There goes my productivity

[oochymp 2,393]

I just did my first mock draft and figured it might get some conversation going, so here's the draft with some round by round commentary (FTR, I'm Team Carrico) this is admittedly very early, so a lot of my perceptions will change as we get through camps and preseason play.

 

Round 1

1 Team Sage WR Antonio Brown Pit

2 Team Ankawi WR Julio Jones Atl

3 Team Klees WR Odell Beckham Jr. NYG

4 Team Johansen RB Le'Veon Bell Pit

5 Team Pingle WR DeAndre Hopkins Hou

6 Team Martinez RB Todd Gurley LA

7 Team Carrico RB Ezekiel Elliott Dal

8 Team Crowley RB Adrian Peterson Min

9 Team Joyce RB David Johnson Ari

10 Team Gallo RB Jamaal Charles KC

For some reason ESPN currently ranks receivers 1-4, I'm not sure I agree with that, Brown and Jones are definitely guys to grab early, but with the depth at the receiver position I'm not sure I'd use the top pick on them. I'm still a RB guy early, though I sometimes use these mocks to test out other strategies, I played this one pretty straight and went RB early. It worked out for me here because even picking 7 there were only two RBs off the board when my pick came up. I had a tough time choosing between Zeke and AD, ended up going with Zeke based on low mileage and a better supporting cast (particularly the oline) but in an actual draft I think I'd probably end up going with AD because I always worry about the rookie wall, which typically hits around fantasy playoff time. That wasn't an issue last year for Gurley, but he also missed a lot of the start of the season. Bottom line is that the receivers at the top will change the way fantasy drafts look right from the start.

Round 2

11 Team Gallo WR A.J. Green Cin

12 Team Joyce RB Devonta Freeman Atl

13 Team Crowley TE Rob Gronkowski NE

14 Team Carrico WR Dez Bryant Dal

15 Team Martinez RB Lamar Miller Hou

16 Team Pingle RB Eddie Lacy GB

17 Team Johansen WR Allen Robinson Jax

18 Team Klees RB Mark Ingram NO

19 Team Ankawi RB LeSean McCoy Buf

20 Team Sage WR Jordy Nelson GB

Doesn't look as strange after two rounds as only one team is without at least one RB and only 8 of the top 20 picks were spent on WRs compared to 11 RBs, though he grabs his top back right after the turn. Oddly only two teams went RB-RB. I wasn't paying as much attention as I should and ended up starting my team with two Cowboys, but Zeke and Dez should be weekly starts, which is all I look for in the first two picks. I was surprised to see Jordy last to the end of the round, I would not have taken Robinson over him, but he wasn't the strangest fall IMO.

Round 3

21 Team Sage RB Doug Martin TB

22 Team Ankawi WR Keenan Allen SD

23 Team Klees WR Alshon Jeffery Chi

24 Team Johansen QB Cam Newton Car

25 Team Pingle WR Mike Evans TB

26 Team Martinez WR Sammy Watkins Buf

27 Team Carrico RB Thomas Rawls Sea

28 Team Crowley WR Brandon Marshall NYJ

29 Team Joyce TE Jordan Reed Wsh

30 Team Gallo WR Demaryius Thomas Den

That strangest fall? How did Sammy Watkins last to #26? I actually considered him in the second and was really hoping he would keep falling. When he didn't I had to reassess, but I'm happy with Rawls, he did really well in spot duty last year and if he can even approach Lynch's production in that system he'll be well worth a mid third round pick. Jordan Reed was a bit of a surprise this early, but then I think I always underrate the TE position. I also think the third round is a bit early for a QB, but Newton was a beast last year and is getting Kelvin Benjamin back so he should only get better statistically, so I can't disagree with that pick.

Round 4

31 Team Gallo WR Jarvis Landry Mia

32 Team Joyce WR Eric Decker NYJ

33 Team Crowley WR Brandin Cooks NO

34 Team Carrico WR Kelvin Benjamin Car

35 Team Martinez WR Amari Cooper Oak

36 Team Pingle RB Carlos Hyde SF

37 Team Johansen WR T.Y. Hilton Ind

38 Team Klees RB C.J. Anderson Den

39 Team Ankawi WR Jeremy Maclin KC

40 Team Sage RB Matt Forte NYJ

Another run on WRs, but I actually think I got the best of the group late in the run. That said, the RBs are already starting to get thin, which is why I still lean toward RBs early.

