Survey responses from “The hypothetical, MFFL ‘start-up’ mock draft”

Below are the responses from the owners who participated in the hypothetical MFFL “start-up” mock draft.

1: How did your draft slot help or hurt your approach?

Pick 1: Egypt Pharaohs — Daniel: “Drafting first overall was nice because I get who I felt was the best player in general for fantasy football which is Christian McCaffery. It did hurt to wait so long to make my second pick, but as the draft went on it felt nice drafting at the turn because if I was split on 2 players I could grab both of them, or if I needed 2 different positions desperately I could grab my top guy at each position at the same time. Sometimes when drafting at the turn you do have to reach a little bit to grab your guys, however, just due to the fact there is such a long wait in between your turns there’s never a guarantee your guy will make it back to you.”

Pick 2: San Juan Scorpions — Lou: “My approach was actually based on my draft slot.”

Pick 3: Turkey Jerky — Gregg: “Helped, for my style of drafting.”

Pick 4: Ecuador Ewoks — Ryan: “It didn’t really have an effect. Whoever presented good value in any given round was a potential target for me. I just let the chips fall where they did.”

Pick 5: Christmas Island Crabs — Shane: “I like pick 5 because it spaces out my picks pretty evenly, and it is difficult to miss an entire run on a position at a specific tier. I think it helped me in the area of not reaching on a player at a position.”

Pick 6: Nagasaki Kamikazes — TW: “Picking in the middle the approach worked well. As expected the early run at RB allowed me the choice of WR1. Adams/Hill should be the dilemma and ultimately I feel Hill’s strength is speed and will continue to lose a step as he ages, while Adams’ strength is his bulk opportunity and ability to amass numbers once he touches the ball.”

Pick 7: Bangkok Blitz — Daniel: “I was picking from the middle of the board at slot 7, so it overall worked pretty well and because I was in the middle I could pretty easily adjust strategy on who the best player may be based on who went off the board between my picks.”

Pick 8: Wake Island Wookiees — Lou: “My approach was actually based on my draft slot.”

Pick 9: Ukraine Grainers — Gregg: “Like to draft a top RB early, and the 9 hole was not an opportune time to do that, reached a bit with Akers, but it may pay off.”

Pick 10: Switzerland Squirrels — Shane: “I don’t always love being close to Pick 12 because a lot of players can disappear when you are waiting for the draft to come back around to you. This causes me to reach slightly for players if I think a tier won’t be there when it comes back around. It is a lot of guessing what everyone else is going to do.”

Pick 11: Russia Renegades — Ryan: “The draft slot had little to do with my approach, as I will always seek the best value regardless of position. I didn’t like Pick 11 because all the studs go early. Plus, I don’t even get to draft back-to-back at the end of rounds. However, with owners shying away from Derrick Henry because of his age and usage, I gladly scooped him up at Pick 11 because I think he will still be good in the 1-3 year window that I could keep him.”

Pick 12: Jamaica Jerks — TW: “Couldn’t ask for a better pick than 12 or 1. Some may not like having to watch 22 picks go by before selecting again but the approach works for this spot. 2 and 11 are OK, but you find yourself guessing who may be chosen and need to be more accurate with which player to choose first and which may slip by the next two picks. As a former owner once stated to an owner who was torn between 2 players… “take em both…” This obviously works well at 12.”

2: The strategy best suited for my draft slot is probably…

Pick 1: Egypt Pharaohs — Daniel: “It has to be best player available, going heavy at just one position in particular can hurt severely with such long wait times in between picks. When you have space between picks you have time to adjust your strategy whereas picking at the turn there is no adjusting, you just have to pick the top guys and hope for the best when you get back on the clock.”

Pick 2: San Juan Scorpions — Lou: “Drafting elite running backs at first, then focusing on near-elite players at other positions.”

Pick 3: Turkey Jerky — Gregg: “IMO, the same theory, draft a great RB, then the best available player throughout.”

Pick 4: Ecuador Ewoks — Ryan: “Get a stud running back in the first round. Normally, I’d advocate hitting up the receiver position pretty hard if you manage to land a Top 5 running back. But I found value at running back as well, so I kept a balanced approach.”

Pick 5: Christmas Island Crabs — Shane: “I think a running back is the only option if I have a top 6 pick. After that, I think this draft slot is the best one for being very flexible.”

