2012 Draft Start Poll

[Kareighuis]

Due to 2 members being unavailable, we have two windows to do this year's draft. Last year, it took 2 weeks (from the 7th to the 21st) to go through 5 rounds.

Start May 1st- if we take the same amount of time as last year, should be able to finish all 5 rounds before the first person is unavailable (start May 25) and still have enough time to do some post draft adds.

Start June 20th- After the 2nd person comes back. Plus is we won't have a time crunch, downside is it's nearly 2 months away.

Since we need quick answers in case a majority prefers the May 1 start, I'm inclined to declare a start once it becomes clear what the majority's opinion is.

[Devil Doc]

I voted for May 1, like I've mentioned in a previous post, the baby is due May 29th and may be moved up not sure yet, so the earlier the better.

[stomperrob]

I went with May 1, I like early drafts for rookies, but either date works for me.

[iamgregg]

What rob said.

[The Lung]

I think that even June 20th is ridiculously early.

I've never done a rookie draft until weeks or typically months after the NFL Draft, but if that is what the league votes for, I will go with the flow.

I actually got my rookie rankings done from the second balcony at Radio City on Saturday afternoon. The 6th round was just moving soooo slow and I had to do something with my time!

[LS2throwed]

How is June 20th ridiculously early? That's 8 weeks after the draft has ended. By then you've had an entire round of OTA's with these draft picks and/or injuries among the millions of updates every week now due to twitter and fantasy football news. Everything is breaking news and the hype train drives players values way up and pushes others down when they struggle.


I prefer to start drafting when guys have to make their board strictly off the player and landing spot. It's easy to pick up on Denarius Moore after OTA's and some workouts have gotten started and his name has picked up steam, but roll the draft out May 1st and your landing him in the 4th-5th round. If you don't know who he is or he's off your radar you just missed out, which is how it should be.


Now that's not to say I haven't done drafts around that time, and even later, just not my personal preference and I don't see how it could be viewed as 'ridiculously early' under any standards. I feel even stronger about this in leagues I view as 'expert leagues'. I use that term loosely, but I feel like the up and coming leagues should be referring back to our league to see how the draft fell, and letting us set the value for players instead of participating and/or viewing multiple drafts by the time we start.


So yea, May 1 would be my vote, but obviously I'm cool with whatever majority wants to do.

[The Lung]

I've had this argument so many times in so many different leagues that I'm loathe to discuss it again. Additionally, the fact that we're both perfectly content with starting the draft early means the argument is entirely moot anyway.

Bottom line is that it comes down to your philosophy regarding the draft. Your philsophy is that the draft should reward the active owner who has followed college football, the Senior Bowl, the Combine, Pro Days, and the NFL Draft. I have done all those things and can certainly get behind that sentiment.

In my opinion though, the NFL landscape changes on a daily basis and drafting players now when a thousand different things will change before the start of the season is strange, especially when the opportunity to draft later easily exists. Use last year as an example: to me, drafting a player like Mikel LeShoure or Ryan Williams now when they will suffer season ending injuries later seems silly. To me, drafting a player now like Chris Polk who may not even make the Eagles roster seems silly. Or worse yet, Polk gets cut and ends up on a team like the Packers where he could challenge for the starting role.

Why not draft in late August when all these things are known commodities and everyone can make an informed decision? Yes, injuries strike randomly, and during the regular season too, but you can't do the draft then. Bottom line is that your philosophy is to reward the active owner and leave injuries and roster spots up to complete luck and rolling the dice. My philosophy is to draft as late as possible, like 2 weeks before the season starts, so that every manager can make the most informed decisions possible. Anything earlier than that, especially in June and not even July training camps, is by my definition ridiculously early, and we'll just have to agree to disagree.

[stomperrob]

I prefer to start drafting when guys have to make their board strictly off the player and landing spot.

Why not draft in late August when all these things are known commodities and everyone can make an informed decision?

I agree with both these positions as everyone has an equal shot at grabbing any player. What I don't like is drafting during training camp where you have a situation like a starting RB tearing his acl during training camp and a rookie RB gets a good shot at being #1 going into the season - in that scenario only the next owner up in the draft gets a shot at drafting the guy.

[The Lung]

That's as good a reason as any for drafting two weeks before the season starts: training camp is long over, NFL rosters are all but finalized, and hardly anyone is suffering a season ending injury in the 4th and final preseason games.

[The Lung]

I just want to reiterate that this is all playing devil's advocate...the vote has passed 8-1 and according to my calendar it's May 1st...what's the holdup, Kareighus? Just take Trent Richardson already...