Forward Together

NFL Mock Draft Competition

Saturday, April 11, 2026

8 am - 4:30 pm

California Lutheran University

60 W. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

Register your team to be on the clock

 

Calling all aspiring sport professionals, as the Sports Management undergraduate program is hosting its inaugural NFL mock draft competition for students (i.e., undergraduate and graduate). This unique competition is designed to simulate a front office experience for strategic roster management, where rosters are built through the mix of scouting, trades, and careful player selection. Beyond just mere football fundamentals and a statistical portfolio of a player (i.e., athletic measurables and production), considerations of behavioral (i.e., ethics and leadership capabilities), health, and branding appeal components are applied. Moreover, examination of positional needs, as well as best player available, will also be weighed as part of team strategy. As such, the purpose of the event is to provide students with the opportunity to learn and enhance the integral parts of decision-making towards:

  • Player valuations
  • Responsibilities of front office communications (i.e., player assessment, trade talks, marketability, among others)
  • Removal of biases in discussing the collection of information amongst team members 

Competition Logistics:

Each student team participating is randomly assigned an NFL team and will possess/control their picks in accordance to the real draft positioning (i.e., based on the April 2026 NFL draft). For picks to be official, at least one representative from each team must bring the full details (via distributed selection cards) to the pick-check panel (designated table near the front of the draft room). Once the pick is determined acceptable, it will be uploaded via a shared Google spreadsheet in real time to alert all teams and judges before the pick is formally announced on stage. Furthermore, all teams are responsible and required to fill out an associating survey outline detailing the justification behind every pick (this includes, but is not limited to):

  • Statistical evaluation of draft eligible players by position
  • Plausible impact to existing team dynamics and culture
  • Behavioral attributes, as well as branding appeal
  • Extent of moves for short and long term objectives

All survey outlines are judged by sport industry professionals and existing players (names to be updated via webpage). 

Please note: Survey outlines will be shared via our virtual orientation that will take place two months prior to the competition. Date and proposed time will be sent via email to associating teams.

Draft Rounds:

Each team can have 4-6 people

The competition will be a two round draft (tailored specifically towards the first and second rounds) with an allotted time block of 5 minutes per each pick. 

  • 1st round at maximum - expected timeframe of 2 hours and forty minutes
  • 2nd round at maximum - expected timeframe of 2 hours and forty minutes

Trade Rules:

Each team, at their discretion, can decide to move up or down (pick order) during the duration of the draft, in addition to obtaining current players on NFL rosters. To clarify, teams are eligible to trade back for additional picks in the third rounds and beyond. However, explanations via the survey outlines are required to provide reasoning and prospecting certain non-selected talent to be sought if such moves are implemented. 

Similarly to standard picks, for trades to be official, at least one representative from each team must bring the full details (via distributed trade cards) to the trade-check panel (designated table near the front of the draft room). Once the trade is determined acceptable (i.e., meets criteria for player value, contractual details [dead cap, clearing space, etc.], and team context), it will be uploaded via a shared Google spreadsheet in real time to alert all teams and judges before the trade is formally announced on stage. 

More details on trade rules will be provided at the virtual orientation to explain and answer any questions regarding managing the hard cap per the NFL. 

Draft Day Outline:

  • 8 am - Teams gather at the on-campus designated location (to be provided at virtual orientation). Each team is assigned their own rectangular table with chairs in a prospective room of 32 teams. 
  • 8:30 am - The draft officially begins: The commissioner announces: “The ______ are now on the clock.”
  • 11:10 am - Round 1 concludes
  • Lunch Break - 11:15 am - 12:15 pm
    • Catered food for an hour and the opportunity to network with judges
  • 12:30 pm - Round 2 begins
  • 3:10 pm - Round 2 concludes
  • 3:20 pm - 4 pm - survey assessments are judged as they are submitted in order
  • Winners announced (trophies and additional prizes to be discussed at virtual orientation)

Sponsorship Opportunities:

Please contact Competition Director Mark Orlando at orlando@callutheran.edu for all information on sponsorship packages available.

NFL Draft Judges

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Mark Orlando

Assistant Professor and Director of Sports Management Program

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Artis Twyman

Vice President, Communications at Los Angeles Rams

More Coming Soon!

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