Over the years I have learned that I can actually enjoy the NFL draft without angst, anxiety or anger. Its been a process but one I have enjoyed the last few years. I no longer get upset about who they picked and why and screaming at my TV. So here are my tips to enjoy the NFL Draft.
1) Understanding " the draft board "
Number one rule. Mel Kiper doesnt have a draft board. Neither does Todd McShay, Daniel Jeremiah or anyone else. They have lists of players from top to bottom they rank. Thats not a draft board and thats not how teams tend to rank players.
From what I understand and what I have read teams and in particular assign grades to players (very much like Sy'56 ) assigns grades. They they have players in rows and ranks.
So you might have one player in the top row.. Like a Trevor Lawrence. He might be in a row by himself say if he has a grade of 90. Then in the NEXT row you might have several players lumped together with 85s.. and so on and so on.
So you could have several players a team likes grouped together and would be happy with any of them. Some might carry more weight based need and position. Teams dont rank 1-50.
So basically the GIANTS draft board is their own. Based on how THEY grade players by traits, position, talent. projection, need etc etc.
Its a fallacy to say.. " this player wasnt that high on ANYONE's draft board.. one because no one knows. Teams to share draft boards and media people dont know a teams draft board.
2) The " this player is rising up the draft boards "... As I understand it as it was said by one prominent draft person
( I think it was Daniel Jeremiah ). what that really means is that media people are getting more accurate up to date information than they previously had& gt; Its not that the player is " RISING ", its that the information is more convergent and correct. They are getting more information on player visits, who is meeting with who, which GMs and coaches were seen @ pro days etc etc..
3) Its lying season.. this one we should all know. Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear this time of year.
4) A draft isnt just about the upcoming year. Its about the subsequent years. Who could be a free agent in the next season or two. Who hasnt panned out the way they thought they would from previous drafts? A draft is never about what they just need NOW.. but what they can use down the line as well.
5) Try to understand WHY your team made the decision they did. Why did they draft player X or Y. How does that player fit their scheme. Also not just how they will use THAT player but how that player affects the OTHERS around him. Football is a team sport. How does that choice mesh with and potentially improve the team?
6)Try and learn more about the VARIOUS targets your team might be interested in. This helps to understand the " WHY " mentioned above as well.
7) You don't know more than the teams do. You just don't. Accept it. Your a fan. You can criticize, complain, complement. That's your right as a fan. But you don't know as much as the teams do.
8) Once that player is picked.. he is a member of your team. root for them to have as MUCH success as possible. because that only helps the team
9) The " TRADE DOWN " Mantra. Two things need to happen.. When Teams look to trade down, from what I have understood there usually are several players within an area that they like, so they feel that they can trade down and still acquire a player and extra picks.
Teams dont just trade down to just acquire picks. Fans tend to want to treat the draft like a raffle and think the more tickets you have, the more chances to win.. Its also more chances to miss as well. Teams spend too much money on draft research to just start gambling with picks.
So they will look to trade down, if they feel they can still acquire certain players in an area.
AND someone has to WANT to trade up. and thats also the key. Who wants to trade up? Whats it going to cost.. How FAR is the other team willing to trade down.. whats the compensation? All these things are a factor.
10) Lastly.. ENJOY IT !!!! it happens ONCE a year. !!!!
1001
And let’s give it it’s own special bump to reiterate the point
“7) You don't know more than the teams do. You just don't. Accept it. Your a fan. You can criticize, complain, complement. That's your right as a fan. But you don't know as much as the teams do.”
This is true and this is why people need to keep perspective that a highlights don't include the negative plays and don't show the holes in a players' game. That said, some guys highlights stand out more than others, it does give us a look at the player, and it's all we have to go on besides trying to watch every game played, which is impossible. For a guy that doesn't watch a whole lot of college ball these highlight videos are gold, but I did learn over the years that anyone can put together a tape that makes them look like the real deal.
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least favorite part of draft day is fans shouting how moronic the team is with their 6th-round draft pick.