Pick 6: Nagasaki Kamikazes — TW: “Zero-RB has to be appropriate for pick 6. Or, at least sticking with a WR in round 1 and starting the TE run in round 2. If an RB1 was available round 3 (not likely) I would consider deviating plan. But grabbing one of the top WR and top TE, this position should keep grabbing best available WRs until they must grab an RB2, or top 24 RB. Whatever round that ends up being.”

Pick 7: Bangkok Blitz — Daniel: “I’ll sound like a broken record here, but I will always think a variation of the ‘best player available’ is the best strategy for any draft position. However one could argue a modified zero RB approach would also be somewhat successful from this position because you get a choice of the top WRs right off the bat with so manny running backs going off the board first.”

Pick 8: Wake Island Wookiees — Lou: “Drafting elite WRs at first, then focusing on near-elite players at other positions.”

Pick 9: Ukraine Grainers — Gregg: “Best available WR, then pick up a RB on the turn.”

Pick 10: Switzerland Squirrels — Shane: “Modified zero RB or hero RB or whatever you want to call it. A lot of the bankable running backs are gone by Pick 10. If I didn’t think Swift was a stud, then I probably would have gone WR/WR to start the draft.”

Pick 11: Russia Renegades — Ryan: “Best value. Always. It just so happened to be a RB-WR in the first two rounds, but it could have been two strong receivers as well.”

Pick 12: Jamaica Jerks — TW: “’Best Available’ and ‘reactive’ approach. It’s difficult to go into the draft assuming what might be there when you’re the last to draft your first player or your keystone. But letting the draft play out, you now can see and predict what owners will go after when the round heads back upward. This allows you to get a jump and can go RB/RB, WR/RB or WR/WR, knowing what the other owners will be looking for in their 2nd and 3rd picks. And this repeats every time it’s back to you, needing to look ahead at what the next 22 might be, position-wise.”

3: My favorite pick was…

Pick 1: Egypt Pharaohs — Daniel: “Christian McCaffrey at 1.01!!! I never get to have McCaffrey on my team so it’s exciting to finally have that opportunity even in a mock scenario.”

Pick 2: San Juan Scorpions — Lou: “I have no favorite picks, although I am pleased with the QBs I drafted.”

Pick 3: Turkey Jerky — Gregg: “Dalvin Cook. He can be a league winner. Probably should have handcuffed him, but Mattison has not been as productive as one would think yet.”

Pick 4: Ecuador Ewoks — Ryan: “I thought Darren Waller at Pick 28 in Round 3 offered good value. Landing a premier tight end is difficult to do but once you get your hands on one, it offers you a nice edge.”

Pick 5: Christmas Island Crabs — Shane: “Jonathan Taylor at Pick 5. I think he should have been the first pick in the draft.”

Pick 6: Nagasaki Kamikazes — TW: “Pick 43 (round 4) – Amari Cooper. 19th WR taken, age 26, Cooper was WR3 until Dak was injured and still finished WR15 to end the year; he will be WR4 on the Kamikazes.”

Pick 7: Bangkok Blitz — Daniel: “My favorite pick was Mike Evans at Pick 4.06. I couldn’t believe Evans fell that far, he’s been nothing but good every season he’s been in the league with just a few bad individual games here and there and he’s still only 27! I was ecstatic to get him as my WR2 behind Tyreek Hill and having my 2 starting RBs locked up too.”

Pick 8: Wake Island Wookiees — Lou: “I have no favorite picks, although I am pleased with the QBs and WRs I drafted.”

Pick 9: Ukraine Grainers — Gregg: “Calvin Ridley at 16 He has the potential to be WR1-3 overall.”

Pick 10: Switzerland Squirrels — Shane: “Brandon Aiyuk at Pick 39. I think he is going to be a star.”

Pick 11: Russia Renegades — Ryan: “Henry at Pick 11 was obviously one. But I also like Trey Sermon in Round 8. And if he doesn’t contribute right away, it’s okay because I snagged Raheem Mostert the very next round. One of them will lead this year with Sermon taking the reins by Year 2.”

Pick 12: Jamaica Jerks — TW: “Round 2, pick 1 – Ezekiel Elliott. I suppose I could have made him a 1st round pick but at only 26, it’s odd not to see Zeke go in round 1.”

