Rob Gronkowski is a wild card who will give fantasy owners a difficult choice to make in Round 3

Stephen Curry just led his team to the NBA Championship by knocking down a record 98 three-point shots in the Warriors’ magical playoff run. You think that happens by accident? That’s countless hours in the gym hoisting up shot after shot. He doesn’t just wake up on gameday and start preparing at the morning shoot-around. No, that shoot-around is used to loosen up and remember all the work done in the past.

Now think of THAT guy at your draft that strolls in with the fantasy football magazine published in June. He doesn’t want to win. He’s a player, but is he a PLAYER? Mock drafting in the summer isn’t just for the degenerates who don’t like fantasy baseball. On second thought…it is a valuable way to prepare for your real draft later in the year, regardless. You can test out different strategies and get a feel for where certain players get selected. As Louis Pasteur said, “fortune favors the prepared mind.”

Below, I will perform a general walk-through of a 10-team standard-scoring mock draft. Since most drafts utilize the snake method, I will categorize the three draft positions as HEAD, BODY and TAIL. For a more specific mock draft experience, I highly recommend utilizing our free Mock Draft Simulator. It is an amazing tool with no two drafts being the same.

The Head (Picks 1-3)

• Round 1 – You are taking a running back here. It’s a matter of preference. The choices are Jamaal Charles, Adrian Peterson, Eddie Lacy, Marshawn Lynch, and Le’Veon Bell. Just remember that Bell is currently suspended for the first three games of the season.

• Rounds 2 & 3 – One of the negatives of drafting from the HEAD is that you have to wait a long time for your second pick (14-18 picks). You will get back-to-back picks though. Most of the elite running backs should be gone, and a run on the elite wide receivers probably started. These two picks go a long way in determining the rest of your draft. If you are not comfortable with Carlos Hyde or Jonathan Stewart as your RB2, then you may want to draft C.J. Anderson or Jeremy Hill if they are available. Since you possess one of the top running backs already, you might want to lock down one or two of the last elite wide receivers. Calvin Johnson, A.J. Green, and Randall Cobb may be available. Taking one running back and one wide receiver is definitely feasible. I think the wild card here is Rob Gronkowski. He is an elite tight end and gives such a huge advantage over all the other tight ends that you may want to take him in round 2 if he’s still there. He won’t make it back to you in Round 4. You could also go quarterback here with Andrew Luck or Aaron Rodgers. If you really want them, you probably have to take them here. In a one quarterback league, I wouldn’t advise taking a quarterback so early, but it’s your team.

• Rounds 4 & 5 – A lot of wide receivers and running backs are here. This is where Carlos Hyde, Frank Gore, Jordan Matthews, and Keenan Allen go. Peyton Manning usually sneaks in this range. The tight end run usually begins in Round 6, so if you want Travis Kelce or Greg Olsen you have to reach for them. Same goes for Amari Cooper.

• Rounds 6 & 7 – Quarterbacks and tight ends start flying off the board here. The next tier of running backs start going in Round 8, so if you want Latavius Murray or Joseph Randle, you’ll have to grab them here (if not earlier).

• Rounds 8 & 9 – Running backs in this range are Giovani Bernard and Rashad Jennings. As for wide receivers, Roddy White and Larry Fitzgerald are here. The Seattle defense usually goes in Round 9. I don’t recommend taking a defense this early, but if you want them, you will have to pay for them here.

• Rounds 10 & 11 – Ryan Tannehill, Matthew Stafford and Eli Manning go in this range. This is why you can wait for a quarterback in one quarterback leagues. You may find Devonta Freeman and Charles Sims here. For wide receivers, Allen Robinson and Charles Johnson are in this range. The Texans, Bills and Jets DST come off the board in these rounds.

• Rounds 12 & 13 – Jameis Winston and Sam Bradford are here. Bishop Sankey and Duke Johnson are the kind of running backs available. Anquan Boldin and DeVante Parker are the caliber of wide receivers here. Jordan Cameron and Jason Witten are the last of the viable tight ends.

• Rounds 14 & 15 – Defenses and kickers.

The Body (Picks 4-7)

• Round 1 – Being in the middle affords the most flexibility in the draft. You probably won’t have to reach too often and can let the draft come to you. You can draft the top running back left or scoop up the top wide receiver. Drafting from the middle depends on your mindset, emotional state and how much alcohol you consumed. You can be proactive or reactive without getting punished too severely if you make a mistake.

• Round 2 – The elite running backs should be gone. If one falls, you are in a prime position to take advantage. There should be plenty of elite wide receivers here as well. So after Round 2, you could have an elite running back with a top wide receiver, two elite running backs, or two elite wide receivers. You could even go elite tight end and elite quarterback if you are feeling frisky and drank too much, but I wouldn’t recommend that.

• Round 3 – This is where the fork in the road occurs. You can go wide receiver or running back. You can go tight end, especially if Gronkowski or Graham are there. Depending on how your Rounds 1 and 2 went, you could have an elite running back, elite wide receiver and an elite tight end. Not bad. You could also go quarterback here, possibly Aaron Rodgers.

For analysis on Rounds 4 and beyond, look above in the HEAD section and it should be applicable here. As mentioned before, being in the middle affords the luxury of not having to reach for a player and puts you in a position to take advantage of players that slide.

The Tail (Picks 8-10)

• Rounds 1 & 2 – Matt Forte, LeSean McCoy, Arian Foster and DeMarco Murray should be there for the taking. If you value the running back position, you may be able to acquire two elite running backs here. At least one of these elite wide receivers will be there for the taking as well: Dez Bryant, Odell Beckham, Demaryius Thomas and Jordy Nelson. You can go elite running back with an elite wide receiver, two elite running backs or two elite wide receivers. Whichever direction you go, that makes for a solid foundation.

• Rounds 3 & 4 – As with the HEAD, you have to wait a whopping 14-18 picks. If you choose to go running back here, Melvin Gordon and Justin Forsett should be available. Emmanuel Sanders and Mike Evans could be the wide receiver choices. Once again, if Gronk or Graham are there, you could go elite tight end here. Same with the quarterback position.

For analysis on Round 5 and beyond, look above in the HEAD section and it should be applicable here. The wait between Rounds 2 and 3 is tough, but the caliber of player that you can get in the first two rounds makes it manageable. You can build a solid foundation with those first two picks.

Conclusion

I prefer drafting from the BODY or the TAIL, but that’s just me. At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter where you draft, as long as you draft the “right” guys. I’d recommend mock drafting often and from different positions so that you really get a feel for where certain players are going and what kind of team you can construct from each position. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will be at your real draft.

Check out our Free Draft Simulator to get your practice in early 

Stan Son is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Stan, check out his archive and follow him @Stan_Son.