The amount of stupid from last draft was the worst I've ever seen. People absolutely killed the Giants with a straight face because they didn't draft Biadsz in the 3rd and 4th rounds...like it was pure negligance.
Mind you, most of these people never watched an NCAA game in their lives and formed opinions based on a few articles the week before the draft. It's insufferable.
This brings up another important one - and thank you for calling out the Biadasz fiasco fron last year! That is:
- Not only does the team have a better read on the draftees than you do, but they also have a much better read on the players currently under contract! Last year, while most of us were clamoring for a Center, the Giants felt good about Gates - and it turns out they were right.
As we enter the draft this year, I’m proactively keeping an open mind about the interior OL - perhaps they do feel like they have something among Slade / Murphy, or feel strongly that Hernandez will bounce back or that Lemieux will fully settle. They know this situation infinitely more intimately than I do.
All that being said, questioning the team’s wisdom is certainly fair - it’s just that they may not perceive the same holes as outsiders do
My least favorite is the lemmings blindly loving every Giants pick in real time when the organization hasn’t put a quality draft together top to bottom in 13 years.
"7) You don't know more than the teams do. You just don't. Accept it. Your a fan. You can criticize, complain, complement. That's your right as a fan. But you don't know as much as the teams do."
; )
Don't get enamored with a single player for the Giants first pick. It is unlikely that will be the player they select and you will be disappointed in whoever they do pick as a result.
The only thing that can accurately be rated the next day is the predictors of when players were drafted and the way individual teams went. This has the inherently correct assumptions that the team professionals know more.
Things are backwards to me.
I guess its because I havent seen anything egregious yet, like Cedric Jones, Thomas Lewis or Derek Brown. But since 2000 when I REALLY started following draft prospects, Ive enjoyed it always. Even Eli Apple. Lol.
See #9
We probably need to seriously stay away from BBI on draft days.
Don't get enamored with a single player for the Giants first pick. It is unlikely that will be the player they select and you will be disappointed in whoever they do pick as a result.
#12
Some fans put a lot of effort into understanding and evaluating the draft. If the team passes on a player they wanted, let them rant, it s what they do.
I don’t think your solid points will dissuade them.
Facts !!!
Some fans put a lot of effort into understanding and evaluating the draft. If the team passes on a player they wanted, let them rant, it s what they do.
I don’t think your solid points will dissuade them.
7) You don't know more than the teams do. You just don't. Accept it. Your a fan. You can criticize, complain, complement. That's your right as a fan. But you don't know as much as the teams do.
Plus, I read Sy’s reports and about 34 mock draft threads. I also skimmed articles by Top Men like Mel Kiper Jr., and his hair is full bodied AND slicked back so even though he’s not been to a practice, seen the current roster, or built an NFL roster, he’s an expert! I know because he has done so many mock drafts each year that he predicted every player to go to every team at least once. And all the other experts pretty much agree, and there’s no way they would “herd” to have consensus so they’re not out on a limb, that would be unethical!
Plus, I played high school football where we ran the Delaware Wing T in the 80s, so I’m well versed in the subtleties of the mechanics for each position in football at the highest levels. But I also skimmed pro day results, and know the massive impact .00045 Sec. in the 12 cone drill can have in the NFL. Not to mention the insanity of drafting a guy whose arms are 33 3/4” long not 33 7/8”.
Did I mention my almost 40 min. of player produced highlights on YouTube? Did you even HEAR the heavy metal and hip hop music behind the highlights? Did you see that some plays were repeated in slo-mo? That’s slow motion! You think that’s easy to do? Any my drinking throughout them only heightened my insights.
In short, my experience puts me in position to be highly critical of not just the Giants, but all teams, scouts, players, and the football industrial complex. When I throw my remote, I put it on the numbers!
Yeah, but there are seven Goddamned rounds, buddy!
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The games don’t start until week 1, we shouldn’t be excited for who we draft until they play? Being salty about a pick doesn’t make you a smarter or better fan. How dumb is it to scream “stupid pick” when you’ve never even watched the guy play yet?