4: My riskiest pick was…

Pick 1: Egypt Pharaohs — Daniel: “At pick 3.01 with Michael Thomas still on the board, I opted to go with McLaurin. Even though there are some concerns for Michael Thomas such as having a question mark at QB, coming off of an injury riddled season and being a little older, he has proven time and time again he is a force to be reckoned with. But because I’m a huge fan of McLaurin and think he will be a star in this league going forward, I couldn’t help pulling the trigger and getting my guy, even if it is a bit riskier.”

Pick 2: San Juan Scorpions — Lou: “Rashod Bateman (#74). I selected him too early in the draft.”

Pick 3: Turkey Jerky — Gregg: “OBJ at pick 70, could be boom or bust.”

Pick 4: Ecuador Ewoks — Ryan: “Saquon Barkley at Pick 4. I was agonizing over whether to take Barkley or Jonathan Taylor there. Barkley is returning from a serious knee injury and unless your name is Adrian Peterson, most guys don’t return completely to their pre-injury form.”

Pick 5: Christmas Island Crabs — Shane: “George Kittle at Pick 29. I was really hoping to get Darren Waller at that pick, but he went one pick before me. If Kittle gets injured or loses significant touches because of Aiyuk and Deebo and a new rookie QB, then I might be in trouble.”

Pick 6: Nagasaki Kamikazes — TW: “Pick 78 – Mike Davis. Zero-RB is risky and one must take a few chances at RB to see who might play at least top 24; having Davis’ backup, and Jones/Fournette will lessen the risk as one should be RB2 caliber.”

Pick 7: Bangkok Blitz — Daniel: “It was easily Deshaun Watson at pick 151. There’s a possibility Watson never plays football ever again with the mountains of allegations against him. However, with the small chance he does continue to play in the NFL, that’s extreme value this late in the draft, and when you’re in the 13th round everyone is just a dart throw anyways.”

Pick 8: Wake Island Wookiees — Lou: “All the rookies after round 14.”

Pick 9: Ukraine Grainers — Gregg: “Kyle Pitts at 40. Gamble for a rookie.”

Pick 10: Switzerland Squirrels — Shane: “Brandon Aiyuk at Pick 39. I probably could have waited another round to get my guy.”

Pick 11: Russia Renegades — Ryan: “Dak Prescott in Round 6. I’m confident that he’ll do well and I think he can be a Top 3 quarterback with the weapons around him. But I usually don’t take a quarterback that early. Thus, if he does not play as well as anticipated, the risk will not have been worth it.”

Pick 12: Jamaica Jerks — TW: “Pick 108 – Robert Tonyan. A top 6 TE, it’s yet to be seen if Rodgers chemistry is the reason, or if Bobby can sustain TE1 production on his own talents.”

5: Heartbreak Hotel (a player you wanted who was drafted ahead of you)

Pick 1: Egypt Pharaohs — Daniel: “Aaron Jones. I couldn’t believe he fell all the way to the end of round 2 and just before he was mine, San Juan stole him from me and I settled for Mixon instead.”

Pick 2: San Juan Scorpions — Lou: “OBJ, Jaylen Waddle, Darnell Mooney, Gabriel Davis, Tre’Quan Smith.”

Pick 3: Turkey Jerky — Gregg: “Najee Harris, I had him penciled in when Ecuador chose him directly in front of my pick.”

Pick 4: Ecuador Ewoks — Ryan: “There wasn’t anybody I was so enamored with who got selected right before me. But I remember thinking that I would’ve taken Mike Evans in Round 4 if he slid to me. He got taken by Bangkok three picks before me, but I was shocked he lasted to Pick 42. Good steal there.”

Pick 5: Christmas Island Crabs — Shane: “Well, I already mentioned Waller, but I was really hoping to land Chase Claypool who was snagged one pick in front of me in the 6th round. I think he is in for a big year.”

Pick 6: Nagasaki Kamikazes — TW: “Travis Kelce. I don’t know what I was thinking, that he might be there at 30. Passing on Hopkins and grabbing Kelce at 19 would have started the run on TE and and still allowed for 5 starting WRs in the top 32, not needing 6. Oops. And… I missed again with Higbee, Thomas, Everett, and had to keep waiting for a TE.”

Pick 7: Bangkok Blitz — Daniel: “Mike Williams! He isn’t a make or break player for my team by any means, but he is someone at the end of the WR tier for me and a Bangkok player in the MFFL, but Wake Island snagged him just before he fell into my lap in round 10.”

