This is our last segment in the Draft Prep series this year. We will go over more specifics next week – lists! However, this last section is going over Mock Drafts.

What is a Mock Draft

Just to review, what is a Mock Draft. Well, it’s simple. Most sites that host your fantasy league have the option to draft teams against other people around the country online in a variety of formats. So, you should be able to find a very similar league to yours in terms of size and scoring format. Then, you can join a Mock Draft and draft a team that won’t count for the year, but you can go through an entire draft against others. The only caveat I would say here is that a lot of Mock Drafts will start normal, but then everyone goes Auto-Draft (where the top player on the ADP board will be selected automatically). So, be advised that Mock Drafts can be really quick if you are not paying attention.

Why Mock Draft?

I believe that exposure and practice make you better at anything in life. If you are able to do 10 Mock Drafts before your actual draft with friends, then you will be much more prepared than your league mates. That is the basic reason to do mock drafts. However, here are a few other key reasons to Mock it up.

  • Try Different Strategies – One of the cool things about Mock Drafts is you can select a different draft position each time. In some leagues, you may already know your draft position. In that case, then you can draft from that spot and try taking RB in the first 2 rounds one time and then WRs the next Mock Draft. You can review your team at the end and see which one you are more comfortable going to war with. This is the primary reason to Mock Draft.
  • Get used to being on the clock – Experienced fantasy players do not get rattled when on the clock of their actual drafts. However, if you only do one draft a year, then why not put yourself in a situation where you have to make a decision in 2 minutes. I find that doing Mock Drafts typically go even faster than Home Drafts do. So, it is even more pressure. You get tested on Queing up players you like before your pick. Then, you will practice selecting between very close players in a given round. Remember, we are going to destroy people in the middle and later rounds because our the system we have created. This practice on the clock is key to making the calm, correct decision on Draft Day.
  • Experience with ADP – As I’ve written, most sites will automatically load their site’s ADP into the Mock Draft. So, the draft will follow ADP for the most part, especially as people switch to Auto-Draft. For me, I have my own list and ideas, so I like to see how my list compares to ADP, in advance. Maybe I love a player, but he is going a full round later than I have him on my list. That is when I would wait and select someone else then let my guy fall to me – Value Based Drafting in practice. Doing Mock Drafts will help you identify opportunities like this even more. Your actual Home Draft may not be like the Mock, but people do crazy stuff in Drafts, and Mocking will help you to identify Value, for sure.
  • It’s Free!! – The last element of Mock Drafting is that there is no cost to do it. You can enter as many as you want, and it is free practice. So, if you are not mock drafting, then you are missing out an essential free tool offered by your site.

How to Approach a Mock Draft?

I suggest 3 rules when Mock Drafting:

  1. Have your list ready – Again, we are trying to get to a point that the Mock will reflect how you will Draft on Draft Day. So, be prepared with your analysis to compare to the ADP system in the Mock Draft.
  2. Choose your strategy upfront – Unlike Draft Day where you should let the Draft come to you, I suggest you go into a Mock Draft trying to test a particular strategy. For example, I’m going to wait on QB until really late or I’m going to go RB heavy. The Mock Draft is pretend, so push yourself in trying something different to see how it looks in the end. As you do more Mocks and get closer to actual Draft Day, then sure go in more open minded to your actual Draft Day approach. However, you are sharpening your own strategy as you Mock.
  3. Review Your Draft – The last thing I would suggest is that really assess how your Mock Draft worked out. Stack your team up against the other teams in the Mock. That way you can see if you like that strategy. Just like you will review your entire league, post-Draft, do the same in the Mock.

If you are struggling to find Mock Drafts on your site or your league is totally old school without a website or something. Here are a few sites you can use to Mock Draft:

CBS

http://mockdraft.1.football.cbssports.com/mockdraft/standard

ESPN

https://fantasy.espn.com/football/mockdraftlobby?ex_cid=FFL2019_RightRailMock

So, just to review.

In Part 1, we came up with our own system or list to use – putting players in tiers and ordering tiers based on projections and our own preference.

In Part 2, we reviewed a Draft Strategy building our team with RBs/WRs to start waiting on TE and QB, then taking some young upside guys later.

In Part 3, we are going to put our system to the test by Mock Drafting as much as you are able to test strategies and how to assess value against the site’s ADP.

With these complete, then you will be ready for Draft Day. Next Week, I’ll reveal my Draft List. Plus, I’ll identify players I like at each position based on their current ADP.

Have some fun with Mock Drafting, and then we will be primed and ready for real Drafts next week.

Wegs

About the author

I'm a 49 year old, twice divorced guy with a 20 year old. The blog has morphed a bit lately. Not just sports or dating, social commentary and now some stories from my past experience.