Draft recap. How did each team do?

[Brain Dead Squirrel Chasers]

Draft recap by team.

Bay Area Bloodsucking Insects
1.05		Kellen Winslow II	TE 1	Cleveland
1.06		Chris Perry	RB 5	Cincinnati
3.04		Ernest Wilford	WR 16	Jacksonville
Brain Dead Squirrel Chasers
1.1	0	Cedric Cobbs	RB 6	New England
1.13		Rashaun Woods	WR 5	San Francisco
2.13		Derrick Hamilton	WR 12	San Francisco
3.1	4	Jeff Smoker	QB 7	St Louis
3.16		Brandon Miree	RB 16	Denver
4.1	5	Ben Hartsock	TE 9	Indianapolis
Indiana Undead
2.08		Ben Watson	TE 4	New England
3.08		Cody Pickett	QB 6	San Francisco
3.17		Bruce Perry	RB 17	Philadelphia
4.08		Matt Kranchick	TE 8	Pittsburgh
Jersey Toxic Waste
1.04		Stephen Jackson	RB 4	St Louis
1.14		Michael Jenkins	WR 6	Atlanta
2.04		Michael Turner	RB 8	San Diego
2.14		Darius Watts	WR 13	Denver
3.14		Derrick Knight	RB 15	Carolina
4.04		Tim Euhus	TE 7	Buffalo
Liquid Swords
1.01		Kevin Jones	RB 1	Detroit
2.11		Keary Colbert	WR 10	Carolina
3.13		Matt Schaub	QB 8	Atlanta
4.09		PK Sam	WR 20	New England
Nittany Dodgers
1.02		Julius Jones	RB 2	Dallas
1.15		Ben Roethlisberger	QB 2	Pittsburgh
2.02		Phillip Rivers	QB 4	San Diego
3.02		Carlos Francis	WR 15	Oakland
4.02		Ben Utecht	TE 6	Indianapolis
Parkwood Predators
1.03		Tatum Bell	RB 3	Denver
1.12		Eli Manning	QB 1	NY Giants
3.09		Jarrett Payton	RB 13	Tennessee
3.12		Samie Parker	WR 17	Kansas City
4.12		Jericho Cotchery	WR 22	NY Jets
Philadelphia Freedom
1.11		Lee Evans	WR 4	Buffalo
1.16		Greg Jones	RB 7	Jacksonville
2.01		JP Losman	QB 3	Buffalo
2.03		Tony Hollings	RB	Houston
2.1	2	Devery Henderson	WR 9	New Orleans
2.15		Ran Carthon	RB 10	Indianapolis
3.06		Nate Kaeding	K 1	San Diego
4.06		Adimchinobe Echamandu	RB 19	Cleveland
Royal Hawaiian Opihi
1.17		Michael Clayton	WR 7	Tampa Bay
2.09		Mewelde Moore	RB 9	Minnesota
2.12		Johnnie Morant	WR 11	Oakland
3.11		Clarence Farmer	RB 14	Seattle
4.11		James Newson	WR 21	Dallas
Soap Box Derby Car
2.05		Devard Darling	WR 8	Baltimore
3.01		Bernard Berrian	WR 14	Chicago
3.05		Luke McCown	QB 5	Cleveland
3.15		Kris Wilson	TE 5	Kansas City
4.05		DJ Hackett	WR 19	Seattle
4.13		Ryan Krause	WR 23	San Diego
Urza's Ragers
1.07		Roy Williams	WR 1	Detroit
2.07		Chris Cooley	TE 3	Washington
3.07		Troy Fleming	RB 12	Tennessee
4.07		Quincy Wilson	RB 20	Atlanta
Wonder Mutts
1.08		Reggie Williams	WR 2	Jacksonville
1.09		Larry Fitzgerald	WR 3	Arizona
2.06		Ben Troupe	TE 2	Tennessee
3.03		Derrick Ward	RB 11	NY Jets
4.01		Jason Geathers	WR 18	Cleveland
4.03		Jason Wright	RB 18	San Francisco

[Brain Dead Squirrel Chasers]

Bay Area Bloodsucking Insects
1.05 Kellen Winslow II TE 1 Cleveland
1.06 Chris Perry RB 5 Cincinnati
3.04 Ernest Wilford WR 16 Jacksonville

With 2 of the top 6 picks in the draft the Insects were well positioned to get impact players. I'm high on K2 and think he'll be a top 4 TE for years to come. He is destined to succeed. Hopefully his attitude wont get the best of him but he seems like he's a born winner. I felt Perry was a reach, especially given the fact that a WR had not been taken yet. I know RBs are a valuable commodity but unless the Insects thought Perry was an elite RB prospect, I cant sees how they could pass on Fitz or Roy. The 5th RB taken versus the 1st WR taken. It would have been an easy decision for me, especially given the drop-off after the first 4 RBs were taken.
Overall grade: B-.

