Alright, folks, let’s dive into the messy but fun world of mock fantasy football drafts. I’ve been doing these for years, and trust me, they’re the best way to get ready for the real deal. No fancy software or anything, just good old-fashioned practice.
Getting Started
First things first, I rounded up some buddies. You can totally do this solo, but it’s way more realistic (and entertaining) with other people. We used a group chat to coordinate a time, nothing complicated. You can also do the draft itself in the group chat.
Then, the draft is beginning.
The Actual Mock Draft
- Pick Order: We determine draft order at random.
- Rounds: We decided on 15 rounds ,you can do more or less.
- The Picks: This is where it gets real. We took turns picking players, just like a real draft. When it was my turn, I’d announce my pick in the chat. For example, “With the 5th pick, I’m taking Christian McCaffrey.” And so on.
- Keeping Track: I used a simple piece of paper to write down my team as I went. You can get as fancy as you want here—spreadsheets, apps, whatever works. The main thing is to keep track of who you’ve “drafted.”
- Thinking It Through: This isn’t just about grabbing names. I was thinking about team needs, bye weeks, potential sleepers… all that good stuff. That’s the whole point of a mock draft, right? To try out different strategies.
My Big Takeaways
After a couple of these mock drafts, I started to see some patterns.
For example, I realized I was always waiting too long to grab a tight end.
So, in the next one, I snagged one earlier, and it totally changed my team’s balance.
That’s the beauty of mock drafts, my friends. You can make mistakes, try new things, and figure out your optimal strategy before the real draft happens. So, grab some friends, get mocking, and crush your league this year!