Mock drafts always have been regarded as nothing more than a fun exercise that has nothing to do with the big board in each NFL team’s front office.
But according to Seahawks general manager John Schneider, who was working in the Packers’ front office at the time, one mock draft prompted the Packers to take another look at Aaron Rodgers in 2005.
Rodgers was expected to go early in the first round, but on the Thursday before the draft Mike Mayock had Rodgers going to the Packers at No. 24.
Schneider told the Peter Schrager Podcast on Fox Sports that he and Packers GM Ted Thompson were studying film when they saw Mayock’s mock draft on TV. Mayock, currently an analyst on NFL Network, played two seasons in the NFL. So his mock drafts might hold more weight than that of some armchair quarterback. When he planted the idea in their head that Rodgers could fall to No. 24, Schneider and Thompson did some further evaluation of Rodgers.
“Sometimes when you’re picking (late) you don’t spend as much time with those players that you expect to be gone,” Schneider said.
That’s a revealing quote. With all the months that are spent preparing for the draft, one would think that even the teams picking late in the first round have every possible piece of information on all the draft prospects, even the ones who could go first overall, just in case the draft takes a bizarre twist.
Apparently, it’s possible for a team on the clock to be caught off-guard when a player is unexpectedly available.
[NFL.com]