Pick 8: Wake Island Wookiees — Lou: “Clyde Edwards-Helaire.”

Pick 9: Ukraine Grainers — Gregg: “CEH at 31…thought I had a shot at him at 33. Struggled last year, but lots of upside in his future.”

Pick 10: Switzerland Squirrels — Shane: “I really wanted Trey Sermon in Round 8, but Russia sniped him one pick before me. I think Sermon will do well in SF.”

Pick 11: Russia Renegades — Ryan: “Interestingly, Switzerland snagged my guy(s) on back-to-back occasions. I was hoping to pick Austin Ekeler in Round 3 and T.J. Hockenson in Round 5. But in both rounds, those players were taken one spot before my picks.”

Pick 12: Jamaica Jerks — TW: “Derrick Henry. As the first round was playing out, it appeared Henry might make it to the end, and Russia unfortunately scooped him up a pick sooner.”

6: Which team is best suited to win right now?

Pick 1: Egypt Pharaohs — Daniel: “Assuming no injuries, I’d go with Turkey. Their depth pieces aren’t that exciting to me, but with Dalvin Cook, Miles Sanders, Michael Thomas, and CeeDee Lamb they are loaded with talent in their starting lineup. Add in the advantage of having a good TE in Mark Andrews and the upside of a rushing QB in Jalen Hurts, they could be poised for a deep playoff run.”

Pick 2: San Juan Scorpions — Lou: “I think SAN is best suited to win with two top-10 RBs, a top-3 QB, a top-2 TE, an underrated Washington DEF, top kicker, and several WR2s.”

Pick 3: Turkey Jerky — Gregg: “Bangkok.”

Pick 4: Ecuador Ewoks — Ryan: “Wake Island looks to have a pretty solid core. Two strong QBs in Mahomes and Brady, Chris Carson and the Jacksonville backfield tandem, Justin Jefferson and Stefon Diggs at receiver, Dallas Goedert at tight end.”

Pick 5: Christmas Island Crabs — Shane: “I think San Juan and Egypt look like pretty good win-now teams.”

Pick 6: Nagasaki Kamikazes — TW: “Nagasaki and Russia both have lineups that rank no lower than 26 at their position. Egypt of course has an edge with CMC however without RB2 necessity, I expected picks 24 and 25 to be Kelce and Mahomes. Having the top QB, TE, and RB with your first 3 picks would be crazy, and an expected 100 points any given week from those 3 alone.”

Pick 7: Bangkok Blitz — Daniel: “My team, of course! Tyreek, Mike Evans, Antonio Gibson, CEH, Josh Jacobs starting every week with new QB sensation Trevor Lawrence at the helm and Carson Wentz to back him up if he has rookie year jitters? And it doesn’t hurt to have a decent player at TE in Noah Fant either! I can elaborate on this in the next question too!”

Pick 8: Wake Island Wookiees — Lou: “I think SAN is best suited to win with two top-10 RBs, a top-3 QB, a top-2 TE, an underrated Washington DEF, top kicker, and several WR2s.”

Pick 9: Ukraine Grainers — Gregg: “Unfortunately, neither of the teams I drafted. I would say Bangkok has the best team to win now. Solid RB’s and if Devonta Smith can pan out as expected, they would be a force.”

Pick 10: Switzerland Squirrels — Shane: “I think San Juan and Egypt look like pretty good win now teams.”

Pick 11: Russia Renegades — Ryan: “I think Ecuador is built to win right now. Top 5 players at quarterback (Kyler Murray), tight end (Darren Waller), and running back (Saquon Barkley), plus two solid veteran receivers (Julio Jones and Tyler Lockett) and some interesting FLEX pieces (Najee Harris and Melvin Gordon). If some of their sleepers hit, watch out.”

Pick 12: Jamaica Jerks — TW: “At QB, TE, and RB, any owner should have a 1-12, and 1-24 at WR. Flex should be in the 13-60 range. Nagasaki’s lowest position ranked player is 28 at flex. Russia is 24.”

7: Which team is built best for the long haul (keeping in mind we can only sign 1-to-3 year contracts)?

Pick 1: Egypt Pharaohs — Daniel: “Wake Island, only concern being RB depth. But they have young stars at every position like Etienne and Justin Jefferson, and a good mix of studs like Mahomes and Diggs to boot. If Ertz does finally leave Philly like all signs are pointing to, then Goedert could be looking good at TE for years to come as well.”

