Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

[Josiphos]

Apologies if there's another thread like this, I didn't find one by a search.

I'm interested in everyone's drafting experience. I'm only mid way through my first season, but I'm liking it so far.

Finding good people? Getting a bunch of busts? I have to laugh when I scout a guy's best trait and it's a B - for toughness....uh, next !

Discuss!

[swankyjax]

Re: Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

Yeah mixed results so far. Seems like it may not be quite as easy to consistently find studs which is probably a good thing. 2/3 drafts I had all normal development players but on the third attempt I nailed it and had several quick and a pair of superstar devs. Not sure if it is a crap shoot and I got lucky or what.

Would be nice to be able to sort combine results though. I'm curious what everyone's strategies are though. What ratings they will give up on (example being if toughness is the best attribute for a lineman, unless he's very late round and its B+, then he's off my board instantly)

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[althor]

Re: Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

Back- 4.49= 90 speed, acc variable
24 reps = 77 str.

WR- 4.27= 98 speed
4.32= 96 speed
TE- 4.71= 82 speed
22reps= 74 str..

I have been taking notes like this to try and get an idea of what I am drafting. I really don't like I cant check their development since the xp is so low that development is hugely important.

What is the point of a scout now?

[timisone]

Re: Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

I like the new scouting, only thing is if I have the first pick it is hard for me to get the best pick in the draft or even the top 5. I can of have a solid draft but that first pick is almost like a throw away pick for me. I have never drafted anyone higher than 79 when their is a few 80s in the draft.

[Gatorfan89]

Re: Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

I really just don't understand it at this point, to be honest.

I hired the highest level scout that I could (lvl 23). When I scout people, as everyone knows, I am shown the current projected draft position, and then a true value once I complete scouting. What has me confused, is that true value seems like complete BS.

For example I had a top 5 pick and needed a WR. There was a WR projected as an 'early 1st round' pick. I completed my scouting and his 'True value' was listed as 'early first round' and it changed his little diamond green. I drafted him thinking it was safe based on his true value, and then it tells me it was a huge reach, and that he was the 53rd best player in the draft.

In the very same draft I scouted a QB projected as mid 4th round. After scouting him it said his true value was as a early 4th round pick. I selected him in the late third round, and he was an 84 overall QB, and was the 2nd best overall player in the entire draft.

Now, while it was exciting to select the QB and get a steal, what is the point in scouting for a players 'true value' if that is complete 100% BS. I mean, I'm not saying it needs to give the exact spot a player should be rated. But, if a player is the 53rd best player in the draft it shouldnt tell me the 'true value' is early first. If a player is the 2nd best player in the draft it shouldn't tell me that the 'true value' is early 4th. Something at least a little closer to the real spot would be nice. As it stand it seems like you should ignore the 'true value' metric completely.

[redsox4evur]

Re: Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

I really just don't understand it at this point, to be honest.

I hired the highest level scout that I could (lvl 23). When I scout people, as everyone knows, I am shown the current projected draft position, and then a true value once I complete scouting. What has me confused, is that true value seems like complete BS.

For example I had a top 5 pick and needed a WR. There was a WR projected as an 'early 1st round' pick. I completed my scouting and his 'True value' was listed as 'early first round' and it changed his little diamond green. I drafted him thinking it was safe based on his true value, and then it tells me it was a huge reach, and that he was the 53rd best player in the draft.

In the very same draft I scouted a QB projected as mid 4th round. After scouting him it said his true value was as a early 4th round pick. I selected him in the late third round, and he was an 84 overall QB, and was the 2nd best overall player in the entire draft.

Now, while it was exciting to select the QB and get a steal, what is the point in scouting for a players 'true value' if that is complete 100% BS. I mean, I'm not saying it needs to give the exact spot a player should be rated. But, if a player is the 53rd best player in the draft it shouldnt tell me the 'true value' is early first. If a player is the 2nd best player in the draft it shouldn't tell me that the 'true value' is early 4th. Something at least a little closer to the real spot would be nice. As it stand it seems like you should ignore the 'true value' metric completely.

Tom Brady's true draft value was a 6th or 7th round pick and he is the G.O.A.T. Just a friendly reminder. Same thing with RGIII his true draft was a top 2 pick and look at what he was. Also Jamarcus Russell the undisputed #1 rated prospect in that draft and was trash. Scouts screw up all the time with these values. Also seeing how scheme affects overall maybe the WR doesn't your scheme but the QB does. Just some thoughts.

