Hey pay attention; it seems as if every blogger, slogger and mall shopper has their own “mock draft” or at the very least has built a “sports lab” in their garage, basement or man cave dedicated to observing, analyzing and discussing the NFL draft and all of its many components.
Some analysis may be legitimate and some is just plain stupid. All drafts are theoretical because no one and I mean absolutely no one can accurately predict the success of any collegiate athlete until they strap on the pads and perform against the crème dela crème talent that the NFL provides. That in itself will prove if an athlete will stand tall or wilt under the blinding, white hot glare of the professional football spotlight.
Many of these pre NFL draft publications are basically in the “labor-a-tory” peddling snake oil to the unsuspecting public and in many cases a naïve and news hungry media pool. Bear with me lads and lassies; let’s do a mock count of some of the mock experts displaying the so-called theories behind the knowledge; CBSSports.com – NFLDraftScout.com, sportsillustrated.com, draftinsiders.com, sportingnews.com, drafttek.com, bleacherreport.com. Could these expert websites possibly be called, “dot cons?”
Let’s be real, some of these prognosticators are far worse than snake oil salesmen because the purveyors of the old home remedies at least had the physical products in hand. Some of the guys and dolls that have become self anointed experts have done so armed only with pens full of “glitz” and the gift of gab.
Please indulge me for a few moments and hit rewind. What did the experts predict about the Steelers 1974 draft class? Well whatever they predicted they would have been lying or lucky to have said that Pittsburgh’s number 1, 2, 4a, and 5 picks would all eventually have life like busts’ hanging out in Canton, Ohio at the HOF.