Draft Philosophy what are yours?? Armchair GM'S version..

[micnificent28]

I can’t state how much I hate the (bpa) philosophy. I mean to a degree I believe it but I like to add bpa within reason. Me I’m not taking Shaq Thompson when I have Thomas Davis and luke and have him ride the pine until the 5th year of his rookie contract. That’s a waste of money and first round pick. I’m not taking Vernon Butler to ride behind star and Kk. 

You don’t take guys just because there is depth there in the draft. If they can’t be starters within 1-2 years in the first round I don’t do it. 

[AU-panther]

1.  Don't fall in love with any player.  No matter how smart you think you are history tells us that you are going to be wrong more times than not in the draft.  Check your ego and play the odds.  

2.  Don't be afraid to trade down.  I personally think the "trade value chart" that teams pretty closely follow favors trading down.  Pure speculation on my part, haven't ran any analysis on it, but just speculation.  I don't think you are trading a quarter for two dimes.  I'm thinking it is more like a quarter for two 15 cent pieces.  Of course there are exceptions to this but it goes back to my first rule, chances are you are going to be wrong about the guy anyway. 

3.  I believe in tiers, for example at 16 there is a good chance the players left on our board will have roughly the same grade.  Perfect situation to trade down.  Picks are capital, that 3rd you pick up you might can use to move up in the second and draft a player in a higher tier then you would have at 47.

4.  If you do trade up make sure it is for a guy in the next tier.  Also if you give up a pick try to get a later one in return.  For example, if you are going to add your 4th to move up some in the second round with your 2nd pick try to get a seventh back.  I've noticed lately that some teams seem to make this a point, Patriots especially.  They might give up value but not overall number of picks.

5.  There is nothing wrong with drafting a backup.  Once you get past the 3rd round the chance of player becoming a quality starter is slim.  There is value in having a decent backup on a fixed cheap contract for 4 years, best case they improve over time.  That cheap vet really doesn't have upside.   Players like Mayo come to mind.  If you could keep 20 of your 53 players on rookie contracts at any given time you would be in good shape.

6.  First round picks are expensive, you have to factor that into your thinking.  Value is relative to what you get in free agency.  Hence the reason I would stick to high value positions when possible.  In the long run you don't have to be right as much with high value positions as cheaper positions.  They free up cap to fill other spots through free agency.  As a general rule I would look for QBs, OTs, Wrs, Edge rushers, and CBs early in the draft.  Everyone else in the middle rounds and backups and projects later.

7.  Grading players is only part of drafting well.  Understanding where players are going to be drafted and what other teams are gong to do is also important.  This lets you maximize value.  Something I don't think we have done extremely well the past 5-6 years.

8.  Don't fight the draft, this is where addressing needs in free agency is important.  If a class is heavy at a certain position take advantage of it.  If you can get a DT in the second round that would normally go in the first consider yourself lucky.  Conversely don't draft a OT with a 2nd round grade in the first just because of need and/or a weak class.

 

 

 

 

[Davidson Deac II]

I look at positions of need, (DL, OL, Safeties, lb) and then pick the best players available from those positions.  

[frash.exe]

fill your needs in FA before you go into the draft so that you don’t get influenced to reach bc you have a gaping hole that needs to be filled.

don’t depend on the draft for all your immediate impact players. this is what bad teams usually do. obviously you will be able to get day one starters in the top 30, but some positions have more of a learning curve than others.