Mock draft season runs essentially all offseason, and sometimes even before the last season ends. But it kicks into full gear once the main waves of free agency wrap up. Teams tell you how they feel about certain positions in the draft based on where they throw their money.
The Lions, for example, took care of their linebacker issue in free agency, and they did a lot of patching in the secondary. But one-year deals at a number of needy positions still leave them with the chance to grab a player they really like at any of them.