bckey
All Pro
Excellent article written by Michael Lombardi at SI.com. It has some inside information on just how important mock drafts are for NFL teams. Tejas posted this on the Texans main board.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/nfl/specials/draft/2008/04/14/lombardi.mocks/index.html?eref=T1
Here is an excerpt:
While I was with the Raiders, the mock drafts were important data for us to research. We would assign someone to sort all the Mocks and keep tabs on where and when any player was projected to go in the first round.. We would tally the amount of times we saw each player in the first round and had a pretty good idea, come draft day, of when players might be picked.
But most important to me were the players who were not mentioned.
And here is another excerpt:
If the mock you're reading does not have six defensive linemen in the first round, stop reading it. Defensive linemen will go quickly. You have to work defensive and offensive linemen heavily in the first round.
After the 10th pick in the first round, it is all about how well you know what each team needs. Study the team needs and forget about the "Best Player Available" theory. It no longer applies. The draft today is so even in terms of talent that teams just pick to fill their needs. Put the player in the spot that fits those specific team needs.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/nfl/specials/draft/2008/04/14/lombardi.mocks/index.html?eref=T1
Here is an excerpt:
While I was with the Raiders, the mock drafts were important data for us to research. We would assign someone to sort all the Mocks and keep tabs on where and when any player was projected to go in the first round.. We would tally the amount of times we saw each player in the first round and had a pretty good idea, come draft day, of when players might be picked.
But most important to me were the players who were not mentioned.
And here is another excerpt:
If the mock you're reading does not have six defensive linemen in the first round, stop reading it. Defensive linemen will go quickly. You have to work defensive and offensive linemen heavily in the first round.
After the 10th pick in the first round, it is all about how well you know what each team needs. Study the team needs and forget about the "Best Player Available" theory. It no longer applies. The draft today is so even in terms of talent that teams just pick to fill their needs. Put the player in the spot that fits those specific team needs.