Brain Dead Squirrel Chasers
1.10 Cedric Cobbs RB 6 New England
1.13 Rashaun Woods WR 5 San Francisco
2.13 Derrick Hamilton WR 12 San Francisco
3.10 4 Jeff Smoker QB 7 St Louis
3.16 Brandon Miree RB 16 Denver
4.10 5 Ben Hartsock TE 9 Indianapolis

I'm fairly happy with my draft. Jake tossed a curveball when he passed on Eli and took Reggie Williams. I had a deal worked out with the Freedom to swap my 1.10 pick for his 1.11, allowing me to move up a few slots in the 2nd and 3rd. When Jake took Reggie, that deal went out the window as Matt was targeting Reggie all along. Also, taking Reggie made my decision at 1.10 much easier. It was a toss up between Cobbs and Reggie for me at that point. Cobbs has always shown the tools but injuries and off field issues have held him back. He claims he's now much more mature. New England is a great place for him to learn the team concept and watch Dillon for a year or 2.

Eli was intriguing but a couple of reasons why I passed on him. I think Eli is a great QB talent but I dont like his situation in New York. I feel they traded too much to get him and the minute he starts to struggle the fans and media will jump on him like sharks in bloody waters. Also, I dont like Coughlin as a coach. He did well with Brunell in Jax but Brunell never put up good fantasy numbers. Coughlin has been known more as a ball control, defensive coach. But maybe that's because he never had a QB like Eli. Add in the fact that I have Hasselback signed for an additional 4 years QB was not a pressing concern for me.

I love Woods and his potential in SF. SF is looking for a new offense and with both veteran WR gone from last year, this leaves a great opportunity for Woods to come in a produce right away. Luckily the guy I wanted to move up in the 2nd to draft fell to me anyway. Derrick Hamilton is a young raw talent but give him a couple years and he can form a dynamic duo alongside Woods. Smoker, Miree, and Harstock are all projects with huge question marks.
Overall grade: B.

Indiana Undead
2.08 Ben Watson TE 4 New England
3.08 Cody Pickett QB 6 San Francisco
3.17 Bruce Perry RB 17 Philadelphia
4.08 Matt Kranchick TE 8 Pittsburgh

The Undead didnt have a pick until 25th pick in the draft. It's tough to get impact players at that point. Watson is a 1st rounder but will be competing with a stable of TEs. He may emerge though but it seems unlikely this year. Pickett is a nice player who fell in the NFL draft. The Niners QB situation is still up in the air with Rattay hurt and Dorsey, a 7th round pick from 2003, still unproven. Who knows, Pickett could be the man come 2006.
Overall grade: C-.

Jersey Toxic Waste
1.04 Stephen Jackson RB 4 St Louis
1.14 Michael Jenkins WR 6 Atlanta
2.04 Michael Turner RB 8 San Diego
2.14 Darius Watts WR 13 Denver
3.14 Derrick Knight RB 15 Carolina
4.04 Tim Euhus TE 7 Buffalo

Jersey had a solid draft. Steven Jackson will have to wait a year or 2 but when he gets the keys to the St. Louis offense he's golden. I had Jenkins a bit lower than WR 6 but if Vick can stay healthy the Atl offense will be spectacular. "Burner" Turner is a speedster who can flat out fly. This seems like a home run swing hoping LT will leave after his contract is up. LT isn't going anywhere as long as the Chargers have their franchise tag. Darius Watts is intriguing. Shanny's been looking for replacements at WR. Rod Smith is one year older, Easy Ed has retired and Leile has disappointed. The opportunity is there.
Overall grade: B+

Liquid Swords
1.01 Kevin Jones RB 1 Detroit
2.11 Keary Colbert WR 10 Carolina
3.13 Matt Schaub QB 8 Atlanta
4.09 PK Sam WR 20 New England

I cant argue with the #1 overall pick. He has the best chance to make an impact this year. Detroit is young and things are looking up. KJ has the chance to be elite. Colbert was overshadowed by Mike Williams but has quietly produced great numbers for the Trojans. Good value at 2.11. He could team with Steve Smith and become a formidable duo. Schaub and Sam are decent sleepers.
Overall grade: B+.

