Why I love the draft.
by BigBlueIntervention on Apr 5, 2011 7:32 PM EDT
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PrintHey Guys,
Wanted to do something different. No analysis, or crazy mock drafts. Just wanted to share some thoughts about why I love to do what we do.
My friends call me crazy. A lot. They ask me why I spend so much time looking at college tape. So much time into looking at hundreds of different prospects, mocking them to different teams, and poring over thousands of different permutations. They wonder why I love the draft so much. They wonder why, when the best we can ever hope for is maybe, 10 or 15 right in the entire draft. They wonder why, when next year, we forget about half these guys and start the entire, somewhat fruitless process over again. I used to tell them, "Hell if I know!" and laugh it off. But after much introspection, I've found exactly why this is such a big hobby of mine.
I've never played any organized sports (unless countless pick up games of football count). I'm not a sports journalist or a scout for a team. I'm just a friggin' med student (with no time on my hands as it is), doing all this just because I've grown to love the game just that much.
I started really getting into the draft, 3 years ago. At the time, I took it to be a rather simple process, one without much complexity. Boy, was I wrong. I discovered MockingtheDraft, walterfootball, drafttek, and countless other scouting and draft sites 2 years ago, and that's when I realized the vast breadth and multilayered nature of the draft. The concepts of scouting, analyzing need and value, free agency, trades, team tendencies, etc., they were all so intricate, so fluid, and they combined with each other so beautifully, that when it came to the draft itself, everything just made sense. Every pick was like a puzzle piece. Every shocking pick was a mystery, and another clue into the insight of a particular team. The best part about it, is that it set the stage for next year's draft. So much time and energy coming into fruition in those three days.
When the actual season ends in February, there's always an emptiness that fills me up. There's always a little knot in my throat that comes up when my Giants (for better or for worse) end their season. Obviously, as the season is progressing, I'm looking into our projected needs, and watching as much college football as I can, for prospective draft picks. But when the season is done, that's when I hit it full force. I'm there, voraciously grabbing every bit of information possible. And this hunger gets larger and larger as the offseason wears on. I'm constantly refreshing rotoworld for new tidbits, or checking my twitterfeed for Adam Schefter's newest updates. I know that I'm not the only one that feels this way, and as we approach draft day, the excitement (or anxiety) is palpable, as everything reaches a fever pitch.
The reason behind all of this, I've found, can relate back to probably the most refined human emotion there is: hope. Hope drives everything I do. It drives the countless hours devoted to making mock drafts. It's what drives me to watch a bunch of sweaty dudes in skin tight clothing run around at the Combine. It's what leads to spirited debates, not only with fans of other teams, but even with fans of my own team. It's hope that next season will bring forth the same feeling that Green Bay fans are feeling right now. It's hope that this draft pick will be the final piece to that puzzle. This hope is important, it gives us all something passionate to discuss, especially this offseason, where the only other emotion I've experienced is disgust in regards to this lockout bullshit. And I just think that its incredible that this hope gets transformed during the actuall draft, whether its ecstasy at "your" guy getting picked by your team, or anger at him being picked up by another (damn you raiders for getting Rolando McClain!).
Ultimately its this hope that makes me enjoy being a so-called draftnik so much. So now I ask you crazy fools the same question my friends always ask me. Why the hell do you like the draft so much?
If it's deemed spam, it gets deleted.
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I love the draft because it means about 2 new pro bowl players for the Ravens!
Real G's move in silence like lasagna
by Mr MaLoR on Apr 5, 2011 7:55 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
cheers Malor, Ozzie knows how to pick 'em
"I may be drunk, miss, but in the morning, I will be sober and you will still be ugly."
-Winston Churchill
by BigBlueIntervention on Apr 5, 2011 8:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Yup. Actually I love the draft because I get to discuss with a bunch of bums on this site about why Juice Williams rules all living things.
Can’t believe I have actually turned down plans with people on Friday and Saturday nights to do live mock drafts with you all……damn you all!
Real G's move in silence like lasagna
I love the draft because of Mike Tannebaum making moves and landing great players. I’m looking at you, Darrelle Revis, David Harris, Leon Washington, Mark Sanchez, and Brad Smith!!!!!!
I remember when you guys got Revis
It was like 3 spots away from when we were picking, smh
"I may be drunk, miss, but in the morning, I will be sober and you will still be ugly."
