Alright, so I wanted to get a jump on the upcoming NFL season and see what all the draft hype was about. I figured the best way to do that was to try and run my own mock draft. It sounds simple enough, but trust me, finding a good, free mock draft simulator isn’t as easy as you’d think!
Finding a Mock Draft Simulator
I started by, you guessed it, hitting up Google. I searched for “mock draft maker nfl” and a bunch of options popped up. I clicked on a few, and man, was it a mixed bag.
Some sites wanted me to sign up for an account immediately. Nope, not doing that before I even see if I like the tool. Others had interfaces that looked like they were designed back in the ’90s – clunky and not very user-friendly.
The First Attempts
I finally found a couple that looked promising and were free to use without signing up. I jumped right in, eager to start making picks. One of them was pretty basic. It let me pick for each team, but it didn’t give me much information about the players. I felt like I was flying blind!
The other simulator was a bit better. It had player rankings and some basic stats. It made the process a little easier, but it still felt lacking. I wanted something that would feel more like the real draft, you know, with trades and a bit more analysis.
Getting into the Draft
I trudged on, making picks based on what I knew about the teams and the players. It was tough! I realized quickly that I needed to do some more research if I wanted to make picks that made any sense. So, I opened up some other tabs and started looking at player profiles and team needs.
Making Some (Hopefully) Smart Picks
Armed with a little more knowledge, I went back to the simulator. I started thinking about team strategies, potential trades (even though the simulator didn’t support them, I could still pretend!), and trying to predict what other teams might do.
It got pretty involved. I spent a good chunk of time going back and forth, looking at different players, and trying to figure out the best fit for each team. It was actually kind of fun, even if it was a bit overwhelming at times.
My Final Mock Draft
Finally, I finished my mock draft. It’s probably not perfect, and I’m sure some of my picks will be way off, but it was a cool experience. It gave me a much better appreciation for how much work goes into the real NFL draft.
Lessons Learned:
- Finding a great, free mock draft simulator is harder than it looks.
- You need to know your stuff! Researching players and team needs is key.
- It’s a time commitment, but it’s a fun way to get into the draft spirit.
I will be finding a better draft simulator next time.