Round 5

41 Team Sage RB Jonathan Stewart Car

42 Team Ankawi RB Jay Ajayi Mia

43 Team Klees RB Jeremy Hill Cin

44 Team Johansen WR Doug Baldwin Sea

45 Team Pingle QB Aaron Rodgers GB

46 Team Martinez WR Julian Edelman NE

47 Team Carrico WR Golden Tate Det

48 Team Crowley RB Dion Lewis NE

49 Team Joyce RB Latavius Murray Oak

50 Team Gallo TE Greg Olsen Car

This is where it turns into a crapshoot for flex players, I went back and forth on a few players and probably should have gotten another RB, especially since I'm not actually that high on Golden Tate now that he's gotta be the top guy in Detroit, but Stafford's not going to stop throwing, so someone has to catch the ball, right?

Round 6

51 Team Gallo QB Russell Wilson Sea

52 Team Joyce WR Randall Cobb GB

53 Team Crowley WR John Brown Ari

54 Team Carrico RB Matt Jones Wsh

55 Team Martinez QB Andrew Luck Ind

56 Team Pingle RB DeMarco Murray Ten

57 Team Johansen TE Delanie Walker Ten

58 Team Klees TE Tyler Eifert Cin

59 Team Ankawi RB Ryan Mathews Phi

60 Team Sage TE Coby Fleener NO

The third and fourth QBs are off the board, and I'm not a huge fan of either, both are fine QBs for real teams, but statistically I just don't see them putting up the numbers. I may come around on Wilson, he was very strong in the second half of last season, but for now I'm sticking with stocking up on position players. Jones did well in a timeshare last year and now it's looking like he's going to be the featured back, so to get him this late is pretty awesome. This feels a little high for Murray just because I don't know what the split is going to be with Henry, and three more TEs off the board strikes me as odd, though I think all of those players will be fine.

Round 7

61 Team Sage WR Donte Moncrief Ind

62 Team Ankawi QB Drew Brees NO

63 Team Klees QB Ben Roethlisberger Pit

64 Team Johansen RB Justin Forsett Bal

65 Team Pingle WR DeVante Parker Mia

66 Team Martinez WR Michael Floyd Ari

67 Team Carrico WR DeSean Jackson Wsh

68 Team Crowley WR Emmanuel Sanders Den

69 Team Joyce WR Larry Fitzgerald Ari

70 Team Gallo RB Jeremy Langford Chi

If Brees or Big Ben had fallen to me here I probably would have grabbed them, but missing out on them I'll continue to wait. I went back and forth between Jackson and Sanders, but I think Jackson has a lower floor, I just don't know that I can trust Sanders with Sanchez or a rookie QB as much as I trust Jackson with Cousins airing it out.

Round 8

71 Team Gallo WR Michael Crabtree Oak

72 Team Joyce WR Jordan Matthews Phi

73 Team Crowley WR Kevin White Chi

74 Team Carrico RB Melvin Gordon SD

75 Team Martinez RB Danny Woodhead SD

76 Team Pingle QB Tom Brady NE

77 Team Johansen WR Laquon Treadwell Min

78 Team Klees WR Corey Coleman Cle

79 Team Ankawi TE Travis Kelce KC

80 Team Sage RB T.J. Yeldon Jax

Tom Brady in the 8th while scheduled to miss the first four games is interesting, I might have grabbed him in another round or two, it's worth noting that the guy who drafted him already has Aaron Rodgers on his roster, someone values the QB spot. At this point my RBs are looking thin, I had trouble deciding between the SD RBs, and probably picked wrong, but for some reason I've never really bought in to Woodhead, I think his style is too streaky and not something I want to rely on.

Round 9

81 Team Sage WR Marvin Jones Det

82 Team Ankawi RB Ameer Abdullah Det

83 Team Klees WR Stefon Diggs Min

84 Team Johansen WR Willie Snead NO

85 Team Pingle WR Tyler Lockett Sea

86 Team Martinez TE Ladarius Green Pit

87 Team Carrico WR Allen Hurns Jax

88 Team Crowley WR Sterling Shepard NYG

89 Team Joyce QB Carson Palmer Ari

90 Team Gallo WR Michael Thomas NO

At this point people started leaving the mock, so my commentary isn't going to address other teams' picks as much because they started to follow the ESPN rankings much more closely. Allen Hurns this late felt like a steal, and again this is why I would rather grab RBs early, there are a lot of decent WRs available late, the same can't be said of RBs.