-Winston Churchill
by BigBlueIntervention on Apr 5, 2011 8:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Has he ever traded down?
TheSouthWing.com - A Magazine of essays, prose and poems
Sanchez?
Kellen Moore is awesome
Katie Mcgrath is our savior
my dog <3
by manraj7 on Apr 6, 2011 12:35 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Sanchez as in he is a "great" player.
You could even argue that he isn’t even a good player.
Kellen Moore is awesome
Katie Mcgrath is our savior
my dog <3
by manraj7 on Apr 6, 2011 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
I could argue that Kellen Moore is not awsome : )
Real G's move in silence like lasagna
by Mr MaLoR on Apr 7, 2011 1:07 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Because I will destroy you.
With the power of Kellen Moore besides me I will dominate the world.
Kellen Moore is awesome
Katie Mcgrath is our savior
my dog <3
Sanchez?
Kellen Moore is awesome
Katie Mcgrath is our savior
my dog <3
by manraj7 on Apr 7, 2011 3:51 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Or Flacco?
Kellen Moore is awesome
Katie Mcgrath is our savior
my dog <3
by manraj7 on Apr 7, 2011 3:51 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Don't compare anyone to Joe
I’m sorry not even Peyton Manning + Tom Brad is better than Joe.
Kellen Moore is awesome
Katie Mcgrath is our savior
my dog <3
Flacco is nothing like Montana. Not the same type of QB.
Yes, that is Kyle Kuric
by TheRealSlimShady on Apr 10, 2011 9:41 PM EDT up reply actions
I remember getting into the draft heavy in 1995.
I was 15 and there was no internet, Al Gore hadn’t invented it just yet, so I had to at first rely on the New York Daily News and the dreaded New York Post for my football news. Then while walking past a news stand one day, I saw a paper called Pro Football Weekly and decided to buy it. That day changed the rest of my life as far as football was concerned. It introduced me to news about the whole league! It also introduced me to the Pro Football Weekly Draft Preview and its top guy Joel Buchsbaum who still to this day is thee best scout of talent that I have ever known. Since that fateful day at that newsstand on 40th street between 5th and 6th Ave. in NYC, I have become a complete junkie. Thank you.
by Robin's-meats-and-vegetables on Apr 5, 2011 8:36 PM EDT reply actions
I started in a similar fashion, except it was none other than Mel Kiper that got me intrigued
started watching the draft, idk, maybe 5 years ago, and always wondered “how the eff does he know who’s good and who isn’t?” And I finally started to answering those questions myself. It’s pretty crazy
"I may be drunk, miss, but in the morning, I will be sober and you will still be ugly."
-Winston Churchill
by BigBlueIntervention on Apr 5, 2011 9:01 PM EDT up reply actions
im pretty sure there was an internet in 95
you just had to access it on a 1200 baud modem. Ah, the good old days.
touche
"We feel very strongly that our best policy is to draft the best player. This isn't fantasy football." - Ted Thompson
by Steve_Chiefs on Apr 12, 2011 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Well said BigBlueIntervention
I can really relate. I got in to the draft big time starting in the 2008 offseason. Colts fans (like myself) I feel are always a little more in tune and hyped about the draft just because we know that’s the likely source for change on our team. We don’t (typically) really participate in Free Agency, there’s not a lot of roster or coaching change but we can alway count on Polian surprising us and often looking like a genius way after the fact.
There is no NFL offseason because of the draft.
absolutely....i've come to realize that as the years have gone on
the insane amount of speculation is almost as fun as the game itself
"I may be drunk, miss, but in the morning, I will be sober and you will still be ugly."
-Winston Churchill
by BigBlueIntervention on Apr 6, 2011 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions
You are a med student? I want to be a doctor too. Applying in 2013. Sorry I just got really excited that there is another premed/med student on this board.
Kellen Moore is awesome
Katie Mcgrath is our savior
my dog <3
i'm sure there's a bunch of peeps in the healthcare profession here
It’s awesome in so many ways, but the amount of work ya gotta do blows hard haha.
"I may be drunk, miss, but in the morning, I will be sober and you will still be ugly."
-Winston Churchill
by BigBlueIntervention on Apr 6, 2011 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Got any advice for a hopeful med student?
Kellen Moore is awesome
Katie Mcgrath is our savior
my dog <3
Switch to anything else
If you reply to a comment/post/fanshot of mine, I will more likely then not respond to it, unless you come off like a d-bag.
yup
"I may be drunk, miss, but in the morning, I will be sober and you will still be ugly."