[Gatorfan89]

Re: Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

Tom Brady's true draft value was a 6th or 7th round pick and he is the G.O.A.T. Just a friendly reminder. Same thing with RGIII his true draft was a top 2 pick and look at what he was. Also Jamarcus Russell the undisputed #1 rated prospect in that draft and was trash. Scouts screw up all the time with these values. Also seeing how scheme affects overall maybe the WR doesn't your scheme but the QB does. Just some thoughts.

Those are extreme outliers, not the norm. From my experience thus far in my five drafts, the outliers are the norm. It makes my scouting very unreliable. It almost seems like I am being intentionally being mislead. More often than not in the real NFL, early round picks are top players more frequently than late rounders.

Even if your examples above are the attempted goal behind it all, those results were realized after 1-2 years, not the day of the draft. It still would make more sense to have the top 5 bust be a beast early (lets say 82 overall with slow dev) and the 4th rounder be low early (lets say 74 overall with superstar dev). Justin Blackmon may be a bust now but his rookie year in Madden he wasnt 74 overall while some 4th rounder at the same position was 84. It isn't even a little realistic.

Also, the QB was a scrambling QB who did not fit my scheme in the slightest, and the WR was a perfect fit for my scheme.

[Lukewarm]

Re: Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

Tom Brady's true draft value was a 6th or 7th round pick and he is the G.O.A.T. Just a friendly reminder. Same thing with RGIII his true draft was a top 2 pick and look at what he was. Also Jamarcus Russell the undisputed #1 rated prospect in that draft and was trash. Scouts screw up all the time with these values. Also seeing how scheme affects overall maybe the WR doesn't your scheme but the QB does. Just some thoughts.

In all fairness, RGIII looked like a number 2 overall draft pick his rookie season. It is only injuries that have derailed his career.

[jfsolo]

Re: Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

I really just don't understand it at this point, to be honest.

I hired the highest level scout that I could (lvl 23). When I scout people, as everyone knows, I am shown the current projected draft position, and then a true value once I complete scouting. What has me confused, is that true value seems like complete BS.

For example I had a top 5 pick and needed a WR. There was a WR projected as an 'early 1st round' pick. I completed my scouting and his 'True value' was listed as 'early first round' and it changed his little diamond green. I drafted him thinking it was safe based on his true value, and then it tells me it was a huge reach, and that he was the 53rd best player in the draft.

In the very same draft I scouted a QB projected as mid 4th round. After scouting him it said his true value was as a early 4th round pick. I selected him in the late third round, and he was an 84 overall QB, and was the 2nd best overall player in the entire draft.

Now, while it was exciting to select the QB and get a steal, what is the point in scouting for a players 'true value' if that is complete 100% BS. I mean, I'm not saying it needs to give the exact spot a player should be rated. But, if a player is the 53rd best player in the draft it shouldnt tell me the 'true value' is early first. If a player is the 2nd best player in the draft it shouldn't tell me that the 'true value' is early 4th. Something at least a little closer to the real spot would be nice. As it stand it seems like you should ignore the 'true value' metric completely.

If this is actually the case then I'm very happy. I was just going to look at the traits and the combine numbers and make my decisions anyway and this just completely removes the temptation to go with the true value. It's more of a crap shoot like it should be.

[redsfan4life]

Re: Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

Those are extreme outliers, not the norm. From my experience thus far in my five drafts, the outliers are the norm. It makes my scouting very unreliable. It almost seems like I am being intentionally being mislead. More often than not in the real NFL, early round picks are top players more frequently than late rounders.

Even if your examples above are the attempted goal behind it all, those results were realized after 1-2 years, not the day of the draft. It still would make more sense to have the top 5 bust be a beast early (lets say 82 overall with slow dev) and the 4th rounder be low early (lets say 74 overall with superstar dev). Justin Blackmon may be a bust now but his rookie year in Madden he wasnt 74 overall while some 4th rounder at the same position was 84. It isn't even a little realistic.

Also, the QB was a scrambling QB who did not fit my scheme in the slightest, and the WR was a perfect fit for my scheme.

Not really. Look at that draft, after Luck the rest of the top 10 was pretty horrific. Drafting should be difficult. I don't want it to be easy at all.

[EricFreakingBerry]

Re: Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

Here are a few of my thoughts:

• It took me a while just to recognize that the "scouting combine stats" auto-update as you progress through the draft. In the 6th round, I thought I was taking a CB who was still top 3 physically out of the entire batch of CB's, but alas he was top 3 physically out of the REMAINING CB's on the list and was not as good as I was expecting to see.

• Scouting linebackers seemed difficult. OLB's all seemed awful in my draft, C's everywhere outside of the top 2 guys, draft value changing from 3rd and 4th rounds to undrafted. When I finish the draft, the undrafted guys were sometimes still mid-to-high 60's which isn't as horrible as it seemed.

