TealSox

For the last two years, I went with the ESPN Draft mag. Prior to that, I have gone with the Sporting News and ProFootbal Weekly. The downfall of all these mags is that they come out too soon and don't take into account free agent moves.

For example, a lot of the Draft mags talk about the Pats needing help at WR.

So with that as an example, most mocks are going to be inherently off base and useless, as you would expect for any mock that comes out two months before the draft.

ESPN is good in the sense that it places very little emphasis on its mock. At the same time, it offered better depth of draftable players. The rest is just fluff and had little meaning. For example some dialogue between Golic and the other Mike. Worthless.

Which mags have you found most helpful?

Pats726

I still like Pro Football Weekly's....NOT talking about the mock but teh evaluation of players..very true that a LOT changes after the free agency run..not sure about the best mocks...I bet a site online has that down a lot better

bevster

I buy PFW, Sporting News, ESPN and Lindy's.

Sporting News is brutal this year. IMO, their player ratings are crazy, ie Brady Quinn is a 3rd round prospect.

PATSNUTme

I get all three. I like The Sporting News and it does give a different take on some players this year because GMjr is doing the player write ups and evaluations. Nothing wrong with seeing a diffferent take even if you don't agree. He has some other players rated lower than the other magazines or on line ratings.

I rely on the PFW "big book" more because it gets into the intangibles of players more. We all know by now what most players can do. I want to know if the player is smart, dumb, a leaders, a "head case", a Patriots type player, ect. Joel Bushbaum, who BB had a lot of respect for, and now Nolan get into that stuff more.

That should be out in a couple of weeks.

BelichickFan

I don't know why an alternate opinion is "brutal". Maybe they're right. If the consensus opinion is right then one down the middle source is good enough, I guess.

bevster

If it was just one or two players that seemed to be oddly rated then I would not make a point of it. However, IMO there are many players which have unusually high or low ratings. Let's face it. Brady Quinn will not get drafted lower than mid way through the first round. He is rated as a third rounder in the Sporting News magazine.

I am all for these publications providing different analysis of the players. However, I also expect the opinions therein to give the appearance of credibility.

I consider the Quinn analysis to be as credible as rating Reggie McNeal the best pro prospect in the 2006 draft.

Do not forget the question initially posed was "which draft mag do you like most?"

If the only "mag" I buy is the Sporting News draft edition for 2007, then IMO the buyer is not getting a good source of information. IMO there are more helpful sources. The actual draft will unfold much diifferently that where the players are rated in that magazine.

And for the record, there are some alternate opinions which are "brutal" ie: racism. I dare you to tell me that racist opinions are not "brutal" opinions.

BelichickFan

Well the McNeal thing was a bigger joke and had nothing to do with the Sporting News.

You'd have to give me a couple of the players involved in the racist comments for me to look up, I didn't notice them but there's lots I haven't read.

TealSox

First of all, I think it is obscene that these draft mags cost nearly $8. For free, I can get all the information from the internet and print it out to make my own version and I know it will have more information than all the over price mags together.

Still, I have to go with the mag that gives me the most depth and coverage. 30 QBs is a lot to include and they probably only need to cover 10 of them in the new ESPN mag. Still, its good to see as many of the players as possible. For example, most mags last year didn't even mention a guy by the name of Marques Colston (ranked 47 by ESPN). Then again, they had Greg Lee, Hank Baskett and Martin Nance ranked in the top 12. None of them were even drafted.

Maybe you all can confirm since you all bought them all, but it seemed to me that CB is the most disputed position in the draft in terms of ranking the players. Houston is high on one and Hughs is low. Or both are high and Leon Hall takes a backseat one or both.

And Quinn in the 3rd? Not unless he undergoes Tommy John surgery! In two weeks!

BelichickFan

I have the Pro Football Weekly and Lindy's and they're both very good, I can't pick between them as a recomendation.

Like has been said, Sporting News' isn't a prediction of the draft but a prediction of how they'll do which is why they have Quinn as a 3rd rounder and Michael Griffin as about the 13th best Safety. The guy who did most of it, GM Jr. Russ Lande, has a solid reputation.

PATSNUTme

When you buy any draft publications you are purchacing the opinion of the author or authors.

How many first round bust have there been? Answer: many! So, if one knowledgable scout has a different opinion of a player, I like to know it. It will take 3 years (or less in some cases) to see who is right or wrong.

I dare you to tell me which opinion of players is based in racism? Being s a racist is one of the worst things that a person can be. It is brutally stupid to imply that about anyone unless there is something to back it up.

Let's see it!!!!