UConn, I get your point, but I do feel similarly to Will: because being salty is no worse that putting on the rose colored glasses as every pick: putting a finer point on it, Giants' drafting over the past 9 years or so has been so poor, or sub-optimal if you choose, that praising the litter to the stars has been so wrong, so I'm conditioned to be skeptical.
I’d bet money that the majority of NFL fan bases have a sense of this ‘my team sucks at drafting’ feeing - which indicates is more the nature of the beast, rather than individual shortcomings.
This actually should be #1 !!!
#2) Tie your remote to a cord, so it does not smash your $2,000 new 4K TV when you throw it after one of the choices. Your wallet will thank you later
#3) Do not get aggravated when ESPN goes to commercial just as the Giants are picking, and then don't show highlights because the next team has picked after they come back. This is a rule set by ESPN years ago. And yes, it only applies to the Giants ;)
#4) Do not complain about learning about picks before teams get to the podium if you're reading BBI. There's always someone on the thread who spoils it. And to be realistic, who cares??? However, we get game day fights over this every year. Best to avoid BBI if you're triggered.
#5) The Hamster will die as the Giants are picking. Eric and company have done heroic jobs over the years trying to prepare for the traffic, but you get the equivalent of a MASSIVE DDOS as everyone is refreshing 4 times a second when this happens.
Be patient. And refer to Rule #1 above.
The coverage is obscenely bloated with the most horrible crap in order to spread the content over three days. I find it unwatchable and the irritation I feel over being subjected to all the empty babble, the treacly-sweet profiles, the coach-speak from each team after their pick, etc is guaranteed to reduce my enjoyment no matter who my team picks.
I set the browser to BBI and get my draft coverage here. Looking forward to it again this year.
The good teams around the league have had one or more drafts where they hit on multiple players — Moreso than the rest of the league. That’s a huge edge and pays big dividends down the road in a variety of ways.
No one is asking for a homerun at every pick. The goal should be to come away with more quality players than everyone else. If the top drafting team got 2 quality players, get 3. If if’s 4, get 5. That’s how they’re going to sustain success.
And yes, the last quality draft top to bottom was 07. Hitting on 1-2 players hasn’t been a successful draft by league standards, and most of those years they’ve been lucky to even get 1. The last few years are TBD but early returns haven’t been great.
article revealing all the names that could be deciphered (which was most of them) - ( New Window )
Other photos and closer inspection revealed most of their rankings in the link below...
Cowboys 2013 draft board leaked: all seven rounds - ( New Window )
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11) Have alcoholic beverages present.
This actually should be #1 !!!
#2) Tie your remote to a cord, so it does not smash your $2,000 new 4K TV when you throw it after one of the choices. Your wallet will thank you later
#3) Do not get aggravated when ESPN goes to commercial just as the Giants are picking, and then don't show highlights because the next team has picked after they come back. This is a rule set by ESPN years ago. And yes, it only applies to the Giants ;)
#4) Do not complain about learning about picks before teams get to the podium if you're reading BBI. There's always someone on the thread who spoils it. And to be realistic, who cares??? However, we get game day fights over this every year. Best to avoid BBI if you're triggered.
#5) The Hamster will die as the Giants are picking. Eric and company have done heroic jobs over the years trying to prepare for the traffic, but you get the equivalent of a MASSIVE DDOS as everyone is refreshing 4 times a second when this happens.
Be patient. And refer to Rule #1 above.
Alcohol honestly helps here....either way, I am laughing. That we got a great pick and hooray for the future, or that I get to watch Anak have a public heart attack as the rest of BBI takes their time bringing a virtual defibrillator to his seizing feame.
Yea I got dark there.
Yeah throwing temper tantrums rarely makes sense because you never know. I watch college football a lot and generally just have a bucket of guys I'd like to avoid with the premium picks. If they take them (ala Apple) I'll be disappointed, but hope for the best because they are a Giant now. The ones that throw conniption fits over midround picks have the emotional and mental intelligence of children. Guys talk about 4th round picks here like it's a 50/50 chance they are become a solid starter. It's more like a 25 % chance they even become a starter at all, even a marginal one, at that point.