• When the game pops up its feedback on your pick, it displays the player's OVR. However, it is not the player's OVR IN MY SCHEME. Consider me a little tiffed when I got a "GOOD PICK" feedback on my 4th round 81 QB only to get to my roster screen after the draft to see him as a 76 in my scheme. The "pop-up" OVR's should be what they are in your scheme.

[steagles]

Re: Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

I absolutely hate the new system. I want to scout certain ratings in certain positions and I don't always get that now. Actual scouts watch film and look at certain specific things. I'm so done with not being able to choose what I find out about players that I almost just want to cheat the draft entirely because I can't figure out who actually will fit my play style.

[SyncereBlackout]

Re: Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

I absolutely hate the new system. I want to scout certain ratings in certain positions and I don't always get that now. Actual scouts watch film and look at certain specific things. I'm so done with not being able to choose what I find out about players that I almost just want to cheat the draft entirely because I can't figure out who actually will fit my play style.

I've only had 3-5 drafts so I may not have seen what you have. I thought you could see play style and scheme? And the three ratings tat can be unlocked are the highest intangible related ratings so all others are implicitly lower.

I assume players ratings are C/D if it's not one of the top 3.

[althor]

Re: Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

Here are a few of my thoughts:

• It took me a while just to recognize that the "scouting combine stats" auto-update as you progress through the draft. In the 6th round, I thought I was taking a CB who was still top 3 physically out of the entire batch of CB's, but alas he was top 3 physically out of the REMAINING CB's on the list and was not as good as I was expecting to see.

• Scouting linebackers seemed difficult. OLB's all seemed awful in my draft, C's everywhere outside of the top 2 guys, draft value changing from 3rd and 4th rounds to undrafted. When I finish the draft, the undrafted guys were sometimes still mid-to-high 60's which isn't as horrible as it seemed.

• When the game pops up its feedback on your pick, it displays the player's OVR. However, it is not the player's OVR IN MY SCHEME. Consider me a little tiffed when I got a "GOOD PICK" feedback on my 4th round 81 QB only to get to my roster screen after the draft to see him as a 76 in my scheme. The "pop-up" OVR's should be what they are in your scheme.

I just did my 3rd draft last night. I had more pressing concerns in the first draft so I didn't check linebackers. I made LB a priority in the 2nd draft and they seemed to be terrible. Either really slow with OK strength, or not quite as slow with low strength. I drafted 2 last night. Both in the 2nd round. First was ROLB 81ovr 84sp 82acc 74str star dev. The 2nd was 74ovr 87sp 90acc 75str star dev. I also drafted a RE that I will be switching to LB he was the 71st overall pick 79ovr 85sp 89acc 68str star dev. If they aren't star or quick, I dump them. With progression being an issue it is not worth the time investment for any rookie that isn't.

*On a side note.. I saw in last night's draft that my scout got a discount on a couple of the locked traits. Now, it is the biggest waste EVER. What happened is, instead of paying 5 pts to unlock the trait, I paid 3 pts. That left me with 2 unusuable points. So when I advanced to the next week, it left me with 1 unusuable point. So I guess if you get real lucky you might get the discount 5x and get an extra 5 points to unlock a trait with... woop dee doo.

[EricFreakingBerry]

Re: Scouting and Drafting: how's your experience?

I just did my 3rd draft last night. I had more pressing concerns in the first draft so I didn't check linebackers. I made LB a priority in the 2nd draft and they seemed to be terrible. Either really slow with OK strength, or not quite as slow with low strength. I drafted 2 last night. Both in the 2nd round. First was ROLB 81ovr 84sp 82acc 74str star dev. The 2nd was 74ovr 87sp 90acc 75str star dev. I also drafted a RE that I will be switching to LB he was the 71st overall pick 79ovr 85sp 89acc 68str star dev. If they aren't star or quick, I dump them. With progression being an issue it is not worth the time investment for any rookie that isn't.

Yeah, it's going to take some time to get a feel for scouting LB's based on what shows visibly in the module. I see so many C's and the game kills their draft value but it seems like if you just draft based on the combo of what you've unlocked + the scouting combine you can find guys that fit your scheme. I'm not of the camp that cuts all his draft picks just b/c they aren't superstar/quick dev, I try to at least take a sim approach that says if I draft you, I'm going to give you every opportunity to make my team. But, I do agree that it seems very difficult to progress anyone. None of my under age-30 LB's progressed any points from my XP usage after season one, and in a 4-3 all they statistically gathered was tackles and like 1 INT each.