Round 10

91 Team Gallo WR Will Fuller Hou

92 Team Joyce WR Steve Smith Sr. Bal

93 Team Crowley QB Matthew Stafford Det

94 Team Carrico TE Gary Barnidge Cle

95 Team Martinez WR Torrey Smith SF

96 Team Pingle RB Frank Gore Ind

97 Team Johansen RB Rashad Jennings NYG

98 Team Klees RB Duke Johnson Jr. Cle

99 Team Ankawi RB Theo Riddick Det

100 Team Sage QB Tony Romo Dal

I thought about grabbing a QB here, but decided Barnidge was worth grabbing, he came on strong late last year and with RG3 throwing the ball I think the TE will get a lot of attention.

Round 11

101 Team Sage TE Zach Ertz Phi

102 Team Ankawi WR Markus Wheaton Pit

103 Team Klees WR Breshad Perriman Bal

104 Team Johansen WR Mike Wallace Bal

105 Team Pingle K Stephen Gostkowski NE

106 Team Martinez WR Tavon Austin LA

107 Team Carrico QB Eli Manning NYG

108 Team Crowley WR Vincent Jackson TB

109 Team Joyce WR Dorial Green-Beckham Ten

110 Team Gallo WR Travis Benjamin SD

And I finally get around to addressing the QB spot, and now you can see why I'm fine waiting. Eli isn't going to put up great numbers, but he's not going to be so far behind the better QBs that he's a liability.

Round 12

111 Team Gallo WR Phillip Dorsett Ind

112 Team Joyce WR Anquan Boldin SF

113 Team Crowley D/ST Seahawks D/ST Sea

114 Team Carrico QB Philip Rivers SD

115 Team Martinez WR Josh Doctson Wsh

116 Team Pingle TE Jimmy Graham Sea

117 Team Johansen WR Mohamed Sanu Atl

118 Team Klees WR Tyler Boyd Cin

119 Team Ankawi WR Nelson Agholor Phi

120 Team Sage WR Pierre Garcon Wsh

And when I can pair Philip Rivers with Eli I think I've got a solid platoon that I can constantly make the wrong choice from from four months this fall.

Round 13

121 Team Sage WR Terrance Williams Dal

122 Team Ankawi WR Kendall Wright Ten

123 Team Klees RB Charles Sims TB

124 Team Johansen D/ST Panthers D/ST Car

125 Team Pingle D/ST Broncos D/ST Den

126 Team Martinez RB Giovani Bernard Cin

127 Team Carrico RB Derrick Henry Ten

128 Team Crowley RB Chris Ivory Jax

129 Team Joyce D/ST Texans D/ST Hou

130 Team Gallo D/ST Chiefs D/ST KC

This is where it just turns into upside/breakout picks. As I said above, I have no idea what the split is going to be like between Murray and Henry, so getting Henry this late could be huge.

Round 14

131 Team Gallo RB Jordan Howard Chi

132 Team Joyce RB LeGarrette Blount NE

133 Team Crowley RB Kenneth Dixon Bal

134 Team Carrico RB Isaiah Crowell Cle

135 Team Martinez D/ST Bengals D/ST Cin

136 Team Pingle RB Tevin Coleman Atl

137 Team Johansen RB Bilal Powell NYJ

138 Team Klees RB James Starks GB

139 Team Ankawi RB Kenyan Drake Mia

140 Team Sage D/ST Jets D/ST NYJ

And my RBs are so thin I need to take another shot. Crowell has looked good in spurts, this pick is hoping he puts it together and gets an opportunity.

Round 15

141 Team Sage RB C.J. Prosise Sea

142 Team Ankawi D/ST Cardinals D/ST Ari

143 Team Klees D/ST Packers D/ST GB

144 Team Johansen RB Darren Sproles Phi

145 Team Pingle WR Victor Cruz NYG

146 Team Martinez RB Jerick McKinnon Min

147 Team Carrico D/ST Raiders D/ST Oak

148 Team Crowley RB Paul Perkins NYG

149 Team Joyce K Steven Hauschka Sea

150 Team Gallo K Adam Vinatieri Ind

I let autopick take care of my defense and kicker, so don't read too much into either of these.

Round 16

151 Team Gallo RB Tyler Ervin Hou

152 Team Joyce RB Keith Marshall Wsh

153 Team Crowley K Dan Bailey Dal

154 Team Carrico K Justin Tucker Bal

155 Team Martinez K Mason Crosby GB

156 Team Pingle TE Julius Thomas Jax

157 Team Johansen K Josh Brown NYG

158 Team Klees K Matt Prater Det

159 Team Ankawi K Graham Gano Car

160 Team Sage K Matt Bryant Atl

My Team:

QB: Eli Manning, Philip Rivers

RB: Ezekiel Elliot, Thomas Rawls, Matt Jones, Melvin Gordon, Derrick Henry, Isaiah Crowell

WR: Dez Bryant, Kelvin Benjamin, Golden Tate, Desean Jackson, Allen Hurns

TE: Gary Barnidge

K: Justin Tucker

DEF: Raiders

Overall a little weak at the RB spot, but high on upside, but I think this looks like a pretty good team at this point

Edited June 30, 2016 by oochymp

[Vin+ 3,121]

Certainly not bad for a first mock.

