Draft Strategy: Questions to Answer at Every Pick

Photo: Imagn Images

Okay, I’m on the clock. Time to pick! Finally, it's my turn!

Who to pick? Choices, choices. Why are my hands sweating? I need a running back, but there’s no positional value available at this pick. Oh boy. Seriously, the consensus says this tier has four wide receivers in it and - of course - I like all four. UGHHHH. What to do…what to do?

On-the-clock pressure and working through a tough decision can be both exhilarating and daunting. Let’s take a look at a decision tree model that can be applied to every pick regardless of round or draft slot. It’s a tool I use myself to work through the choices, possibilities, and pivots as a draft unfolds. It makes executing a pick or a strategy more measured and a little less uncertain.

Below is the visual gauntlet of questions I apply to each pick regardless of round/slot. The one caveat I’ll add is that league format and scoring are always a part of every step during this process. In this example, the picks in play are 2.08 and 3.08.

Draft Strategy: Step by Step

1. Identifying Targets

The first lens I apply deals with my own personal want list and how it correlates with the pool of available players. I approach every draft - rookie, start-up, redraft, or bestball - with a list of targets, or at the very least, multiple high-level plans for attacking certain groups of players based on round/positions/values. This is about my targets - the players I covet either through my prognostications or a combination of trusted voices.

2. Navigating ADP

Average draft position (ADP) is the next piece of the puzzle. It offers insight into which players are typically available at a particular stage of the draft based on past data including previous drafts similar in format and scoring. Understanding the typical availability of players by round and draft position takes a lot of the guesswork out and allows for synergy between practical application and strategy. Some folks will likely lead with ADP as the cornerstone of their process, but I prefer to start with my targets already baked into the equation before looking at ADP.