I would like to start by saying our draft expert, Mr. Nick Sortedahl, has generated a very realistic mock draft. There are plenty of other sites that draw up some serious baloney just to get your attention and that’s not the way we do things around here. In fact, I’m going to reveal how I create my own mock draft that will be posted within Nick’s picks in the next update.

Information is obviously the key component. If you are not informed on what you’re trying to analyze you cannot generate a realistic take on any subject, especially the NFL draft. There are millions that gather their information from one source and that’s usually a huge mistake. I start by reading each teams local newspaper to get a feel for who they’re interested in and who has had a private workout with the team. I then proceed with the following:

1 - Study all the players projected to go within the top 45 picks.

2 - If a highly touted pick is brought in for a visit by a team with a mid-round selection the odds are they’re playing games with either the media or teams with neighboring picks to drum up trade speculation or another hidden agenda.

3 - Local team beat writer’s are very well informed and they report several items that the national media never covers due to the larger scale audience.

4 - Each paper lists no less than three possible candidates that the team has had sincere interest in. Head Coaches are much more comfortable sharing small tidbits of info with local writer’s as opposed to national outlets.

5. - Run at least three (realistic) comparison mock drafts from various “experts”and identify whether or not the picks match-up with the information gathered from analyzing teams interests through their local news. Discard any that are nowhere near what you’ve learned to this point.

6 - Use your gut. Write a rough draft and review your own material. If you feel something doesn’t add up, you’re probably right and should make the necessary corrections.

7 - You must understand how there has been no one in the history of Mock Drafts to ever nail it 100%. Therefor, you must include a few changes that make sense to you because of the knowledge you attained through all your research. These would be your reach selections.

8 - Finally, look over your board with a fine-tooth-comb. You must be careful not to overanalyze your board otherwise you’ll fry your brain. That is something I’ve done to myself on many occasions.

Now that I’ve revealed the way I comprise my mock draft I’m sure I’ll be called out for something an anonymous individual calls ridiculous. I just want to be as up front as possible with my viewpoints and thought I would share my thought process. But please remember that I am not the resident draft expert. I’ll leave that title to Stick.

MJohnson@thenflunderground.com