In fantasy football, a snake draft is a common draft format used in most leagues. It is also known as a serpentine draft. In a snake draft, each team has one pick per round, and the picks go in a specific predetermined order. After a round is over, the following round is in the reverse order of the previous round.
Heres a step-by-step breakdown of how a snake draft works:
-
Determining the draft order: Before the draft begins, the draft order is typically randomized. This order determines which team gets to pick first, second, third, and so on in the first round.
-
Round 1: Each team makes its first-round pick based on the predetermined order. The team with the first pick selects a player, followed by the team with the second pick, and so on, until all teams have made their first-round selections.
-
Round 2: The order of picks is reversed in the second round. The team that picked last in the first round now gets the first pick in the second round, and the team that picked first in the first round now gets the last pick in the second round. This reversal of the pick order is why it's called a "snake" draft.
-
Subsequent rounds: The pick order continues to alternate in a snake-like pattern for each round. The team that picked last in the previous round gets the first pick in the next round, and the team that picked first in the previous round gets the last pick in the next round.
-
Draft completion: The draft continues for the predetermined number of rounds, with each team making one pick per round until all roster spots are filled.
The snake draft format is popular because it provides a fair distribution of draft positions, allowing teams that pick later in the first round to have an advantage in the later rounds. This format helps balance the talent distribution among teams and adds an element of strategy to the draft process.
