Mock drafts are making a mockery of the National Football League.
Overzealous fans are also fueling the high-speed hype during the entire selection process.
Once the clock on the Super Bowl flips to zero each year, media members, talking heads, and fans everywhere devote millions of hours to the draft. Mock drafts pop up, and sports talk radio personalities fill the airwaves with opinionated chatter about the next big impact player in the NFL.
Fans sop up all the hype at lightning speeds, taking cues from the plethora of former players, expert panelists, and veteran insiders, seemingly all darting down the field the wrong way.
What none of these branches of information has is a direct channel to team staffers who are actually making the decisions on player selections.
In fact, Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry stated as much in his press availability following the draft, which was held at Lambeau Field and its Titletown District in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
That was evident when Field Yates, a former NFL scouting department staffer and current ESPN fantasy football and draft analyst, admitted he and his cohorts were not in the loop—particularly when it involved the signal callers—after Day 1 of the selection process.
“As we have learned throughout this process, each team has a different stack on these quarterbacks. And just because me or [fellow ESPN experts] Mel [Kiper Jr.] or Louis [Reddick Jr.] might perceive Shedeur Sanders to be ranked as the 16th- or the 20th- or the third-best player in the entire draft, there’s only a finite number of quarterback buyers right now, and it’s clear the league did not have the same level of opinion.”
All the speculation and simple guesswork this year combined to form expectations that created drama where there really was none.
The biggest story of the recent draft was Colorado University quarterback Sanders, expected to be a first-round pick by some and at least a second-round selection by many others. The experts mostly had the son of Hall of Famer and current Colorado coach Deion Sanders going on the first day of the draft, based on his play and talent.
However, by late Friday afternoon, when all 32 teams passed on Sanders through three rounds, the theme of the event shifted, quickly becoming the big Sanders slip and slide.
In addition, few experts had the Browns backing off the No. 2 pick, which they sent to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a roster-building haul. Cleveland swapped for the fifth overall this year, the 36th pick (second round), the 126th pick (fourth round), and a first-round selection in 2026.
The Jags used the second selection on reigning Heisman Trophy-winner Travis Hunter, while also acquiring the 104th pick (fourth round) and 200th pick (sixth round).
The Browns eventually stopped the stunning Sanders draft drop, taking the QB with the 144th pick in the fifth round.
Meanwhile, the public has also been guilty in this drummed-up draft drama, bringing in its own maniacal twist to the fanfare. Supporters of some teams annually show up at draft sites in full regalia, painted faces, and overcharged with energy.
They find the camera when their team is on the clock and jump at the opportunity to dance, pose, scream, and generally celebrate when their beloved squad announces its choice.
The truth here is that after the first 10 to 15 picks, the players chosen are names these fans are probably hearing for the first time. And as the later rounds reel off name after unfamiliar name, fans continue to cheer and become drunk with fake excitement.
It all needs to be reined in, as we see more college players building brand recognition with name, image, and likeness agreements and an oversaturation of the football monolith with hype at every turn.
Besides all the pomp and circumstance, there’s simply too much muck in the mocks.
