A draftnik is a person who studies professional sports leagues drafts and covers the draft in the media. The term is most often used in reference to the NFL Draft and was coined in the mid-1980s after the draft was first televised by ESPN. The first draftniks are typically considered to be

Joel Buchsbaum Joel Buchsbaum (1954 - December 29, 2002) was an American sportswriter who worked for Pro Football Weekly from 1979 until his death. Career Buchsbaum was noted especially for his NFL Draft analysis and evaluation of college football players. He was ...

and

Mel Kiper, Jr. Mel Kiper Jr. (; born July 25, 1960) is an analyst covering American football for ESPN. He has appeared on ESPN's annual NFL draft coverage since 1984, providing in-depth information on the nation's potential draft picks. Career Kiper said th ...

Mel Kiper Jr embodies a dream of every NFL Draftnik
, Sports Illustrated, retrieved March 30 2009. Nowadays, there are a large number of draftniks which post their own

mock draft Mock draft is a term used by sports websites and magazines in reference to a simulation of a sports league draft or fantasy sports league's draft. ESPN has run mock drafts on the front page of its website, allowing any visitor to vote towards a sp ...

s on websites, and some have even made a living out of it. In 2002, TheHuddleReport.com began grading the efforts of draftniks and tracking the success of their

. The Huddle Report awards 2 points for correctly predicting a team's draft pick, and 1 point for each player correctly placed in the 1st round. Mock Draft Scores
, TheHuddleReport.com, retrieved March 30 2009.

External links

''The Huddle Report''
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080422155534/http://www.observer.com/2008/draftniks-rise-mini-mel-kipers ''Draftniks: The Rise of the Mini-Kipers''

References

{{reflist National Football League Draft