Alright, so I decided to dive into Daniel Jeremiah’s mock draft for 2022 and see what all the fuss was about. You know, get my armchair GM on.
First thing I did was pull up the draft. Read through DJ’s picks, and right away I started jotting down notes. Who he had going where, any surprises, and most importantly, where my team should be looking.
Next up, I decided to compare his mock to a couple of others I’d seen floating around. It’s always good to get a range of opinions, see where things line up, and where they totally diverge. Made a little table in my notes app, just listing the top 10 or so picks from each mock and highlighted any major differences. This part was kinda fun, felt like a real scout!
Then, I dove into some player profiles. DJ mentioned a couple of guys I wasn’t super familiar with, so I hopped over to some scouting reports and highlight reels. Spent a good hour or two just watching tape, getting a feel for their strengths and weaknesses. You can really get lost in that rabbit hole.
After that, I started thinking about team needs. My team has some glaring holes on defense, so I focused on the defensive players DJ had mocked in the first round. Which ones would be a good fit, scheme-wise? Which ones had the potential to be impact players right away?
Now, here’s where it gets a little more “hands-on.” I tried my hand at re-mocking the first round, but with my own team in mind. Took DJ’s draft as a baseline, but made some adjustments based on my own assessment of player value and team needs. Ended up with a completely different outcome, which was pretty interesting.
Finally, I sat back and just thought about the whole process. Wrote down some final thoughts on DJ’s mock, where I agreed with him, where I disagreed, and what I learned from the exercise. It’s all about gaining a deeper understanding of the draft process and player evaluation.
Overall, it was a pretty cool way to spend an afternoon. Definitely got a better handle on the prospects and the potential draft scenarios. Plus, it’s always fun to argue with the experts, even if it’s just in my head.
