The 2017-2018 NFL season may have just ended a little over a month ago, but it’s already time to start getting your hopes up for your team next season. It’s time for the NFL Draft! Every year, players get drafted with high expectations to turn around a franchise immediately. Fans, analysts, and media members speculate on “the sure things,” “the sleepers,” and “the busts” of the draft. Every aspect of the players’ lives are analyzed to determine if they will be the real deal or not.
There are so many factors that go into the success of any NFL player, and the rookies are no exception. General Managers (GMs) and owners sometimes lose their cool this time of year. The prospect of the unknown is so appealing to us that teams make rash decisions mortgaging their future to move up a few picks to get their guy. Others are too cautious and end up missing out on the player of their dreams. Sometimes, a player will fall into a team’s lap when they weren’t expecting it, and they get the steal of the draft. The draft is a time where successful franchises and smart leadership will solidify and elevate their teams, while chaotic franchises and shaky leadership can ruin all hope at success.
I am by no means an expert. The draft is so unpredictable every year. The experts put out multiple mock drafts every year and very rarely do they (I’ll just say it) guess what teams are going to do outside of the top three to five picks. And even rarer is predicting when a team is going to trade out of a pick and who will move up to take that slot. This is where I got the idea for my 2018 NFL Draft Challenge.
Everyone loves fantasy football. You are more invested with each game, Sundays become events with viewing parties, and most importantly, constant trash talk. I realized there is fantasy for the games, but not for the draft itself. I created a way for people to prove their knowledge and be the experts. You will have the opportunity to pick the team order and players selected in the first round of the draft, and hopefully throw some trash talk along the way. Team needs (according to NFL.com) and the top 100 prospects have been provided to help with your selections. Even though this is a Draft challenge, the winner will not be decided until the end of the season. Along with choosing the draft, there are three rookie awards handed out, and you will speculate who will win each award. This challenge is something I am very excied about. I think this will be a fun way to be more invested in the draft and get to know the next generation of NFL stars.
This is a beta test. I have never put something like this out before, but I would love to keep this going every year. Also, if this works, you may see an NBA Draft Challenge coming shortly after! Any feedback on the process and/or sheet itself would be more than appreciated. I can take the criticism, I promise.
If you would like to join the challenge, e-mail me at pardonmyrequest@gmail.com. Instructions and spreadsheet will be sent out to you. The draft is on April 26th. All sheets need to be turned in by midnight on Sunday, April 22nd. This will give you plenty of time to review and make the best guesses. Any trades that happen in the meantime are freebies, so don’t miss those! If you want more information, comment below and ask away! Or you can always e-mail me directly at pardonmyrequest@gmail.com.
Oh, and there will be a prize for the winner at the end of the season. It will be announced shortly.
Good luck and thanks for playing!
-Tyler
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