Nittany Dodgers
1.02 Julius Jones RB 2 Dallas
1.15 Ben Roethlisberger QB 2 Pittsburgh
2.02 Phillip Rivers QB 4 San Diego
3.02 Carlos Francis WR 15 Oakland
4.02 Ben Utecht TE 6 Indianapolis

I love the Dodger's draft. They got an impact player in Julius Jones and grabbed great value with Big Ben and Rivers even though they already have Pennington on board. Give those blue chip prospects a couple years to produce and the Dodgers can have excellent trade bait.
Overall grade: A.

Parkwood Predators
1.03 Tatum Bell RB 3 Denver
1.12 Eli Manning QB 1 NY Giants
3.09 Jarrett Payton RB 13 Tennessee
3.12 Samie Parker WR 17 Kansas City
4.12 Jericho Cotchery WR 22 NY Jets

The Predators got the guy they wanted in Bell and picked up excellent value when Eli slid down to the bottom of the first. Bell is the quintessential Denver back, if he can learn to hold on to the ball and learn the system he can dominate. Eli is in a tough situation but is too good to pass this late in the draft.
Overall grade: A-.

Philadelphia Freedom
1.11 Lee Evans WR 4 Buffalo
1.16 Greg Jones RB 7 Jacksonville
2.01 JP Losman QB 3 Buffalo
2.03 Tony Hollings RB Houston
2.1 2 Devery Henderson WR 9 New Orleans
2.15 Ran Carthon RB 10 Indianapolis
3.06 Nate Kaeding K 1 San Diego
4.06 Adimchinobe Echamandu RB 19 Cleveland

Philly had a plethora of draft picks. I love Lee Evans. He worked his way back from an ACL and made himself a 1st round pick. He's got Moulds opposite him to learn from. Speedy and sure handed he'll produce sooner rather than later. Greg Jones is another guy coming back from a knee injury in college. He was rated very highly before his injury and reports are he'll be used in an "Alstott" role which could mean production this year. And you never know with Fragile Freddie, one sneeze and he might pull something. I've never been high on JP Losman. He has all the tools, mobility and a good arm. It's the attitude that I dislike. Some people love him, others hate it. We'll see how it goes in Buffalo. Devery Henderson was excellent value in the late 2nd. Donte Stallworth has yet to prove he can stay healthy and Joe Horn is not getting any younger. Philly has a good chance of getting 4 starters from this draft. Great job.
Overall grade: A.

Royal Hawaiian Opihi
1.17 Michael Clayton WR 7 Tampa Bay
2.09 Mewelde Moore RB 9 Minnesota
2.12 Johnnie Morant WR 11 Oakland
3.11 Clarence Farmer RB 14 Seattle
4.11 James Newson WR 21 Dallas

I love Clayton at the end of the 1st round. He probably should have gone before some of the other WRs. I had him neck and neck with Rashaun Woods but then homerism took over. The rest of the Opihi draft look like projects to me. Moore is buried behind 3 other RBs but stranger things have happened. Of the remaining 3 picks I think Morant is the only one with a decent chance at becoming productive. Overall grade: C.

Soap Box Derby Car
2.05 Devard Darling WR 8 Baltimore
3.01 Bernard Berrian WR 14 Chicago
3.05 Luke McCown QB 5 Cleveland
3.15 Kris Wilson TE 5 Kansas City
4.05 DJ Hackett WR 19 Seattle
4.13 Ryan Krause WR 23 San Diego

Trading away your 1st pick makes your draft look very weak in comparison to others. Devard Darling could end up being good, Balt's WR situation is still very sketchy but with Ben Troupe or Devery Henderson still on the board, I thought Darling was a reach. Passing on Troupe will come back to haunt SBDC.
Overall grade: D.

Urza's Ragers
1.07 Roy Williams WR 1 Detroit
2.07 Chris Cooley TE 3 Washington
3.07 Troy Fleming RB 12 Tennessee
4.07 Quincy Wilson RB 20 Atlanta

I like Roy Williams. Fitz and Roy are so close, you can easily make an argument for either one. I thought Cooley was a reach, Troupe being taken 1 pick ahead must have flustered the Ragers. I thought Schaub would make more sense at 3.07. Outside Roy, I don't like this draft class much.
Overall grade: C.

Wonder Mutts
1.08 Reggie Williams WR 2 Jacksonville
1.09 Larry Fitzgerald WR 3 Arizona
2.06 Ben Troupe TE 2 Tennessee
3.03 Derrick Ward RB 11 NY Jets
4.01 Jason Geathers WR 18 Cleveland
4.03 Jason Wright RB 18 San Francisco

The Mutts did a excellent job in this draft. They secured 2 top 3 WR prospects and a top TE prospect to boot. In addition to that they have a couple of late round sleepers in Ward and Wright. More likely than not these guys will bust but I feel they have a better chance than most players chosen at this stage. Great draft.
Overall grade: A.