-Winston Churchill
by BigBlueIntervention on Apr 6, 2011 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions
the biggest quality necessary is perseverance, in more or less, everything
Because shit gets tough at times. Much like your perseverance in believing Peterson is going to the 49ers.
"I may be drunk, miss, but in the morning, I will be sober and you will still be ugly."
-Winston Churchill
by BigBlueIntervention on Apr 6, 2011 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree with the concept of hope
I think that’s why the draft is so interesting for fans, it gives you a chance to get a beast player for years to come, and hopefully they become the piece to the cog that is a SB contender.
I’ve always thought of it as Xmas. You wait and wait and when your team’s pick is announced by the commish its like opening a present when your a kid.
If you reply to a comment/post/fanshot of mine, I will more likely then not respond to it, unless you come off like a d-bag.
O and I think comparing the NFL drafts to others
is that these guys will more likely play early then anyother sport’s drafts. These guys are coming out at the ripe age of 21-22, and are men who are ready to play. In baseball your draft pick likely won’t surface to the pros for a couple years, and in basketball rarely do rooks play a lot unless there a top pick.
If you reply to a comment/post/fanshot of mine, I will more likely then not respond to it, unless you come off like a d-bag.
I love the NFL, but love college football more, I am like a matchmaker ;^)
I have favorite teams, but I like to watch alot of college teams, not just one or two, and when I watch, I often am looking for which players I would want for my team
I love the Draft so much
Because the idea of learning, really, actually learning the game/teams needs as opposed to being told who’s great , who’s not and whether the guy is a 0,1 shade, 3, OR 5-technique on defense. Is the lastest WR being discussed a dynamically exploisive player or is a more of intermediate possession type? Can this Guard prospect I like operate in space and be effective in the G- Power running game? Who’s the next Ed Reed for the Ravens?
The thing that I really the most though is the this wonderful forum we have. For the most part, it is an honest and open dialog with fans that know more than I do here on SB Nation. I tell ya’, it’s almost better than chicken!
by Ravens One on Apr 5, 2011 10:41 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
rec
"We feel very strongly that our best policy is to draft the best player. This isn't fantasy football." - Ted Thompson
by Steve_Chiefs on Apr 10, 2011 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions
As a Lions fan the draft has been our Super Bowl for the last decade or so.
It is the hope that this year, finally this year, the Lions will get the players that will make a difference.
In retrospect, we should have been hoping for a relatively large piece of space debris to land on Matt Millen. If there is one thing I have learned from Millen, it is that you absolutely must have intelligent and hard working people in the front office, scouting, and coaching groups or your team is screwed.
A great player or two cannot overcome that handicap.
"I read one article, I said, 'This guy doesn't know what he's talking about,' " Mayhew said. "Then I read another one, and I thought, 'Wait a minute, they're all saying the same thing.' -Martin Mayhew 2011 regarding Draft Gurus.
Oh, and I really believe we have that now, thanks to Martin Mayhew and Jim Schwartz.
"I read one article, I said, 'This guy doesn't know what he's talking about,' " Mayhew said. "Then I read another one, and I thought, 'Wait a minute, they're all saying the same thing.' -Martin Mayhew 2011 regarding Draft Gurus.
I’m a huge Ravens fan, but an even greater fan of Football in general. I love the game at all levels and it’s great to take in depth looks at the future stars and try to guess who’s going to be better and who your team is going to pick. There is so much mystery come draft time and that’s why I love it.
why i love the draft
lots of reasons come to mind . i have lived in ireland all my life and never set foot on US soil . i have seen 1 live game in all my life and as a jets fan it kills me to say it was the pats v TB in london . i started watchin football back in the early 80’s when it first came on irish tv and fell in love with the game . i remember those o’brien v marino showdowns so well . but when the season finished it was done till the start of the next . i got the internet a few years back and all that changed . my first draft was the year we got sanchez and his reaction b4 his name was called was something i will always remember . i was hooked there and then .
i love chatting ( fighting ) with all fans wheather they are knowelable or not and it makes me feel like i am part of a very special club . reading mocks , reading blogs, watchin youtube (no college ball shown in ireland) to find the next guy that will fit perfectly into a jet team .
i always felt growing up that i was never a real fan because i lived in ireland but talking , mocking etc about the draft makes me feel like one of the guys . (like i’m sittin in a bar in jersey )lol
football is what we love , its what we do , its what makes us fanaticle, its what makes us fans.
by tinley24 on Apr 7, 2011 1:56 PM EDT reply actions 5 recs
This is why the lockout must end.
