RADIO
NFL Draft Overview
Every year, the NFL Draft is one of the most exciting events in all of sports. Following free agency, all 32 teams have a chance to bring in young standout players on rookie contracts, and the franchises that perform best in the draft are consistently among the top teams in the league. Trades and free-agent signings are always fun, but building through the draft has always been the way to sustain excellence.
Landing a franchise-changing quarterback early in the draft has been a proven path to success, but beefing up an offensive or defensive line is also an effective strategy.
However, many drafts are won in the later rounds, where teams can land diamonds in the rough, who sometimes go on to be All-Pro players. These players are paid significantly less than early-round picks during their rookie contracts, meaning a franchise gets a stud performer without tying up a huge chunk of change. The NFL Draft was, is, and will always be about value.
How Does The NFL Draft Work?
The NFL Draft is held over three days, beginning with Round 1 on Thursday. Rounds 2 and 3 are held on Friday, and Rounds 4, 5, 6, and 7 all take place on Saturday.
The team with the worst record holds the rights to the No. 1 overall selection and the first pick in each round, while the Super Bowl Champion holds the No. 32 overall pick and picks near the end of each round. Teams are free to trade their draft picks, though, so the order won’t be the same from start to finish.
The NFL also rewards compensatory picks to teams that lost players through free agency or assistant coaches, meaning there are more than 32 picks in the later rounds.
NFL Mock Draft Simulator
Fans aren’t always happy with the players their favorite team drafts. In this Mock Draft Simulator tool, you can take the reins of as many teams as you choose and run the draft in your vision. Take on the role of an NFL general manager and fill your team’s needs. Users can select any number of rounds to participate in, and as long as a CPU-controlled team doesn’t select a player you want, you are free to pick anyone!
Our Mock Draft Simulator provides a list of team needs for all 32 franchises, and when you are on the clock, it will suggest who to pick based on your top team need. However, users have free rein to make any selections they’d like. Do you want to pick seven quarterbacks for fun? How about seven players from your favorite college team? Want to go all offense or all defense? Go ahead! The choice is yours!
Our simulator will provide grades for each pick, and when your draft is complete, you will be given an overall draft grade.
Some drafters will pick the players they want for their team, while others attempt to “beat the experts” by predicting what will happen. Do you think you can generate a more accurate mock draft than big-time analysts like Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, Daniel Jeremiah, and Peter Schrager? Now’s your chance to put that to the test!
There is no wrong way to draft when using the simulator. Aim for accuracy or create a draft with shocking selections and blockbuster picks.
How To Set up the Mock Draft Simulator
To get things started, select which team(s) you would like to draft for. You can draft for your favorite team, two of your favorite teams, an entire division or conference, or even the entire NFL.
List of NFL Teams
- Arizona Cardinals
- Atlanta Falcons
- Baltimore Ravens
- Buffalo Bills
- Carolina Panthers
- Chicago Bears
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Dallas Cowboys
- Denver Broncos
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Los Angeles Rams
- Miami Dolphins
- Minnesota Vikings
- New England Patriots
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Giants
- New York Jets
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Tennessee Titans
- Washington Commanders
After making your team(s) selection, choose how many rounds you want your draft to be:
Options of Rounds
- 1 Round
- 2 Rounds
- 3 Rounds
- 4 Rounds
- 5 Rounds
- 6 Rounds
- 7 Rounds
Then, set how long you would like to be given for each of your user picks
User Pick Time Options
- 5 Seconds
- 15 Seconds
- 30 Seconds
- 60 Seconds
Lastly, set how long you would like the CPU to be given for picks
- ½ a Second
- 1 Second
Now, click “Enter Draft,” and then click. Start Draft” to kick things off.
Navigating The Mock Draft Simulator Tool
As the picks begin to come in, you will see who each CPU team has selected in the “Draft Picks” dashboard on the left side of the Mock Draft Simulator Tool. Instantly see a grade for each CPU selection.
When you are on the clock, you can scroll down the list of “best overall players”, sort by position, or search by name to find your desired prospect and draft target. Click “select” to pick a player.
If you change your mind, you can click “undo pick” at the bottom of the tool until you return to the user selection. If you decide you want to start over at any point, click the “reset draft” button. You can also pause the draft at any time.
Click the “Your Picks” tab to review all your selections or to see when your next selection is coming. You can also sort to see all the picks for each team in the “By Team” tab.
At the end of your draft, view the entire draft board, along with grades for all picks. Feel free to share your Mock Draft Simulator Tool on X!
Drafting for Team Need vs. Overall Value
Whether an NFL team should aggressively target players that fit their needs versus simply picking the best player available has always been a topic for debate. The best option is likely somewhere right in the middle, but more often than not, reaching on a player just because you need a wide receiver, cornerback, or tight end doesn’t age well.
We’ve seen teams select big-time prospects in the first-round even though they already have studs at their position, and in the case of offensive or defensive line, this is usually a good strategy given the wear and tear the big men up front face throughout an NFL season. Depth is key in the NFL! Especially in the early rounds, picking the best available player at a premium position is best.
In the later rounds, filling holes in rosters with players who aren’t expected to be significant contributors right away makes more sense. NFL teams have drastically different big boards and player rankings in the late rounds, so Rounds 4, 5, 6, and 7 are always the toughest to predict.
NFL Positional Value Rankings
To guide your early-round selections and know which positions to target, use these positional value rankings, which are based on the highest guaranteed contract figures by total dollars.
- Quarterback
- Edge Rusher
- Wide Receiver
- Offensive Tackle
- Cornerback
- Defensive Tackle
- Safety
- Guard
- Off-Ball Linebacker
- Center
- Tight End
- Running Back
- Kicker
- Punter
- Longsnapper