[Urza's Ragers]

Good stuff, I agree with your assessment on my draft.

[Royal Hawaiian Opihi]

Two things about my OPIHI draft... for starters... Carson Palmer's in my stable, not the Dodgers'. Second, any comments on my draft should should also include TE Jeremy SHOCKEY, because that's who I got for my original 1.11 draft spot. With that in mind, I have no qualms about calling everyone after Michael Clayton "a prospect."

As for overall Drafts... I have to tip my cap to the Dodgers. Think they clearly got the most out of all their picks... with the Mutts coming in 2nd (love their first 3 picks!).

[edited my bonehead Stevens/Shockey error]

[Preds]

Originally Posted by Royal Hawaiian Opihi

Two things about my OPIHI draft... for starters... Carson Palmer's in my stable, not the Dodgers'. Second, any comments on my draft should should also include TE Jeremy Stevens, because that's who I got for my original 1.11 draft spot. With that in mind, I have no qualms about calling everyone after Michael Clayton "a prospect."

As for overall Drafts... I have to tip my cap to the Dodgers. Think they clearly got the most out of all their picks... with the Mutts coming in 2nd (love their first 3 picks!).

Jeremy Stevens? I think you mean Jeremy SHOCKEY, but if you prefer Stevens I'm certain the Undead will oblige you! ;)

[Royal Hawaiian Opihi]

Originally Posted by Preds

Jeremy Stevens? I think you mean Jeremy SHOCKEY, but if you prefer Stevens I'm certain the Undead will oblige you! ;)

... oh yah, that guy! I'll edit my previous post. Thanks for pointing this GLARING TYPO out for all to see, Mike! :WinkKiss

[Brain Dead Squirrel Chasers]

Originally Posted by Royal Hawaiian Opihi

Two things about my OPIHI draft... for starters... Carson Palmer's in my stable, not the Dodgers'. Second, any comments on my draft should should also include TE Jeremy SHOCKEY, because that's who I got for my original 1.11 draft spot. With that in mind, I have no qualms about calling everyone after Michael Clayton "a prospect."

As for overall Drafts... I have to tip my cap to the Dodgers. Think they clearly got the most out of all their picks... with the Mutts coming in 2nd (love their first 3 picks!).

[edited my bonehead Stevens/Shockey error]

Great points Jim. For some reason I thought Palmer was on the Dodgers. They still have Pennington who's a young stud. Shockey definitely adds to your overall draft grade (in theorey :p ).

[Philadelphia Freedom]

Real nice assessment Joe. However, if we are including players like Shockey I think we need to consider all the trades that took place (that did not just involve this years picks). Soap Box may have not had a rough year this year but has a lot of potential for next year. Jim added Shockey. I added Shipp and LJ Smith and Jake's third. Not sure what other deals moved picks in next years draft but I think Lamar Gordon also was dealt (for a pick this year).

Overall, it seems pretty hard to judge them this quickly but I think I would agree with your grades:

Wonder Mutts A
Nittany Dodgers A
Philadelphia Freedom A
Parkwood Predators A-
Liquid Swords B+
Jersey Toxic Waste B+
Brain Dead Squirrel Chasers B
Bay Area Bloodsucking Insects B-
Royal Hawaiian Opihi C
Urza's Ragers C
Indiana Undead C-
Soap Box Derby Car D


Who had the best draft?

I think the Mutts did great (although I really wish that they had let Reggie fall). The Dodgers got great value and have some nice QB prospects (I actually had Rothlisberger a little ahead of Eli in fantasy terms). Personally, I am really happy with my haul as I was able to sure up for this year and add prospects for coming years, particularity after being vilified for dealing the 3rd pick.

Who had the worst draft?

Kind of hard to say, in terms of this year it would probably be Soap Box Derby Car. However, I think that by adding a lot of picks next year they can make trades or try and target a couple of blue chippers.

Who were you hoping to get (and did)?

I got all of the players I targeted later in the draft which sort of surprised me. Henderson, Carthon, Kaeding and Echamandu were all high on my list after the top tier was cleaned out.

Who were you hoping to get (and didn’t)?

Reggie Williams was my big target and I thought he would be there at 11. I really wanted to team him with Leftwich.

Biggest sleeper?

I think this could go any number of ways since opinions vary but Jason Geathers was a player that was not even on my board.

Biggest reach?

I think Devard Darling could be a very good player but I think this may have been a little early for him especially considering the other players on the board.

Best value?

Another very subjective one but getting Roy at 7 and then Jake grabbing Fitz and Reggie at 8 and 9 seem like real nice value picks. Both of the Dodgers QB’s could be real nice value picks based on where they were drafted.

