch, like the ones on this site is excellent draft preparation. It gives you a feel for where players are valued by a variety of fantasy football owners. You should at least check out some mocks each month leading up to your draft. This monthly check will give you an idea of how players’ values are changing. Most of these changes are due to news from camps, injuries, trades. Now I think you should drop by and read the NFL News constantly, but then I am a news guy. Tries to read and absorb everything, his obsession is.

Like I was saying if you can’t check up on all the NFL happenings checking up on some mocks or Average Draft Positions can keep you up on the changing values of players as your draft comes closer. It is a great shortcut to doing obsessive research into everything going on with the NFL. A good example is Seattle WR Nate Burleson who was a big time sleeper prospect going very late in Drafts and Mocks but his status has been changing if you have been watching the Mocks and ADP lists. Not so sleepy as last month, now is he.


Ok, back to the main point again. Each draft is alive, it contains an essence, an ebb and flow along lines making each draft unique unto itself. Mocking is great but no mock will be exactly like your draft. That is why you must feel the draft. You must learn to follow the flow of the draft but you must like a salmon know when to go against the current. As in my other article A Little Dynasty Tale I mentioned that you can’t just be an owner that perceives the glass as ½ empty. But you also can’t be the owner that perceives the glass as ½ full either. You must be able to perceive your draft from both/all angles. A Little Dynasty Tale was about how a little extra preparation yielded a nice coup in a “rookie” draft.

Preparation is a big key and we all go great lengths to prepare for our drafts. No matter how much or how little you do or how much all preparation is good. I could go on and on about preparation, maybe I should write more draft articles. On and on, on and on, sometimes does he.

For now, I will talk about one thing I do during the draft and how it helps me feel the draft. For the purposes of this article we will assume we are in a ten owner draft drafting in the middle.

I take a piece of paper and list the owners in draft order leaving plenty of space available. When each owner picks I put down the type of player he picked, QB, RB, WR as he picks them. I only want to know what positions have been filled by each team and be able to calculate this up fast. Too much info would just be clutter. This can be a big help.

Let’s say you have already picked a top WR earlier and was thinking about another RB at this point. Look at your list only 5 owners have a #1 WR at this point no one has a #2 WR to say the least. Now that you know this info what do you feel about the draft at this point? When you can feel the draft the draft is about opportunities that are presented to you that can be taken advantage of or lost. While your sense of order wants to grab a RB at this point it may be an opportunity lost., glass ½ full? so maybe a change of plans is in order. You have a top WR already but you know that ½ the owners need a #1WR and will be looking to grab one very soon. Also if those owners all grab a Number #1 WR the owners that having a good #1 WR will be getting more nervous about getting a quality #2 WR. So you know at this point WRs will start to fly off the board. It may be a great time to grab another WR. You get two top WRs which is never a bad thing. Now the whole next round will likely be all WRs as you have started a WR run. The bonus is that the RBs that you were looking at will almost all be waiting for you in the next round.

Let’s look a little later in this draft. 3 Qbs went early, let’s say Brady, Manning, Romo. Now just before you pick 4 QBs fly off the board. The natural instinct is to grab one quick. But check your list of positions filled, seven teams have starting QBs. That means only two other owners might, or might not, be drafting QBs in the next round. Look at your cheatsheet and if there are 3 Qbs left you like, your glass is ½ full, so to speak. Feel the freedom, a QB you like will be around next round. You are free to find a potential difference maker for your team this round. Of course, if you like one of the QBs left much better than the rest go with your gut. But, you are now starting to look at your draft and seeing the opportunities that come and go during the draft.