Mock Drafts ... What are they really ?

[guyroch]

I am asking it cause you see many players being drafted by the Raptors depending on the Mock draft .. Is the person doing that draft posting writing who they think the Raptors will draft or who they think the Raptors should draft ?

[Barolt]

A bit of both. It's a combination of trying to figure out who the team is targeting as well as the best player available, but also because of the nature of the mock draft, the players taken before that pick will likely not be the same as the ones taken on draft day, which changes things a lot. Mock drafts are hard to do.

[DanH]

I am asking it cause you see many players being drafted by the Raptors depending on the Mock draft .. Is the person doing that draft posting writing who they think the Raptors will draft or who they think the Raptors should draft ?

Depends on the mock. Ford and Draftexpress are the two best, and they try to take team needs and whispers from organizations into account, so they are trying to predict what actually will happen. Others might take a different approach and say that they are aiming to predict the best players from the class.

[3inthekeon]

What Dan said.

But just to add. On the DX site, they have the NBA Mock Drafts tab, but next to it is a Rankings tab. The Top 100 is their opinion, and has nothing to do with how they'll be drafted.

Ford also has a Big Board (his opinion) as well as his Mock.

[DanH]

What Dan said.

But just to add. On the DX site, they have the NBA Mock Drafts tab, but next to it is a Rankings tab. The Top 100 is their opinion, and has nothing to do with how they'll be drafted.

Ford also has a Big Board (his opinion) as well as his Mock.

Yes, this. I was trying to answer the OP question specifically but this is a better and more complete answer. Intent is basically the difference between a mock draft and a big board.

[Gambino]

What Dan said.

But just to add. On the DX site, they have the NBA Mock Drafts tab, but next to it is a Rankings tab. The Top 100 is their opinion, and has nothing to do with how they'll be drafted.

Ford also has a Big Board (his opinion) as well as his Mock.

The Mock is still an opinion, just an opinion on who they think teams will take as opposed to who the best players are like in a ranking.

[Apollo]

I am asking it cause you see many players being drafted by the Raptors depending on the Mock draft .. Is the person doing that draft posting writing who they think the Raptors will draft or who they think the Raptors should draft ?

It's a prediction of how the draft will go it if happened today; a forecast.

[KHD]

It's a prediction of how the draft will go it if happened today; a forecast.

ford's mocks are also a history book.

he's been caught changing previous mocks to make himself look better.