Creating a Better NFL Draft Experience

The NFL Draft is gaining popularity, at least on television, but it is still in the early stages of taking advantage of the mobile environment. Here are some suggestions to connect further with the audience:

• NFL Prospects For Dummies

Many viewers aren't hardcore college football analysts, and thus don't know every thing about every player in the draft. There needs to be some type of "overview" for each prospect where one can get a good idea of a player in a multi-senstence synopsis. Whoever does this needs to be honest about the player (give both the good and the bad) instead of just hyping someone up. Here is one example:

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Derek Carr, QB, Fresno St.

So this Derek Carr fellow has received quite a bit of love. There have been rumors that he's the #1 or #2 QB on a lot of teams' boards, and that he may very well be a top 10 pick. His arm is no doubt megaelite, and is probably the strongest in the draft. His deep ball accuracy is great and he runs quite well. However, at Fresno St. he ran the spread offense and rarely needed to make more than one read. He almost never took snaps under center and essentially looked at one receiver each play. He threw a ton of screen passes and faced very little pressure. When he was under pressure, he looked fairly SHOOK and his mechanics tended to break down. He was also somewhat erratic in a couple games, namely in the bowl game vs. USC. So yes he does have an elite arm, but as far as his ability to go through his progressions and feel pressure, he is as raw as they come.

Player comparison: Matthew Stafford/Jay Cutler

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(source: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showpost.php?p=43172167&postcount=1)

• Reactions

One of the most exciting parts of the NFL Draft are the reactions to a draft pick; especially the early ones. Reactions are everywhere: at physical locations and on the internet (included but not limited to social media) . These reactions come from everybody: fans, pundits, and fellow professionals. BUT, there is no place that compiles the reactions to a draft pick. I would love to see a service that compiles a complete list of reactions, in which includes a general polling of fans to see whether they liked a pick or not. Reactions can include tweets, videos, pictures, camerawork, etc.

Say the Vikings made a horrible pick (in the viewers minds), and users were polled on whether they liked a pick or not. (NOTE: When logging onto this theoretical service, one could pick their team of choice.) America is then polled about the pick and you could see not only the reaction from Viking fans, but NFC North fans and all other conference fans as well.

• Last Longer

Before the draft starts, users are encouraged to submit their entry as to which team will pick what player and when. Separate the pundits from the rest of the field to see how they fare. As each pick goes by, obviously a % of the total pool would get it wrong and be eliminated. The only goal of this is to see if anyone can correctly guess the 1st round of the draft.

• Camerawork

There are obviously a ton of cameras in whatever venue the draft is held in. It would be phenomenal to be able to choose your own camera and theoretically switch between cameras to see whatever you'd like. I bet people would even pay for this option.