Drafting The Franchise Player

I love the draft. Its the best way to make your team better. Fans and GMs alike know the importance of the draft. A good one can change the course of a franchise. A few good picks and your team can go from horrible to decent, decent to good, good to great. You could even find that special player who could be the one to help you bring home the ring. That in fact is the reason people draft to find the franchise player.

This of course is no easy task. There are so many prospects, many of whom look like they will be excellent players and perhaps even that franchise player. They've put together their highlight tapes. Trained for and performed admirably at the combine and/or their pro days. They've taken tests and went on interviews. They've put all this work in trying to solidify themselves as a number 1 pick. So how do you pick?

You have to do your due diligence. Understand your needs and conduct your research accordingly. Review the tape, a prospect's track record. That's the best way to see them in action, see how they have preformed in the past and see what they need to work on to get better. (Sometimes you yourself aren't able to view tape but make sure your scouts have). Look at their combine numbers to see their skill set. If you need to, bring them in for additional workouts and closer observations of their skill set. Notice how they've trained. This will give you and idea of their work ethic, which is so important to a player's and team's development.

Then of course there is the interview (hopefully a few). In my opinion the most important aspect of the draft process. Its the best way to see what kind of person your prospect is. You can ask questions about things you saw on tape or things you've heard from scouts and critics. Gauge their character. Find out as much as possible before determining if you want them on your team.

Good luck in your search for The Franchise Player.