NFL Draft Site Rankings
by Matt Miller
If you are looking for a mock draft in preparation for the 2009 NFL Draft, you have many options online. It’s easy to find a site giving you scouting reports, mock drafts and rankings, but which are the best? We’ve taken ourselves out of the running, to be fair, and ranked the best NFL draft sites we could find.
Please note that sources such as Mel Kiper, Scouts Inc. and War Room are not included here. Each is linked to a mainstream media site and are not stand-alone draft Web sites.
Yes: A very detailed and thorough list of 2009 seniors. You can sort by player, position, school and even measurables. NFL Draft Scout has cornered the market, with good sponsorships and marketing appeal.
No: A annual subscription fee of $25. Paying for draft information is fine, and you certainly get a lot of information, but there are many free sites to supplement their info with.
Yes: We love the mock draft, which is always very in-depth and updated frequently. Scott Wright, the owner, also has a good following on a forum that is pretty active. One of the godfathers of NFL Draft coverage online.
No: The scouting reports are thin, especially compared to the mock draft. We’d like to see more updates of the scouting reports and rankings. Bad publicity doesn’t help.
3. DraftDaddy
Yes: Their news blog is a must-read for any draftnik. There is enough information here to keep you busy for hours, with updates from NFL free agent signings through undrafted college players.
No: The site isn’t that easy to navigate. The header helps, but you will be clicking two or three times to get to something. The layout is a big vertical, too.
Yes: A staple of the internet draft world. Deep rankings for the 2009 NFL Draft and beyond. Chris Horwedel is well known as a draft guy and does a good job with the site. Always top notch interviews, too.
No: Again, a pay site. It’s $25 to access full rankings, player profiles and more draft information. The layout is also out-dated.
Yes: Possibly the most active forums you’ll find. They’ve done a great job of compiling information about individual NFL teams and getting fan interaction. The draft information is solid and updated frequently.
No: There is not much here yet for the 2009 draft or any other years. A top 20 for ‘09 isn’t much.
Yes: A well-connected site with good information. Good post-draft information. A lot of different options with NFL and college football articles. A mock draft headquarters that is helpful.
No: A funny name and a layout which needs some work. There’s not much (anything?) up right now for the 2009 draft.
Yes: A mock draft database, fantasy football coverage, good draft info. More than a “draft site.” Very well connected and networked with a high Google ranking.
No: Not much real draft information. There is no scouting information, but news updates on the players. They do have up position rankings, but it’s mostly a mock draft site.
8. Draft Bible
Yes: Good small school information. A well-designed site that is fairly easy to navigate. They have a nice pros/cons profile for draft prospects. Video and images of popular draft prospects.
No: They are also selling something (isn’t everyone?). You can buy a PDF and book before the draft. The site also loaded very slow the few times I visited.
Yes: We love their mock draft and top 100 contest every year. The information is updated frequently.
No: A pay site, $10 per year will give you access to a value board, mock draft, player profiles and more. Since we couldn’t see the info, hard to rank it.
Yes: We really like the name, and the layout. A blog that gets good updates in PFT one-liner form. The mock draft from 2008 did well against the “experts”.
No: Another site wanting your money, $16 for the printed draft preview. Not much unique info and no mention of the 2009 NFL Draft. This site may be a landing page only for the book he sells.
Yes: These guys have been doing this a long time and know their stuff. A lot of small school player info and interviews. Active forums. Looks like they are re-doing a lot of the site.
No: And again, a pay site. The site is hard to navigate and seems built around a message board. Hopefully the update will aid in navigation. The Condraft.com URL sounds like a Michael Vick and friends only draft.
Yes: A ton of good information about college football, NFL analysis and the draft. Good interviews with big names. The site has four-to-five mock drafts posted with a wide range of views.
No: They have articles on how to scout, but there are no scouting reports posted. No 2009 info up yet, either.
13. Football.com
Yes: A long-standing site with a good reputation, and the best name available. Tons of information and updated news from the NFL and college football.
No: A hard site to navigate. I spent around 10 minutes on the site and had trouble finding a “draft” section. There was NFL news, college football news and draft history; but no 2009 NFL Draft information.
14. GBN Report
Yes: A great news source with daily updates. Solid lists of draft prospects. Quite a bit of archived material dating back to 2002.
No: Little unique draft information, outside of player rankings. A page layout update is needed. The site is bare of player information.
15. Draft King
Yes: Fantasy football information and a mock draft. A catchy name, too.
No: Infrequent updates in blog format. The draft information is sparse, mostly built around a mock draft.
16. Draft Ace
Yes: It takes guts to put your name in huge letters on your home page, we like that.
No: They haven’t updated since the draft, or I couldn’t find it in the 15 minutes spent there. The owner’s name takes up more room than the draft info.
17. Draft Stock
Yes: Easy to navigate with good rankings and an informative home page. A nice looking site.
No: A tag-line saying they are dedicated to bringing info 365 days a year, but no updates since draft weekend. No 2009 information up yet. They also do not have draft prospect information.
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