Is you are a fan of NFL mock drafts and or fantasy football then you have probably been to Walterfootball.com. It has been in my favorites for a couple of years now due to the mock draft database for the most part. But I also came back and checked out some fantasy football stuff and the other articles and links there
. In my opinion Walterfootball.com is in the top 5 sports Web sites out there. Walter was recently kind enough to answer a few questions about his great football site. Read on for my exclusive interview with Walter himself from Walterfootball.com. And of course more than just football is covered by Walter and the staff.
Q So who is Walter of Walterfootball.com? Can you tell us a little about your background?
A In short, I’m a football fan who loves to write. I graduated from Penn State in 2006 with a degree in journalism. I’ve written for several newspapers, including the Centre Daily Times, where I had my own column while I was in college. I’ve also had about a dozen articles published by USA Today.
I run my Web site on a full-time basis, so that’s how I can put in all of these hours to watch the games, write about them and make fun of the idiotic coaching decisions several teams make. WalterFootball.com is my job, but it doesn’t feel like a job. It’s a lot of fun, and I could never imagine myself not running the site.
Q Your site Walterfootball.com is much loved by mock draft and fantasy football fans. What made you put the site together and how long have you been doing it?
A My Web site started as a class project back in 1999 when I was a senior in high school. In my Internet class, we were asked to make a Web site based on something we like. I loved the NFL, so I made WalterFootball.com. I got an A on the project.
Back then, all the site contained were picks and power rankings. Since then, I’ve gradually added more features. After high school, the site became a hobby. When I switched my major to journalism, I turned the site into something on my resume. Eventually, it became a full-time gig.
Q How many people are on the staff of Walterfootball.com?
A Including myself, there are five people who work for WalterFootball.com. Matt McGuire is the NFL Draft writer. Paul Banks and David Kay handle the NBA Draft and college basketball. And Chris Park manages the mock draft databases.
Q I found your site when looking for NFL Mock Drafts. How many mocks does your database usually have?
A We usually have 200-260 mock drafts in our NFL Mock Draft database. This year we already have 413 – the increase due to the Draft Debacled mock drafts being listed.
Q Draftdebacled.com is one of your sites. What made you create another site? And can you tell us a little more about it?
A My former college roommate Dennis Field and I decided to create Draft Debacled. We actually came up with the idea during his wedding in May 2009. The market for NFL Mock Drafts is a big one – people love the NFL Draft and it garners more fans every single year. We figured that DraftDebacled.com could be a success if we built it as the perfect tool for people to create their own NFL Mock Drafts. DraftDebacled.com launched in September 2009, but we’re still in the process of adding tons of new features to it.
Q Are there plans to expand Walterfootball.com more in the future?
A Aside from adding podcasts and other new features, there are no current plans to expand WalterFootball.com. However, I’m putting together several books. One will focus on Emmitt on the Brink, and will include tons of sidestories (including the 2014 NFL Draft) not currently featured on the site. Another one will complement Jerks of the Week, focusing on all of the “jerks” I wrote about during my college years. There are a couple of other books I am putting together as well.
Big thanks to Walter for taking the time to answer a few questions about one of the best football Web sites out there.
