How-to guide Draft order

How to Set Up a Snake Draft

Here’s how to set up a snake draft: draw one starting order, choose the draft length, and reverse the order in every even-numbered round.

How to Set Up a Snake Draft

A four-manager practice draft uses three rounds to make the reversal easy to inspect. Each manager receives one pick in each round. Select Load example to populate the supplied list, or replace it with your own entries. Nothing is generated until you select Generate draft.

Input

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Ctrl + Enter to generate (⌘ on Mac)

Result

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Add your entries and generate to see the result here.

Runs in your browser. Your input is not uploaded.1–30 rounds · 10,000 picks

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Confirm the managers

    List each manager or team once. Verify the entry count against the league roster before assigning positions.

  2. Set rounds and format

    Choose the number of rounds. Leave Snake draft enabled for alternate-round reversals, or disable it for the same order every round.

  3. Generate one final order

    Select Generate draft, then save the result with its round headings. Apply any league-specific adjustments outside the generator.

Worked example

A four-manager practice draft uses three rounds to make the reversal easy to inspect. Each manager receives one pick in each round.

One valid result is shown below. Your generated outcome will vary.

Example input

Alex
Jamie
Morgan
Taylor

Example result

Round 1
1. Morgan
2. Taylor
3. Jamie
4. Alex

Round 2
1. Alex
2. Jamie
3. Taylor
4. Morgan

Round 3
1. Morgan
2. Taylor
3. Jamie
4. Alex

Round two is the reverse of round one; round three returns to the original sequence. A new random draw is not made between those rounds.

Plan the format before drawing starting slots

A snake draft is a progression rule applied after the initial shuffle. It is not a way to guarantee that every pick position has equal value. Confirm roster rounds and any keeper or traded-pick adjustments separately. If your format uses third-round reversal or another special rule, the standard snake toggle does not model that variation.

Settings and limits to check

The example has 4 retained entries. The first-round list is shuffled once. Snake rounds alternate that list and its reverse; standard rounds repeat it. The generator supports 1–30 rounds and up to 10,000 picks. It does not trade selections, enforce keeper costs, calculate player values, or update a league platform. The numbered entries within each round are within-round positions, not overall pick numbers.

Settings used in this example
Draft rounds: 3
Snake draft: On
Remove duplicate entries: On

Keep a usable copy of the result

Use Copy to place the current result in your own notes, or Download to keep a text file. Keep the eligible input list with the result when you need to explain which entries took part. A new generation replaces the displayed result rather than adding to a saved history.

The tool runs in your browser and does not upload your input. Save the result before refreshing or leaving the page. If other people need to use the same outcome, share your saved copy rather than asking them to generate another independent result.

Frequently asked questions

Can I switch from a snake draft to a repeating order?

Yes. Disable Snake draft and generate a new result. Save and announce the chosen format before the actual draft.

Does the draft generator pick players?

No. It assigns managers or teams to pick positions. Player selections and roster decisions happen in your league.

Will a later round draw a new order?

No. Later rounds follow the selected snake or repeating format. Clicking Generate draft again creates a new initial draw.

What should I check in the worked example?

Round two is the reverse of round one; round three returns to the original sequence. A new random draw is not made between those rounds.