I’m sure we all fondly remember the [“mock” mock draft column I wrote last year](https://www.themaneater.com/stories/2014/5/6/official-most-accurate-mock-2014-nfl-draft/); hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of my more die-hard readers had taken the time to memorize my prediction for their favorite team.

The point of that column was not just to make readers laugh and have them appreciate how many subtle references I could squeeze into a few hundred-word column (the Ravens’ and Chargers’ picks were two of my more clever ones), but to stress how ridiculous the premise of mock drafts is. To me, it’s no different than seeing how the “experts” fill out their NCAA March Madness brackets. After having the No. 1 seeds beat the No. 16 seeds (or deciding who will go No. 1 overall), _no one knows what is going to happen._

“Hey, Schmidt, did you see that in Kiper’s mock draft 89.0, he has the Rams taking a D-end?”

_No! No, I didn’t!_ You want to know why I didn’t see that? Because I don’t care. Unless I have heard directly from the Rams (or any other front office), then I truly do not care what any mock draft has to say. Every mock draft out there is simply an educated guess.

I find it truly astounding how so many people obsess over countless mock drafts — some even going so far as to make their own. I have no idea what the benefit of that is, other than to brag about it after the fact if you actually got a couple right.

In my mind, all a fan should do before the draft is recognize their team’s needs (in the Rams’ case, there are three O-linemen on the roster … sigh) and from there, read up on who the best prospects are at that position. Or you can get greedy and hope that your team ignores its most pressing needs for smaller ones — like if the Rams were to draft Amari Cooper and have an established No. 1 receiver for this time since Torry Holt (oh my God).

Perhaps another “benefit” of filling out a mock draft is trying to predict how the teams ahead of yours in the draft are going to pick. I’ve never seen this end in anything but frustration. Every year, I see people get so upset when the guy they wanted gets picked ahead of their team.

“I thought he was going to fall to us for sure!” is something I hear every draft night, and every time I hear it, I can’t help but laugh. Why did you think that?

“Because the Dolphins needed a tackle, not a wide receiver!” Well you’re a fool for thinking that. As important as it is to recognize a team’s needs, it in no way is the be-all end-all when it comes to an organization’s decision in the first round. There are seven rounds to this thing, guys, and most of the time, your team probably has more than one need — which means they can’t all be solved in one round.

Enjoy the draft, watch the draft. But please don’t mock it.