How do YOU Scout/Prep for rookie drafts?

[21TD]

When scouting what are your most important variables when evaluating each position?

I have seen some debate about Breakout Age with WRs for example. Do you value NFL draft stock very highly?

If when you are scouting rbs, are you do you value a certain combine drill higher than others may think isnt important? In the past i was apprehensive drafting rbs under 210 lbs, but the way the game is shifting to 3rd down backs, i've had to relax that practice.

I know there are a million different ways to approach this so i'm trying to broaden my efforts, and notice if there certain metrics/trends that seem to be utilized more than others.

I know this is in general a "strong wr class" but how are all of you going about seperating the talent?

QB evaluation i'm sure can be very in depth and could be its own thread lol.

TE's seem to not be hard to scout for me per se, but hard to actually hit in the NFL.

I hope this can lead to some productive and fun conversations.

[kadun2]

I start with a large list and narrow it down when we get close to fantasy draft(s). I let the rankings play out and check in with each of them regularly. Then I start to watch video and look for special intangibles or “it factor” type things such as body types, elusiveness, durability, and most of all confidence. I gain favorites with my own eye test and then see what type of situation they get drafted into when making my own final draft rankings.

[Ice]

For fantasy purposes scouting is very position specific.

NFL draft position does matter a lot as these teams have a lot more in depth knowledge about players as they know most on a personal level. The hardest position on offense to evaluate is WR from a fantasy perspective IMO followed by Defensive Ends.

WR's

Just because a WR like Ross or Fuller as an example went high it doesn't mean they should go high in fantasy drafts. Draft location for WR's does matter a lot because NFL teams have no issue drafting a position specific WR high to free up the offense.

My first rule with a WR regardless of overall talent sets is I have to determine if that WR has WR1 potential weighed against the time it will take to get there. No matter; If I do not believe the WR can be a #1 on his team I will not give him a first round grade. I was high Ju Ju as an example even though Brown is the guy because in a 3 year window he projected as a WR1. I always project WR's where I think they will be in year 2 or 3. Doesn't always pan out but in my decades of scouting players it has served me well.

1) Feet: The traits I focus on personally are feet first. I look at cut ability going left or right. Most don't understand dominate traits of players but a player like Odell as an example was exceptional at cutting in either direction. One of the best I have ever seen.

2) Release: Focus on tape of how a WR gets off the line. If they have subtle skills to beat press they are ahead of the game and can be a #1. Watching the hands, head, and footwork are key. Only looked at a few so far but Metcalf jumps off the page in this area.

3) Gear change ability. The best WR's will show gear up and gear down ability to fool a defender. Players that can get out of breaks and change speeds is crucial to success.

4) Back Shoulder and Catch Radius. In today's NFL back shoulder catches are the hardest to defend and players with catch radius show the ability to pluck the ball with their hands.

5) Hands. Size matters as a general rule but thumbs down palms facing away matter a lot. I took C. Coleman off my draft board a few years ago because his hand position was worse than a 9th grader. Talk about double clutching with fingers up and palms to the face is no way to catch a fast ball. Players that catch backward tend to body catch a lot.

6) In today's NFL quickness matters as slot WR's can be #1 WR's.

7) Don't rely just on straight line speed. While a fast 40 is good the ability to change game speed and cut to get open are far more important. Players like Jarvis Landry are pretty slow but he shows massive skill in route running due to exceptional cut ability and gear changes.

When I watch film I may look at it 4 or 5 times focusing on different body parts for a WR. I also watch the RB / QB tape on WR's I am evaluating to see how they play without the ball. This will show blocking and movement traits of the player that can be helpful.

The Combine is useful for WR's IMO as it confirms game film study. Vertical and cone drills really help with movement and lower body explosion. It is not easy but personally I would rather form my own opinions rather than just rely on others. That said there are several good scouts that break down tape so if you don't have the time. There are plenty of resources out there.

Good Luck!

