Okay, so I’ve been getting really into the NFL lately, and with the draft coming up, I wanted to try my hand at predicting some picks. I heard about these mock draft simulators and figured, why not give it a shot? It sounded like a fun way to kill some time and, you know, maybe learn a little something along the way.
Finding a Simulator
First things first, I needed to find a simulator. I just did a quick search and a bunch popped up. Honestly, they all seemed pretty similar, so I just picked one that looked decent and had a clean interface. No need to overthink it, right?
Getting Started
Once I got the simulator loaded up, it was pretty straightforward. I selected the team I wanted to control – went with my hometown team, naturally. Then you have some choices. You could sim through the whole thing, pick for just your team, or, and this is what I did, control every single pick. I wanted the full experience, even if it meant making some probably terrible choices for other teams.
Making My Picks
- The first few rounds were intense! So many big names, so much pressure. I tried to balance team needs with the best player available, but honestly, it was mostly guesswork and gut feeling.
- I definitely made some questionable trades. At one point, I traded up like five spots for a wide receiver I really liked, even though I probably gave up too much. Oh well, live and learn.
- It got a little overwhelming in the later rounds. I started recognizing fewer and fewer names, and just kind of went with the flow. I figure that’s how it is for real GMs, too, right? Maybe?
The Results
After what felt like hours (it probably was a couple of hours), I finally finished! My team ended up with a pretty solid draft class, if I do say so myself. A couple of potential starters, some depth guys, and even a project quarterback I’m weirdly excited about.
Overall, it was a blast. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. It’s a fun way to engage with the draft and pretend you’re an NFL general manager, even if you’re just a regular person sitting on your couch. I’m definitely going to do it again, maybe try a different team next time. Or, heck, maybe I’ll just run it back with my team and see if I can top my first attempt!