Go Mock Yourself
Posted 7/23 by Jeff Tefertiller, Exclusive to Footballguys.com
Back in the days of old, I would prepare for drafts with a pen and paper. With acquired knowledge of my leaguemates from past drafts, I would project each pick for the first ten rounds of the draft. It took a lot of time to do each mock. With the advent of new technology, there are very good ways to mock a draft in a short period of time. Those familiar with Footballguys.com use the Draft Dominator. Also, fantasy players can do an online mock draft at fantasyfootballcalculator.com or mockdraftcentral.com, among other fantasy sites. Plus, there are web sites that have mock draft simulators like Footballhangout.com. No matter what works best for you, it is important to prepare for your drafts, and mocks are the easiest way to do so. Since there are several types of mock drafts, let's look at how best to take advantage of what each offers.
The online mock drafts have some positives and negatives. The big advantage of these is that they are against real people. It is one thing to project who others will take, but it is better to see things play out with live drafters. The biggest negative is when the other drafters either do not take the draft seriously or just set the picks on predraft. If someone is just letting the computer make the picks, you are no better than using the Draft Dominator or the simulator at Footballhangout. One other thing to note is that sometimes owners will not pick the player they like best because they know a leaguemate is watching in order to get an advantage. If many do this, the mock draft is merely an exercise and offers little help in preparation. Even though these live mock drafts are faster than the old pen and paper, a drafter should expect the draft to last several hours.
Footballhangout.com has had a mock draft simulator for some time. The mock draft simulator will allow a draft to do a mock in just a few minutes. The thing to remember about the online mock draft web sites is that the mock is based on someone's ranking of players and their unique scoring rules. These rankings and scoring guidelines may or may not be indicative of your league. It is a good thing to run mocks against different rankings just to give a variety. There are no "right" rankings, so the variety helps in preparation.
The Draft Dominator is a great way to mock your draft. There are so many ways to tweak the variables for both a variety in results and to cater to the unique variables of the league. With the advantages of Value Based Drafting (VBD) already incorporated, the Draft Dominator allows a drafter to plug in the parameters of the league. Everything from number of teams, scoring, and how many starters at each position effect the "value" of each draft pick. The Draft Dominator takes position scarcity into account as well. The other advantage is the ability mock a draft with the other teams drafting by ADP or a number of different rankings. There is so much flexibility that a mock drafter can get a wide range of outcomes just by changing one variable at a time. Running a mock draft on the Draft Dominator takes less than five minutes and allows the drafter a chance to prepare well in a short amount of time.
Mock drafts are great to get a feel for which players will be available for each of your picks. These mocks should be used as a guide because they are based on someone else's player rankings. In addition, these rankings may or may not be reflective of your league's scoring system, roster makeup, or league members. Differences to the scoring system will definitely affect which players are drafted in which order. In addition, if a league has a rule that only so many of each position can be drafted, it will the results will be a little different than the mock. The biggest variable is the league members. There is no way a mock draft, against other fantasy drafters or a computer, can simulate your leaguemates and their tendencies. These tendencies are what differentiates one league from another. Each league has its own persona. Different leagues may look alike, but the drafts can be totally different.
It is vital to prepare for your fantasy draft. In most cases, those who prepare the most come out better in the drafts. These mock drafts help simulate the live draft and aid the drafter in knowing what to expect. With the ability to run several mocks (against a computer) in just a few minutes, it is advisable to try different strategies. What is the effect of taking a quarterback in the second round? Well, you can find out very easily. What wide receivers are left if you take three running backs to start the draft? There are many more similar questions that are easy to find the answers. Trying these different strategies in a mock draft allows a drafter to see the consequences of the decisions. This is the best reason to do as many mock drafts as possible. The more mocks you do, the more comfortable you will be with the choices at each pick. Also, in many cases, the mock works as a worst case scenario for my leagues. When I am mocking against the computer (Draft Dominator or Footballhangout), the computer makes the best picks possible. But, in live local drafts, we all have that guy that takes a kicker in the fifth round. It is very comforting knowing that you have done plenty of mocks and have a game plan for your draft. It is important to remain flexible once the draft starts, but the mock allows the owner to know what to expect if there is a change in the plan. I try to run 40-50 mock drafts before each draft. Each of these mocks takes less than five minutes so it is not that time consuming. But, as with anything else, preparation is the key to success.
Good luck with your drafts this year, and mock away.