A1: You need to play the rookie challenges it dosent tell you how fast they are but it gives you the seconds for like the 40 yard dash and how good there hands are and stuff which will help you determine the good rookies form the jokes

A2: Look at the players rookie reports, and their IQ tests-determines how quickly they can improve and the scouting reports

A3: Do the rookie scouting challenges. If you get a gold-award you get a more in-depth report on the player. The challenges make you play as the rookie so you get a good idea of how fast they are, how agile, how good they are at breaking tackles, etc.

As a rule, I look for players with good 40 times. Quick players can improve their catching ability, agility, etc. Slow players can't improve their speed very well.

A4: Save at end of postseason-preseason, let the comp draft the players automatically. At some point you can review the draft, and get your pnp out. Just look at the players stats at that point, then reload your game, and draft the good ones.

A5: Agree with A3, fast rookies can be improved quite easily in training camp but don't be fooled by the fast 40 times. Sometimes a player rated with a 4.28 sec time is slower than a player with a 4.32 sec time when their real values are revealed. If you want to check it out, scout the players at the combine through the rookie workouts. For defensive backs, the db cover drill is better than the ball swat for working out speed relative to receivers, especially for the later round players who only have the 'rookie' drill to go through and that seems easy even with an 82 SPD back. With the DB cover drill you get to see your player matched up against a WR so you see how quick he is over the ground, how he jumps, and whether he can catch. It's a tougher drill to get gold on than the ball swat but it probably tells you more from a playing perspective even if you fail to get the rookie report filled out.

For QBs I usually go pocket presence - accuracy can be a little off with some of the QB prospects and so even a top5 prospect can look poor under the QB accuracy drill. I tend to like mobile QBs as well so the accuracy is usually a little off with those guys anyway.

For RBs, you need to think about how they are going to fit into your team. If you want a back who is agile and fast you need to look out for different skills to the team that's looking for a power back that flattens DBs and LBs. If you've got a couple of fast backs on your roster, picking up a slower back that can grind out yards might not be so bad. If you've got a couple of power backs, a change of pace back who is quick and agile could be the player who makes the bigger difference rather than another power back who is higher up the draft.

FBs, I never draft or scout as they are easy to pick up in free agency. You'll usually find 2nd and 3rd round predicted FBs in the free agents list straight after the draft.

WRs are similar to DBs in that 'speed kills defences' but unlike DBs, 'an inability to catch the ball kills drives.' You can make speed WRs into good pass catchers but they can take a couple of seasons to pan out. If you need someone to go up and get the ball in the end zone, you're better off with a possession WR.

TEs are very much like WRs. You need to think about what you need for your team. A pass-catching tight end like Dallas Clark or Vernon Davis are probably most sought after but if you have a guy like that on your roster already, you might be better off picking up a blocking TE who can fill in at a pinch should your starter get injured. If you need a pass-catcher, then obviously you need to try them out in the pass catching drill and see how they move and just how well they catch.

The OL is much of a muchness for me. The better players have better bench reps and awareness (interview result). I find the QB protection drill the hardest one to perfect, never was any good at blocking. I look for the players who have the least trouble pancaking the opposition.

DEs, speed kills but strength is also important - particularly if you're playing a 3-4 formation where the DEs are effectively DTs. A very fast DE can cause havoc for opposing QBs but only if they're strong and agile enough to get past the tackles. I still can't resist those DEs with 4.44sec 40 times though. Anything under 4.55 is likely to be a really decent pass rusher so if there are a couple under this pace, look for the ones with the better strength and agility.

DTs are like the OL, strength and awareness are key. Speed-wise, anything 4.90 or under is best. You're looking for bench reps of 35 or more to have 90+ strength I think.

LBs, for me speed wins out every time. I like to play a 3-4 defence with fast linebackers that can respond to pass and outside runs. The chase and tackle drill is the easiest one to unlock the rookie report in my view. If the LB struggles to get to the RB on the sweep, pitch and toss plays on this drill, he's going to be a bit limited in range. If he's getting their easily but struggling to bring down the back, he's too lightweight and will take a couple of seasons to make into a decent player.

DBs I've already covered, speed is the key factor but an ability to jump and change direction are also important. Catching ability is something you can work on in training camp so no need to worry there. If the vertical jump is below 35" they'll struggle to match up against the top receivers initially and you'll probably have to spend some training points on correcting that - 40"+ is going to mean little or no work there.

With Safeties, I find SPD important but as your last line of defence they also need to have some sort of physical presence. With the FS use the DB Cover drill, with the SS use the chase and tackle drill to assess their abilities to cover the open field and plug the run gap respectively.

No matter how much you need a kicker or a punter, never waste a workout on scouting these guys. Only ever draft them if you don't have any other needs. There are usually excellent kickers available before and after the draft in free agency.

Don't be tempted to trade up for players unless you have a really serious need at one position and little need elsewhere. There are some real bargains to be found in the later rounds if you follow the above tips. You can pick up several players, sign them and find that they have overalls in the mid 70s. After training camp and exposure in pre-season games they can be in the 80s and after a season as a starter they can be pushing 90.

While you're in the draft you can get advice from a scout about what player he thinks is best on the board or which position you should strengthen. His views can be found in the top-right of the screen and can be accessed using the R3 analogue controller. His advice isn't always golden though.

You can tell what fans think of your draft by the reacion to your picks. If you're getting booed, you know you've picked a player who is either going to require a bit of work or isn't seen as a need for your team. If you're cheered, then you've picked well. If you don't get any reaction, people really don't care either way. If 1st rounders are available in the second round, don't pick them automatically - they may be exceptionally slow or injury prone. If they are a player you have scouted and are keen on, then by all means draft away - just don't jump the gun and pick a 1st round talent just because he's there if you have a more pressing need that is likely to be picked in the next few picks. I've made the mistake of taking 1st round talent in the second round ahead of players I've scouted and been bitterly disappointed with a player barely scraping into the late 70s OVR.

It's worth checking out the draft grades following the draft to see how other players panned out. You sometimes get a surprise player turning out to be a top pick but Mel Kiper's big board is usually close to the end result. (I've never seen a top 5 or top 10 pick drop into the second round, although I've seen plenty of 1st rounders drop to the second and third rounds).