Plankton
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http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/03/21/...-deshaun-watson-pro-day-mike-williams-40-time
The draft is 37 days away, and already, 195 outlets have published mock drafts online. That’s according to letsgoredskins.com, a Commanders blog that, inexplicably, has been charting such data since 2001. That count doesn’t include spinoff posts—other media outlets literally reporting on the results of said simulations. It also doesn’t factor in repeat offenders. I, for example, have published two mocks. SB Nation’s Dan Kadar, whose Twitter handle is, aptly, @MockingTheDraft, has authored one every Monday since Nov. 28.
If any of this sounds outlandish, imagine how ESPN’s Mel Kiper assesses a modern landscape littered with mocks. The godfather of NFL draft coverage, Kiper produced his first mock draft in 1978, as a community college freshman. He sold 100 issues of his draft guide, then quit school. A few other draft publications, such as Pro Football Weekly, included mocks at the time—but Kiper willed the niche into mainstream.
“People talk more about the draft than NFL games,” Kiper says. “And how many people talk about the draft is through mock drafts.”
If the NFL draft is the most popular non-sporting event in sports, mock drafts are the primary vehicle for the hype. This is not an industry secret: no matter the time of year, no matter the author, mock drafts draw a huge audience.
“If I wrote a thoughtful piece about how we marginalize black quarterbacks in scouting, people would read it,” says Matt Miller of Bleacher Report. “But 10 times the amount of people might read my mock draft.”
Adds Todd McShay, Kiper’s ESPN teammate: “I’m always mildly surprised by how many people read these things. But I know I shouldn’t be.”
And NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah: “When I made the transition from scouting to the media, I learned to never read comments on anything I write. And for the love of god, never, ever read the comments on a mock draft.”
The question I’ve always wondered: Why do people care—and care so much—about mock drafts?
The draft is 37 days away, and already, 195 outlets have published mock drafts online. That’s according to letsgoredskins.com, a Commanders blog that, inexplicably, has been charting such data since 2001. That count doesn’t include spinoff posts—other media outlets literally reporting on the results of said simulations. It also doesn’t factor in repeat offenders. I, for example, have published two mocks. SB Nation’s Dan Kadar, whose Twitter handle is, aptly, @MockingTheDraft, has authored one every Monday since Nov. 28.
If any of this sounds outlandish, imagine how ESPN’s Mel Kiper assesses a modern landscape littered with mocks. The godfather of NFL draft coverage, Kiper produced his first mock draft in 1978, as a community college freshman. He sold 100 issues of his draft guide, then quit school. A few other draft publications, such as Pro Football Weekly, included mocks at the time—but Kiper willed the niche into mainstream.
“People talk more about the draft than NFL games,” Kiper says. “And how many people talk about the draft is through mock drafts.”
If the NFL draft is the most popular non-sporting event in sports, mock drafts are the primary vehicle for the hype. This is not an industry secret: no matter the time of year, no matter the author, mock drafts draw a huge audience.
“If I wrote a thoughtful piece about how we marginalize black quarterbacks in scouting, people would read it,” says Matt Miller of Bleacher Report. “But 10 times the amount of people might read my mock draft.”
Adds Todd McShay, Kiper’s ESPN teammate: “I’m always mildly surprised by how many people read these things. But I know I shouldn’t be.”
And NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah: “When I made the transition from scouting to the media, I learned to never read comments on anything I write. And for the love of god, never, ever read the comments on a mock draft.”
The question I’ve always wondered: Why do people care—and care so much—about mock drafts?
