Rip off the couch cushions, double check the junk drawer and scrape together five bucks so you can participate in FFToolbox's Mock Draft World Championship (MDWC). Consider this guide a launching point to maximize your mock and I will cover all the details so you can go from Pop Warner to NFL Hall of Fame in a matter of minutes.
For a full breakdown of the rules, scoring system and positional requirements, please go here. This write-up will assume you're caught up to speed with how the MDWC will operate.
The first thing you need to do is run through a mock draft on your own, so take five minutes to get a feel for how the interface works. Click this link and pick either a 10-team standard scoring mock or a 12-team PPR mock. Special shoutout to FantasyPros.com for offering their wonderful mock draft services for our contest.
Did you run through a mock on your own? I'm serious; go do it if you haven't. Now that you have a feel for the interface and some of the special bells and whistles, let's get to it.
First and foremost, if you have a particular preference for where you want to draft, simply keep reloading the draft until you land where you want. If you want to pick first so you can grab Adrian Peterson, exit the window and open a new one until you get it. If you want to be extra sneaky, keep reloading until Doug Martin is the No. 1 pick and you can draft AP with the second pick. I've seen all sorts of weird quirks too if you want to be really patient. I've seen Aaron Rodgers drafted second or third (it's rare, but it happens) and this obviously pushes guys like Jamaal Charles, C.J. Spiller and Arian Foster down a pick or two.
On one rare occasion, Rodgers was picked at No. 3 and Calvin Johnson at No. 4. Even if you don't have the same amount of free time as I do, the point is you can really game the system. This isn't cheating, it is strategy. If you don't like how the first round goes or the 20th round, you are free to exit and start over to your heart's content. Here's what I do: I right-click the "Play Now!" button and hit open in new tab and I do this about 20 times. I know, I'm ridiculous, but then I go through and whittle them down to my most preferred scenario.
Before you go on a trip, you have to know your destination. This also applies to how I want you to approach your mock draft. So, if you really did complete a full mock, you should have seen an option to "Rate My Team." After completing your mock, click "Rate My Team" and make sure you have accomplished five goals: first in total points, first in starter points, first in bench points, over 3,400 overall points and over 2,100 starter points for 12-team PPR scoring. For the 10-team: Same targets except 1,100 overall points and 900 starter points. Don't cheat yourself by drafting three or more QBs either (since QBs score more, they offer more total points). Try to draft only two QBs, 1 team defense and 1 kicker and meet these goals. (Side note: Of course you could argue that these point projections don't really mean anything, but the main reason I make this recommendation is because you really want to hone your mocking skills and meeting all of the goals will take practice. I'd also argue that across hundreds or thousands of mocks submitted into the contest, the mock drafters who met the aforementioned five-point criteria will have performed far better statistically than those who did not meet any of the criteria. And really, you don't want to get out-mocked by a computer, now do you?)
And just to put my money where my mouth is, here are two screenshots where I met all five goals (10-teamer & 12-teamer), just so you know it is possible. It isn't easy, but it is certainly possible. And yes, I did miss most bench points in the 10-team league by one point. I was too lazy to do it again, I know, I'm terrible.
