tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5851724015126518546.post5363994189808367173..comments2008-12-20T10:52:20.648-08:00Mastersballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770036727037908329noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5851724015126518546.post-50238747488305378502008-12-20T10:52:00.000-08:002008-12-20T10:52:00.000-08:00Most NFBC mock drafts have value though about 10 rounds. After that people bail and autopicks begin to skew selections and even the ADP that MDC provides. I tend to use the mocks to make sure my list formats/tiers have everything I need to draft and that they are easy to work with. After the list formatting is what I want, I begin to test how varying drafting ideas actually work out but again only for the first 10-15 rounds.mikeladd123http://openid.aol.com/mikeladd123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5851724015126518546.post-37906532690569077052008-12-20T07:30:00.000-08:002008-12-20T07:30:00.000-08:00As for value in mocking in general, it is very high and speaks to the popularity of Mock Draft Central and the great job Jason Pliml and Geoff stein do over there. For example, the NFBC allows you to rank your priorities for your first round pick. Many will do mocks to see which position they favor. And once they are assigned their pick, they mock from that spot. I have personally done mocks by taking Johan Santana in the first round to see how my offense turned out, stuff like that. As the real drafting season draws closer, one of the topics will surely be not to get too married to the inevitable average draft position rankings that will be available.Mastersball_Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11260633825136939529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5851724015126518546.post-16616690393586360132008-12-20T07:25:00.000-08:002008-12-20T07:25:00.000-08:00To be clear, I was referring to industry mocks. In industry mocks, there is limited trying of new strategies. However, with due respect to me brethren, many are not as versed in the art of drafting or the nuances of a shallow league. Many industry folk are better suited for the AL or NL only auction format. The analogy is not perfect, but not all tennis players are equally adept playing on clay and grass. Same name, different game. The primary faux pas made is jumping on "my guy" too early, at least if the draft is going to be played out. If you want to make sure you are the one to comment on the player, that's a different story. The point is, unless you are really in tune with current sense of value, it is likely you will take your guy too early. You may think a player will earn 3rd or 4th round value, but you can get him in the 7trh or 8th. The best play is probably the 5th or 6th, increasing your chance to get him while also earning profit.Mastersball_Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11260633825136939529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5851724015126518546.post-43040933051647299512008-12-20T07:10:00.000-08:002008-12-20T07:10:00.000-08:00I think it's also important to distinguish between the relative value of drafting with people you know in some way vs. drafting at a mock site where there is no way to judge the ability, even the effort, of those you're mocking with. Mocks can be extremely informative, unless of course you're drafting against a mix of autopicks, screwballs, and legit competitors.drapeshttp://drapes.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5851724015126518546.post-29659084426072150422008-12-20T06:48:00.000-08:002008-12-20T06:48:00.000-08:00Articles like this are why this will be a "must" site as soon as the word truly spreads. Glad to see you are back.mikeladd123http://openid.aol.com/mikeladd123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5851724015126518546.post-41511217849552026272008-12-19T21:06:00.000-08:002008-12-19T21:06:00.000-08:00Great post, Todd. Another factor in Mock Drafts that the non-drafters often miss is the experiment. I frequently use Mock Drafts to try out new strategy ideas and to gauge reactions to certain picks.Jon Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09950246479397747057noreply@blogger.com