Subscriber Spotlight: Mock Drafting with Draft Hero & 4for4
As a longtime 4for4 subscriber, I’ve had great success using many of the site’s tools to prepare for draft season. Two of my favorite tools to use during an actual draft are the Draft Day Bargains Tool and the Draft Day Dos and Don'ts tool. Used in conjunction with one another, these tools make it incredibly easy to find draft day bargains in every round. With 4for4 adding the Draft Hero this year, I was anxious to see how it would compare to my usual draft picks. So, using Draft Hero I ran a mock draft and compared their optimal picks with the best value picks I could find using the aforementioned tools. My settings were for a 12 team PPR league that starts 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 flex (RB, WR, TE), 1 DEF, 1 K and 6 bench spots. I had the 12th pick in this 15 round draft.
Here’s a round-by-round comparison of the picks. The number beside the player’s name is his 4for4 overall rank.
| Round | Draft Hero Pick | My Pick | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.12 (12th overall) | Demaryius Thomas (5) | Demaryius Thomas (5) | Thomas is 4for4’s 5th ranked player overall using the customized settings for this draft. He represents a great value with the 12th pick. |
| 2.1 (13th overall) | Arian Foster (10) | Arian Foster (10) | No debate here. |
| 3.12 (36th overall) | Andre Ellington (26) | Andre Ellington (26) | The DOs and DON’Ts tool (D&D) tells me “if he’s available, do consider drafting Andre in round 4.” Ok, I believe I will. |
| 4.1 (37th overall) | Julian Edelman (41) | C.J. Spiller (32) | Our first disagreement. Every new relationship has them, I guess. This is a tough one. Julian is a fair value here, but Greg Olsen (29) and Spiller (32) both represent excellent value. Seems a little early to be taking a TE, so I referenced the D&D tool and found I should wait on Edelman until the 6th round and Olsen until the 5th. Also, the Draft Day Bargain Tool (DDBT) shows me that Olsen has an ADP of 62, so I should be able to get him later. |
| 5.12 (60th overall) | Greg Olsen (29) | Greg Olsen (29) | I got him. Thanks, DDBT! Tremendous value, too! |
| 6.1 (61st overall) | Drew Brees (88) | Ameer Abdullah (46) | I can see by the 4for4 ranking that Brees doesn’t represent a good value here. And, the D&D tool tells me not to draft Brees before round 7. My gut says I need another WR here and Larry Fitzgerald (60) is the highest one on the board. However, his ADP is 96 and D&D tells me I should consider him in the 7th round. Delanie Walker’s (48) name shows up here, but with his ADP of 125, I know I can get him much later. Even though I’m drafting him for my bench, Abdullah (46) represents my best value. |
| 7.12 (84th overall) | Eli Manning (94) | Larry Fitzgerald (60) | By using my 4for4 draft tools, I knew Fitz would most likely be available here and he comes at a great value. D&D is telling me I should wait on Eli until the 10th round. Aite den. |
| 8.1 (85th overall) | Allen Robinson (65) | Allen Robinson (65) | Duke Johnson (64) is also a good pick here, but I want another WR. |
| 9.12 (108th overall) | Eli Manning (94) | Delanie Walker (48) | Toughest pick so far. I’m the last team without a QB, so I’m definitely taking Eli here or with my next pick, since they’re back-to-back. Danny Woodhead (83) would be a solid pick, and D&D suggests him, but Delanie Walker represents one the best bargains in the draft. (D&D says he’s worth a 6th round pick.) He has an ADP of 125, so it’s possible I can wait until the 11th round and draft Woodhead here, but that’s a risk I don’t want to take. |
| 10.1 (109th overall) | Kendall Wright (97) | Eli Manning (94) | Eli is one of John Paulsen’s top values at QB and even though every other team already has one QB, I don’t feel comfortable waiting any longer on that position. |
| 11.12 (132nd overall) | Ryan Tannehill (96) | Ryan Tannehill (96) | Didn’t intend to take a QB in consecutive rounds, but Tannehill is another one of John’s favorite value picks. |
| 12.1 (133rd overall) | Brian Quick (149) | Roy Helu (112) | Quick is not a good choice here going by 4for4’s ranking. I would’ve preferred a WR here for a little more depth, but Helu (112) is the best bargain on the board and D&D says he’s a good pick in the 12th round. |
| 13.12 (156th overall) | Cordarrelle Patterson (unranked) | Doug Baldwin (136) | Patterson is unranked in 4for4’s top 150. I definitely wanted a WR here and Baldwin comes with D&D’s recommendation. |
| 14.1 (157th overall) 15.12 (189th overall) |
Philadelphia Eagles Dan Carpenter |
Philadelphia Eagles Dan Carpenter |
I set Draft Hero’s Draft Plan to consider defense and kickers only in the last two rounds. I went with their suggestions of the highest ranked defense and kicker on the board. |
In each round I was able to quickly identify great value picks using my two 4for4 tools. But, how does Draft Hero think I did? I only used 8 of their 15 suggestions, but other than Drew Brees in the 6th round, I thought all of their choices were pretty solid. They liked my team and gave it the highest in both starter and bench points. What I concluded from this mock draft is that Draft Hero is pretty remarkable and definitely great for fast online drafts. I would’ve been pleased with their choices for my team, overall. But in my home league, we have an in-person live draft where there’s no clock (other than the occasional “Hurry up, moron!), so I’ll be using my print outs of the Draft Day Bargain Tool and the DOs and DON’Ts tool as I confidently draft my way to a 3rd Consecutive McColtskey Trophy for my beloved Mighty Cows!