[Nittany Dodgers]

I think I agree with the consensus grading. I wouldn't include the trades in the discussion, because I think the grades are accurate as far as judging what quality the teams got for the picks they had. But to each their own.

Who had the best draft?

Of course I am biased towards my own. I don't really like my third round pick, but there wasn't really anyone I liked at that point in the draft, and it was too early to play the homerism card. Other than my draft, I like the Wonder Mutts' draft a lot, though you gotta like any draft with the 8 & 9 pick. Eli was my favorite player going into the draft, so I gotta like the Preds draft. The Freedom would be my next pick, but I'm not as high on Evans as everyone else is, otherwise he'd be my top choice.

Who had the worst draft?

Soap Box Derby Cars, not for lack of talent, but lack of picks that I like. Darius Watts should have been his 2.5 pick.

Who were you hoping to get and did?

Two first tier players (by my board) and I got three.

Who were you hoping to get and didn't?

Eli, though I knew he wouldn't fall to me. I thought Clayton might fall to me at 2.2, but I knew he fell further than he should of in the first place so I knew that was wishful thinking.

Biggest sleeper?

I don't see a lot of sleepers, if for no other reason that we did a good job not letting any talent slip. If I had to pick one I'd say Tim Euhus.

Biggest reach?

Cedric Cobb, followed closely by Chris Perry.

Best value?

Lots of value picks. Fitzgerald was value at #9. Eli was value at #12. Watts was value at 2.14. There are others, but I'd have to go with Eli.

[Philadelphia Freedom]

I think I agree with the consensus grading. I wouldn't include the trades in the discussion, because I think the grades are accurate as far as judging what quality the teams got for the picks they had. But to each their own.

Probably just semantics but to me the picks each team had means the picks that they were alloted to start with. This would be as opposed to the picks that they ended up with.

Not that it matters much but if I had traded my four picks for Andre Johnson, Clinton Portis, and Dante Culpepper I think I would have done well with those picks. However, it sounds like you are saying that this would deserve a poor grade.

[Nittany Dodgers]

Originally Posted by Philadelphia Freedom

Probably just semantics but to me the picks each team had means the picks that they were alloted to start with. This would be as opposed to the picks that they ended up with.

Not that it matters much but if I had traded my four picks for Andre Johnson, Clinton Portis, and Dante Culpepper I think I would have done well with those picks. However, it sounds like you are saying that this would deserve a poor grade.

I guess I was saying what I said just for simplicity sake. It's hard enough for me to look at the lists and grade each of the picks based on their value and place taken, but to throw in the trades makes it far more than my little brain can comprehend.

If you are including players teams traded away for, then logically you also have to take those players away from the grade of the team that traded them away. That just makes it too much for me to sift through. If someone else can do them, more power to them. However, I was just saying that I agreed with the grades for the most part, not even bringing the trades into question, as I was grading the drafts based purely on the quality of the picks, not the total quality of talent brought into each team through the draft.

Not necessarily semantics, just a different way of doing things.

[Mutts]

I'm very happy with my draft, especially considering I started out with no 2nd round pick. Trading out of the 1.1 slot, and thereby passing on Kevin Jones, was difficult... but landing Dom Davis, Larry Fitzgerald, and Reggie Williams in return is awfully good value IMO. I was also able to time the demand perfectly with my move to get Troupe. I had him targeted as my #1 desired TE, and knew it would be difficult without a 2nd round pick this year... but I got it done just in time. I truly feel Troupe may pan out to be the best long-term TE performer of this draft. I am a huge Canes fan (as apparent with my Geathers pick) and have therefore watched about 95% of Winslow's college games. All I can say is that the Brown's better turn into a powerhouse team because when Kellen's team starts losing he'll simply quit playing, right there on the field. With my final round picks I decided to go volume. The way I see it, it is silly of me to fancy myself a good enough scout that any single player I selected in the 3rd or 4th would have an impact on my team. So, I decided to turn that single player into 3 players in the hopes that I am able to single out an impact player before final cuts are made.

As for the best draft... I really like what the Toxic Waste did. Maybe not flashy, but he landed 2 very good RBs that should get opportunities to shine in the next few years. I considered Michael Jenkins to be in a deadlock with Evans for the 4th best WR in the draft. Watts is getting rave reviews from Shanahan in minicamps, who is calling him a steal even though the Broncos took him in the 2nd round. Even his 4th round pick Euhus should have an opportunity to see playing time on a Bill's team with very little in the way of competitors at the TE position. Honorable mention goes to the Dodgers and Preds, who both turned in solid drafts.