Most Reliable Mock Draft?

[angels7777]

What would everyone consider to be the most reliable Mock Draft here at the Cafe?

[TheRock]

I would look instead at actual drafts. Many leagues are already drafting, many available to peruse here in the draft room forums. You can also watch live drafts on ESPN.

[Madison]

I don't consider any mock draft "reliable". Some are very good, but drafts are tough creatures to predict. You have to be able to change from your predraft strategy completely sometimes, as runs happen, people fall too far, and other things that can change your "plan". Handcuffing yourself to only one mock, one set of rankings, or whatever, isn't the best way to enter a draft. The more info you have and the more you know, the better prepared you will be and the easier it will be to shift gears and make the right picks come draft day.

[pokerplaya]

To me the idea of having a draft being "reliable" in the first place is inherently flawed. There cannot be a most reliable draft because each draft it its own entity. What may seem reliable through the law of averages, may turn out to be the least like your own draft.

Use mocks for what they are intended - a rough gauge of where players are going. You are definitely going to see deviations of a few rounds on certain players but that is the nature of the beast.

[josebach]

Use mocks for what they are intended - a rough gauge of where players are going. You are definitely going to see deviations of a few rounds on certain players but that is the nature of the beast.

It's the same thing with cheatsheets. You can only take what you're given. I had the 5th pick and didn't know who I would get, so my 2nd pick was going to completely depend on who my 1st pick was.

For example if I got Reyes in the 1st, my 2nd pick would be Carlos Lee or Hafner. I actually ended up with A-Rod in the first and was fortunate Crawford was still there for my 2nd pick.

This is why I think spending a ton of time on cheatsheets isn't necessary. Even if you like Tejada better than Hanley Ramirez, if your first two picks are HR/RBI guys, picking Hanley still might be the better move for your team. The draft should dictate to you what your team looks like.

[Ender]

Use mocks for what they are intended - a rough gauge of where players are going. You are definitely going to see deviations of a few rounds on certain players but that is the nature of the beast.

It's the same thing with cheatsheets. You can only take what you're given. I had the 5th pick and didn't know who I would get, so my 2nd pick was going to completely depend on who my 1st pick was.

For example if I got Reyes in the 1st, my 2nd pick would be Carlos Lee or Hafner. I actually ended up with A-Rod in the first and was fortunate Crawford was still there for my 2nd pick.

This is why I think spending a ton of time on cheatsheets isn't necessary. Even if you like Tejada better than Hanley Ramirez, if your first two picks are HR/RBI guys, picking Hanley still might be the better move for your team. The draft should dictate to you what your team looks like.

None of that makes cheatsheets useless. I build a cheatsheet where everyone is grouped in tiers by position. Its used primarily so I can quickly identify the depth at each position remaining on the board and is handy for identifying people who are dropping way too far.

I break it down to 1-3 round, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, 13-18, 19+ and then Late round fliers. Then I looked at ADP to identify players who will likely drop farther than on my list so I can let them slip an extra round or two before selecting them. This is for deep leagues not shallow Yahoo ones.

[josebach]

Use mocks for what they are intended - a rough gauge of where players are going. You are definitely going to see deviations of a few rounds on certain players but that is the nature of the beast.

It's the same thing with cheatsheets. You can only take what you're given. I had the 5th pick and didn't know who I would get, so my 2nd pick was going to completely depend on who my 1st pick was.

For example if I got Reyes in the 1st, my 2nd pick would be Carlos Lee or Hafner. I actually ended up with A-Rod in the first and was fortunate Crawford was still there for my 2nd pick.

This is why I think spending a ton of time on cheatsheets isn't necessary. Even if you like Tejada better than Hanley Ramirez, if your first two picks are HR/RBI guys, picking Hanley still might be the better move for your team. The draft should dictate to you what your team looks like.

None of that makes cheatsheets useless. I build a cheatsheet where everyone is grouped in tiers by position. Its used primarily so I can quickly identify the depth at each position remaining on the board and is handy for identifying people who are dropping way too far.

I break it down to 1-3 round, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, 13-18, 19+ and then Late round fliers. Then I looked at ADP to identify players who will likely drop farther than on my list so I can let them slip an extra round or two before selecting them. This is for deep leagues not shallow Yahoo ones.

I never said cheatsheets were useless. I use them. All I'm saying is your team's needs should override your cheatsheet. I just think if you really know the players, you don't need to spend a ton of time customizing... that's all.