Hey folks, wanna talk fantasy football drafts? Specifically, how freakin’ long those suckers take. Had my league mates arguing about snake drafts vs auction drafts for weeks, yelling about time commitments. Tired of the guessing game, so I decided to actually time our drafts this year.
The Snake Draft Experiment
Got the crew together online for our usual snake draft. Same old setup – random order, turns picking clockwise. We figured, “Hey, 12 teams, 16 rounds… how bad could it be?”
Started the clock sharp at 7 PM. Felt simple enough. First few rounds? Smooth sailing. But then Mikey took a bathroom break during his third pick. Sarah got stuck deciding between two running backs for like 4 minutes. Jason’s kid started crying halfway through round 9. Suddenly, everyone was spacing out, scrolling phones, asking for recaps. Took real effort to keep people focused.
Finally dragged ourselves across the finish line around 8:40 PM. Almost hit the 1 hour 40 minute mark. Felt WAY longer than it looked on paper. Everyone was groaning about missing their TV shows.
The Auction Draft Adventure
Told my other league we were switching to auction this year. Blank stares all around. “How does it even work?” Had to explain the whole process: everyone starts with fake money, bids on players, nominate players one by one. “Okay, sounds fun!” they said.
Kicked off the auction at 7 PM sharp too. Chaos from minute one. Tom nominated Patrick Mahomes first thing. Bidding war instantly. My browser almost crashed tracking it. That energy lasted about three rounds. Then came the slog. People got cautious. Started nominating kickers just to save cash. Every single dollar mattered, leading to tons of “$1… $2… do I hear $3? … Going once… going twice…” agony.
Forget bathroom breaks – folks were making sandwiches mid-bid. Analysis paralysis hit HARD. Debates broke out about whether Justin Tucker was worth $2 over Greg Zuerlein. Painful.
DID NOT wrap up at 9 PM. Crawled to the end somewhere around 9:35 PM. That’s 2 hours and 35 minutes! Almost an hour longer than the snake draft. My brain felt like mush.
The Brutal Takeaway
- Snake Draft: Looks quick & simple. Reality is messy. People slow down. Got done in under 2 hours but felt like forever by the end. Best for leagues wanting something “quick” or with folks easily distracted.
- Auction Draft: Promises more strategy and control. Delivers on that… plus a massive time tax. Expect at least 2.5 hours, maybe pushing 3. Requires a committed, awake league that actually likes auctions. Do not attempt with beer-tired friends.
So yeah, if your buddies keep asking “how long will this take?”, show ’em this. Snake steals an evening. Auction eats the whole darn night. Choose wisely!