[Elroypedro]

To keep it simple:

1) watch YouTube highlight clips and pick out my favorite players and the ones I don’t buy into at each position
[right now I have crushes on Butler, Samuel, Rodney Anderson, and Henderson]

2) watch more in depth tape and scouting reports on specific players

3) read rankings and keep up on forums etc to get the consensus rankings and help improve my own rankings. Investigate why there are discrepancies between the consensus rankings and my own.

4) look for players that are consensus ranked high and that I see something in personally. Similar to startup or redraft drafts, I get players that I pick as favorites this way and, more importantly, I form a list of Do Not Draft players, that I just don’t buy into their consensus rankings based on my research [AJ Brown and Damien Harris are Do Not Drafts so far for me based on their current consensus rankings in the middle 1st]

[21TD]

For fantasy purposes scouting is very position specific.

NFL draft position does matter a lot as these teams have a lot more in depth knowledge about players as they know most on a personal level. The hardest position on offense to evaluate is WR from a fantasy perspective IMO followed by Defensive Ends.

WR's

Just because a WR like Ross or Fuller as an example went high it doesn't mean they should go high in fantasy drafts. Draft location for WR's does matter a lot because NFL teams have no issue drafting a position specific WR high to free up the offense.

My first rule with a WR regardless of overall talent sets is I have to determine if that WR has WR1 potential weighed against the time it will take to get there. No matter; If I do not believe the WR can be a #1 on his team I will not give him a first round grade. I was high Ju Ju as an example even though Brown is the guy because in a 3 year window he projected as a WR1. I always project WR's where I think they will be in year 2 or 3. Doesn't always pan out but in my decades of scouting players it has served me well.

1) Feet: The traits I focus on personally are feet first. I look at cut ability going left or right. Most don't understand dominate traits of players but a player like Odell as an example was exceptional at cutting in either direction. One of the best I have ever seen.

2) Release: Focus on tape of how a WR gets off the line. If they have subtle skills to beat press they are ahead of the game and can be a #1. Watching the hands, head, and footwork are key. Only looked at a few so far but Metcalf jumps off the page in this area.

3) Gear change ability. The best WR's will show gear up and gear down ability to fool a defender. Players that can get out of breaks and change speeds is crucial to success.

4) Back Shoulder and Catch Radius. In today's NFL back shoulder catches are the hardest to defend and players with catch radius show the ability to pluck the ball with their hands.

5) Hands. Size matters as a general rule but thumbs down palms facing away matter a lot. I took C. Coleman off my draft board a few years ago because his hand position was worse than a 9th grader. Talk about double clutching with fingers up and palms to the face is no way to catch a fast ball. Players that catch backward tend to body catch a lot.

6) In today's NFL quickness matters as slot WR's can be #1 WR's.

7) Don't rely just on straight line speed. While a fast 40 is good the ability to change game speed and cut to get open are far more important. Players like Jarvis Landry are pretty slow but he shows massive skill in route running due to exceptional cut ability and gear changes.

When I watch film I may look at it 4 or 5 times focusing on different body parts for a WR. I also watch the RB / QB tape on WR's I am evaluating to see how they play without the ball. This will show blocking and movement traits of the player that can be helpful.

The Combine is useful for WR's IMO as it confirms game film study. Vertical and cone drills really help with movement and lower body explosion. It is not easy but personally I would rather form my own opinions rather than just rely on others. That said there are several good scouts that break down tape so if you don't have the time. There are plenty of resources out there.

Good Luck!

Sound logical approach, i like it. I dont have a like "fixed" method but it entails a lot of the components you referenced above.
I have done ok at drafting wrs the past 2 years. It's running backs i've struggled with.
I took Perkins 3 years ago and Perine 2 years ago with my 1st rounds picks. I went more opportunity based, it was my first rookie draft the perkins class so i was a little new to this game.

Do you have a similar approach to rbs or recommendations there?

[21TD]

To keep it simple:

1) watch YouTube highlight clips and pick out my favorite players and the ones I don’t buy into at each position
[right now I have crushes on Butler, Samuel, Rodney Anderson, and Henderson]

2) watch more in depth tape and scouting reports on specific players

3) read rankings and keep up on forums etc to get the consensus rankings and help improve my own rankings. Investigate why there are discrepancies between the consensus rankings and my own.