Pick 2: San Juan Scorpions — Lou: “I think both SAN and WAK are built for the long haul (whatever that might be). While WAK has numerous rookies, most of them may not break out within 3 years.”

Pick 3: Turkey Jerky — Gregg: “Bangkok.”

Pick 4: Ecuador Ewoks — Ryan: “Ukraine is pretty deep at receiver with a lot of young talent ready to break out. Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith are a nice combo at tight end. Running back is fairly strong and Russell Wilson should still have a good 1-3 year window.”

Pick 5: Christmas Island Crabs — Shane: “I think Nagasaki could dominate if they land 1 to 2 rookie running backs over the next two years.”

Pick 6: Nagasaki Kamikazes — TW: “CIC has a strong case for this. As does Ecuador and Ukraine, but I’d say Ecuador might have the best balance of young talent already performing.”

Pick 7: Bangkok Blitz — Daniel: “Also me! Remember all those awesome players I listed above? They’re all young! They’re only going to get better with more experience! Watch out for the Bangkok dynasty!”

Pick 8: Wake Island Wookiees — Lou: “I think both SAN and WAK are built for the long haul (whatever that might be). While WAK has numerous rookies, most of them may not break out within 3 years.”

Pick 9: Ukraine Grainers — Gregg: “Based on 3 years, my opinion wouldn’t differ from last question [Bangkok]. Next year this question may be answered differently.”

Pick 10: Switzerland Squirrels — Shane: “I think Turkey is a pretty complete well rounded team that could be one or two pieces away.”

Pick 11: Russia Renegades — Ryan: “I think Bangkok is best suited to sustain value over the next few years. Between their young running backs, their receivers who still have a good short-term window, and some good talent at quarterback and starting tight end, I think they’ll be competitive for the long haul.”

Pick 12: Jamaica Jerks — TW: “Ecuador and Ukraine have a good stash of young talent. Ukraine has more players still yet to prove however.”

8: If I had to do it all over again, I’d…

Pick 1: Egypt Pharaohs — Daniel: “If I were to do it again, I may opt to try and grab a TE just a little earlier to have a slightly more reliable starter and I probably wouldn’t wait as long to get a back up QB so that the depth at the position would be more solidified.”

Pick 2: San Juan Scorpions — Lou: “I wouldn’t have drafted so many rookies after learning the true plans for this experiment.”

Pick 3: Turkey Jerky — Gregg: “Would not have drafted Mark Andrews in the 5th…many good WR’s went between that pick and my next pick. There were still quality TE’s later in the draft.”

Pick 4: Ecuador Ewoks — Ryan: “I might have taken Jonathan Taylor at Pick 4 instead of Barkley. I probably would have hit the receivers harder after taking two strong running backs with my first two picks.”

Pick 5: Christmas Island Crabs — Shane: “I would probably wait on QB a lot longer to fill out my flex positions.”

Pick 6: Nagasaki Kamikazes — TW: “Grab Kelce at 19. Still feel I’d have gotten Adams, Robinson, Cooper, Johnson, Claypool in the same order, my blend of RB2s, but would have a drastically different lineup with Kelce instead of Gronk, but Claypool instead of Hopkins.”

Pick 7: Bangkok Blitz — Daniel: “I really do like how my team turned out overall, the only things that may have changed is possibly pulling the trigger on a higher tiered TE earlier if the opportunity presented itself. Otherwise I genuinely like how the team looks after the draft.”

Pick 8: Wake Island Wookiees — Lou: “I wouldn’t have drafted so many rookies after learning the true plans for this experiment.”

Pick 9: Ukraine Grainers — Gregg: “Bought stock in Tesla back in 2003. LOL. Always look forward, never back. Make mistakes, trade for draft picks to assure your future. There is always something to play for in Dynasty.”

Pick 10: Switzerland Squirrels — Shane: “I’d have waited longer for my first tight end and quarterback. I should have been more patient and filled out more flex position slots.”

Pick 11: Russia Renegades — Ryan: “I probably would have considered Kyle Pitts in Round 4. He wound up going two picks after my selection. I think he’s going to be good for a long time and give a team an x-factor each week at the tight end position.”

Pick 12: Jamaica Jerks — TW: “I would possibly take a chance on a few rookies but it would still depend on whether I considered them a reach at the round I was in.”