John Harbaugh says the quiet part out loud when talking about NFL Mock Drafts and it's not a surprise
One of the best parts of the National Football League calendar is NFL Draft season. It's a wonderful time that is filled with hope for every fanbase and discussions about prospects. One of the elements that makes draft season so much is the presence of mock drafts. We spend hours and hours discussing different mock […]
One of the best parts of the National Football League calendar is NFL Draft season.
It's a wonderful time that is filled with hope for every fanbase and discussions about prospects. One of the elements that makes draft season so much is the presence of mock drafts.
We spend hours and hours discussing different mock drafts and the situations surrounding them. What will happen if this player goes here or there? Each mock draft gives a different scenario that could happen come April's NFL Draft.
John Harbaugh talks about using NFL mock drafts
One of the interesting things about mock drafts is the sheer wealth of data we have with them. In my mock draft tracker that I do for the Minnesota Vikings, I've collected 412 different mock drafts to see how things have grown and developed through the course of the calendar year.
It turns out that NFL teams use mock drafts for their own data collection. Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh admitted at the NFL owners meetings that they use mock drafts in Baltimore.
"No, we do. Eric uses those to a great degree the mock drafts, because it gives you a consensus, basically on how the players are viewed. And it gives you an idea of where the players are going to basically be taken. So we look at those pretty, pretty thoroughly.
"Is this something you guys developed internally?" a reporter asked. "Are you looking at a public consensus?"
"Well, we're looking at all the different things that are published," said Harbaugh. "I'm sure there's a lot of phone calls made too, especially by Eric. I don't really do that. I'm sure he does some polls himself. But there's so much information out there it kind of gives you pretty good view of how the project is viewed."
Why would the Ravens choose to use mock drafts from the media to formulate their draft board? Even though they aren't in the NFL with a front office or on a scouting staff, NFL Draft media is pretty good at this.
Arif Hasan of the Wide Left substack has done a consensus board every year that ranks players based on everyone in media submitting their board and averaging it out. He's written extensively about how each board is different. and about the history of big boards.
The consensus does know something when it comes how the NFL Draft will turn out, and that can help teams prepare for different scenarios. They aren't perfect. Heck, neither are NFL teams. However, understanding the value of the player can help you maneuver up and dow the draft board, which in turn, improves your team building.
The Ravens are one of the best teams in the NFL when it comes to maneuvering and selecting in the NFL Draft, so maybe they are onto something.
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