"My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them."-Winston Churchill
bang on
I’m from the UK too.
If it weren’t for the community on sites like this I don’t think I’d feel like a fan.
I sort of abandoned football for the parity of the NFL, and as a Rams fan, tasting success was a nice switch (in a sadistic way I guess) from expecting a win.
Sites like TST and then all the extra draft stuff really affirms my connection with my team, despite the fact I’ve never been to St. Louis or even seen a live game in the flesh.
I will pilgrimage to STL and watch a home game (hopefully vs the 9ers or Seahawks) and I will go to the open training sessions and take as many pictures with my heroes. Someone like Sam who you back through college and the pre draft stuff becoming the face of your favourite team is an immense feeling and to get his photo and autograph etc. would be so great.
It’s also great to know that I’ll have a community to share this photo with, maybe even possibly meet one or two of my fellow Ram fans etc. which will be fantastic.
The draft is just an extension of my fandom :D
Bradford to Onobun!
by Infemous on Apr 10, 2011 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
same here man
I got really into about 3-4 years ago, last year I actually started doing my own research and scouting from the material available on the net
I had my best draft moment as a Cowboys fan last year, well when we drafted Ware I was really happy then because I thought he was a steal and he was
last year I got my favorite player, I was a huge Dez Bryant fan and i knew he wouldnt fall to us at 27 but he did and we traded up for him
awesome night man
I watched the draft with my boy who is a Giants fan and I said yeah man you’ll get Rolando McClain dont worry
I didnt see the Raiders taking him at all that was nuts, I thought they were gonna take my guy actually Dez Bryant
I felt sooo bad for my friends that are Giants fans ( I live in NY) but JPP is a freak of a athlete and its a high reward high risk pick, you could have a great player
I just think my boy was sick of drafting DL every year, cant blame him
by Archie Barberio on Apr 9, 2011 11:15 AM EDT reply actions
I don't know why I'm a draftnik
I guess it’s because I’m a chronic proscastrinator and there IS SOOO MUCH to read about the draft.
I’ve been big into analysis for 2 years now and like you I thought it was oh so simple, but discovering things about each prospect and team is a lot of fun.
I find though that I like to be right. Being informed is the best way to be right, and when I see a prospect I like, I like to root for him all the way (Kyle Wilson still has my backing!) and a prospect I don’t like, I’d like to see prove me wrong, but I wouldn’t mind him proving me right… much like Tim Tebow is… hehe.
So for me it’s just another game, a refining of instincts and testing your judgment. Sometimes it’s not always about the tape, it’s about personality.
I find the amount of emphasis on character fascinating. It’s this opportunity to have an insight into such a weird and wonderful world and to possibly know something about it that you can share with other people on sites like MTD and TST that give me the enjoyment.
Without the community and this massive world of other nutters who spend more time than me on this shit I wouldn’t bother. So thanks to all you dedicated crazy folk who are infected with the same bug as I am, you make me happy to be weird lol
Bradford to Onobun!
A Meat Puzzle
I love puzzles and the Draft is like Sudduko, Logic Puzzles. math Puzzles all wrapped into the Game I love to watch.
Plus there are NO wrong answers :)
rec BBI
"We feel very strongly that our best policy is to draft the best player. This isn't fantasy football." - Ted Thompson
Why you ask?
The analysis, drama, need vs BPA… it’s all a puzzle. I love that it fills up my time after the superbowl (or rather after the Giants season is over. haha). I love the competitiveness in mocks.
Most of all I agree with you. The hope. Hope for your team to find the next Adrian Peterson, Darrel Revis, or Peyton Manning. Players are what drive the league. Not owners or teams. The NFL in its most basic form is just a group of awesome players. That’s why we all love the draft.
Love your whole article. Now, if I can just explain this to my wife… haha.
Good article
I fell in love with the draft when I was in high school. It’s easily my favorite time of the year. I love looking at everyone’s mock drafts and make a million of them myself. I buy numerous draft publications and it’s definately an event in my home that I really look forward to every year.
Proud fan of Pittsburgh's professional sports teams and the Pirates too.
by Black&GoldTrain on Apr 12, 2011 6:44 PM EDT reply actions
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