4) look for players that are consensus ranked high and that I see something in personally. Similar to startup or redraft drafts, I get players that I pick as favorites this way and, more importantly, I form a list of Do Not Draft players, that I just don’t buy into their consensus rankings based on my research [AJ Brown and Damien Harris are Do Not Drafts so far for me based on their current consensus rankings in the middle 1st]

I feel this is pretty close in line with how i approach it. I have never created a do not draft list but per se, but i know i wont take certain players in certain rounds i guess.

[FantasyFreak]

A ton of booze and tape grinding, followed by metrics analysis, more booze, then a heroin bender to clear my mind before re-doing the process with a fresh state of mind, comparing the before and after. Then taking a bunch of DMT, and realizing the real truth of it all. At least that's how I used to do it. Now I just go eenie, meanie, miney, moe. Then Curley, then Larry. Curley is currently my 1.05, as it seems.

[Dynasty DeLorean]

The prep work for rookie drafts isn’t even really all that helpful for the drafts themselves. So many players are buried or injured to start out and their value plummets while other players are gifted elite opportunities and their value goes up. Some players look wildly different than they did in college, good or bad. A lot of it is luck, initially. Where it pays off more reliably is a year or two down the line when you are looking to see who you should buy and sell.

[tresskid84]

A ton of booze and tape grinding, followed by metrics analysis, more booze, then a heroin bender to clear my mind before re-doing the process with a fresh state of mind, comparing the before and after. Then taking a bunch of DMT, and realizing the real truth of it all. At least that's how I used to do it. Now I just go eenie, meanie, miney, moe. Then Curley, the Larry. Curley is currently my 1.05, as it seems.

I mean, this all just seems like common sense and best practices. I think he was looking for non-obvious advice, not things everyone already knows to do when scouting.

[meineymoe]

I guess I've gotten lazy in my old age - this will be my 24th rookie draft season - but I let all you young guns do all the leg work, then compare lists from several different sites and read articles/analyses on players I'm not as familiar with or have questions about. Then I tier them and adjust my rankings right up until the draft... often tweaking during the draft. And of course, I have my favorite college and NFL teams that I lean toward, and situations that I think will be beneficial for whichever player ends up there.

-oo-

[Orenthal Shames]

How do I Scout/Prep for rookie drafts?

In the nude with Goodbye Horses playing in the background, Buffalo Bill style.

[Jigga94]

Lots of Jameson

[Cult of Dionysus]

I guess I've gotten lazy in my old age - this will be my 24th rookie draft season - but I let all you young guns do all the leg work, then compare lists from several different sites and read articles/analyses on players I'm not as familiar with or have questions about. Then I tier them and adjust my rankings right up until the draft... often tweaking during the draft. And of course, I have my favorite college and NFL teams that I lean toward, and situations that I think will be beneficial for whichever player ends up there.

-oo-

It only took me about 5-6 seasons to figure this out.

Lol.

[honcho55]

I guess I've gotten lazy in my old age - this will be my 24th rookie draft season - but I let all you young guns do all the leg work, then compare lists from several different sites and read articles/analyses on players I'm not as familiar with or have questions about. Then I tier them and adjust my rankings right up until the draft... often tweaking during the draft. And of course, I have my favorite college and NFL teams that I lean toward, and situations that I think will be beneficial for whichever player ends up there.

-oo-

It only took me about 5-6 seasons to figure this out.

Lol.

I ain’t far off from this. My starting point is consensus rankings.

From there, I’ll move guys around based on what I see in film or read in analytics. Usually not super far, but typically far enough that I’ll pass on guys I’m lower on.

I typically don’t adjust much from my own take on immediate/future opportunity with the landing spot, for two reasons. One, I don’t claim to be that good. Two, that gets rolled into their consensus value anyways.

So basically I get behind prospects I like a little more, because that’s a big part of the fun in this hobby for me

[meineymoe]

Oh, another thing you can do if you have a lot of time on your hands is to participate in some mock drafts on this site - head down to the mock draft forum and play along!

-oo-