The NFL Draft - Awareness

The draft this past weekend was a revelation of sorts for me. Like many of you, I remained glued to the proceedings in New York; from Jake Long, the number one pick on Saturday morning, to David Vobora, the 252nd selection Sunday night, and well into the post-conversational ESPN haze.

Yet I've come to realize over the years that many people choose not to follow the NFL draft. Over the weekend, I made calls to all the people I'm in a fantasy league with… all of them, even a guy I know who is down in South America right now. You see, I know where everyone was last weekend and I know for a fact that only a handful of my opponents came anywhere near the NFL draft. And it is no coincidence that the people I talked to who were paying attention to the draft are the very same ones who have given me the toughest battles over the years.

The knowledge all winners seem to share is the direct correlation between awareness and success in fantasy football. I spend a great deal of time delving into the concept of awareness in my new book "The Art of Fantasy Football" because it is at the crux of everything we do in the fantasy realm. Every action that we perform at a fantasy level should be based on a consistent pattern of awareness; paying attention to the information at your disposal.

There are many reasons to watch the NFL draft, the most obvious is that these are the future players on your fantasy team. Several months, a few years down the road, take a sneak peek past all the speculation, projections and opinions and recognize the simple truth: these are your future dudes; your potential 2010 star running back, your 2012 stud quarterback. This is your future team! Your fantasy future. What could possibly be not worth paying attention to about that?

There are no items of disinterest when it comes to dominating the game of fantasy football. As I point out repeatedly in my book, it is in the details where you find the keys to victory. By being aware of occurrences along the way, you gain a severe edge over your opponents. Choosing to not follow the NFL draft, a typical error many people make, is a tremendous mistake.

I learned a lot of things watching the draft this weekend. First and foremost, I was reminded just how much I love football. It is fantastic in the midst of the NBA playoffs and the start of the baseball season, to see the NFL machine back in action. It is awesome to hear Boomer and Mort and Mel Kiper Jr. and the whole gang talking up the sport we love.

And love is the key to awareness. As Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi points out in his seminal work on the subject, Flow, it is when you are completely engrossed in something that you are the most aware. In fantasy football terms, this simply means: I love football. When I'm watching the NFL draft, I'm passionate about it; I'm into it, I'm paying attention. I'm aware. It is this built up awareness strung together over time, a proven pattern of consistent moment-based knowledge about the NFL that gives me my edge over my opponents. It is literally the key that facilitates victory.

I noticed that all is well in the NFL. I love Roger Goodell's new streamlined draft moved back three hours for the west coast. It is easy to see why the NFL is a more profitable league than all the other sports leagues combined. How cool was it to see the tears stream down Glenn Dorsey's face when the Chiefs came calling with the fifth pick? I saw the absence of first round receiver selections and I noticed the AFC's emphasis on defense this coming year, the possible emergence of the Raiders, a wake up alarm sounded by the Tuna in Miami, and on and on. This past weekend will directly impact fantasy football for years to come.

This past weekend, I was paying close attention to the NFL draft. Were you?