 

I don't like Elliot that high, especially when David Johnson is there, but everything else is pretty solid. I really like that WR corp as well.

[Cherry 1,302]

I like the model of drafting but not the picks. Elliott is a golden pick thanks to how much production he will get in that system. I'd consider him top 5. Dez I'm not high on. QBs are solid. Not a fan of any of the running backs beyond Zeke and Rawls. Hurns that late is amazing. I like Tate and Kelvin as well. Mixed on Gary. Tucker and Raiders D good.

Edited July 1, 2016 by Chernobyl426

[oochymp 2,393]

I'm not that high on David Johnson, seems like too much injury concern for him and his QB, not a good combo for a first round pick, then again I'm saying that after taking a rookie there instead.

 

Yes, behind Zeke and Rawls my RBs are incredibly weak, as I addressed in the OP, but I do think I ended up with four high upside backs, which is really the main thing I want in my depth. As for Dez, I think I have him as my #4 WR (behind Brown, Julio, and Beckham) before last season's injury he had three straight years of 1200+ yards and 12+ TDs.

Edited July 1, 2016 by oochymp

[oochymp 2,393]

I just did another one, wanted to see what happens if I draft first and take a WR, I'll spare you the wall of picks, here's my team. I put the round drafted in parenthesis and since I was drafting at the beginning/end I went ahead and listed the pair of rounds I was in the turn of, hope that makes sense.

 

As a disclaimer, this draft had way more autopicks than I like. We were missing three of ten at the start and there was a quick domino effect, I think I was one of three people actually drafting by about the fourth or fifth round. I was willing to go with it because I think the impact on me was probably minimal because I was picking at the end so most of the 18 picks between each of my pairs are likely going to be the same players just in a different order.

 

QB: Tyrod Taylor (12/13), Kirk Cousins (12/13)

RB: LeSean McCoy (2/3), Lamar Miller (2/3), CJ Anderson (4/5), Jeremy Hill (4/5), Rashad Jennings (8/9)

WR: Antonio Brown (1), Larry Fitzgerald (6/7), Michael Crabtree (6/7), Allen Hurns (8/9), Mike Wallace (10/11), Rishard Matthews (14/15)

TE: Gary Barnidge (10/11)

DEF: Jets (14/15)

K: Matt Bryant (16/autopick)

 

I may have overcompensated for the early QB with my next four all being RBs, but I think my WR corps turned out fine, I went with a different platoon at QB, but another pair of late round QBs I like, confirming that I will probably not be spending a high pick on a QB.

[RazorStar 4,025]

I think you took Crabtree too soon, but other than that, getting Cousins and Barnidge late are good steals. Runningbacks are dicey, but that's kind of just the nature of runningbacks these days.

[oochymp 2,393]

I think you took Crabtree too soon, but other than that, getting Cousins and Barnidge late are good steals. Runningbacks are dicey, but that's kind of just the nature of runningbacks these days.

I kinda agree on Crabtree, but I needed WRs and didn't like the next few: DeSean Jackson (who I'll note I took ahead of Crabtree in my last mock, but has the same bye week as Fitzgerald, so I decided I'd avoid having my 2 and 3 WRs having the same bye week, didn't pay much attention to that in the first mock) Stefon Diggs, DeVante Parker, Emmanuel Sanders, and Michael Floyd were the next five off the board

[oochymp 2,393]

I have no self control, drafting third:

 

QB: Tony Romo (9), Andy Dalton (13)

RB: LeSean McCoy (3), Matt Forte (4), Ryan Mathews (6), Jeremy Langford (7), TJ Yeldon (8), Rashad Jennings (11)

WR: Julio Jones (1), AJ Green (2), Jeremy Maclin (5), Sterling Shepard (10), Pierre Garcon (12)

TE: Jason Witten (14)

DEF: Bengals (15)

K: Josh Brown (16)

 

This draft started a little weird because somebody took Cam Newton in the first (not terrible) then came back and took Carson Palmer in the second (definitely terrible) but after that the guy started making reasonable picks (though he was also early taking a K and Def, but someone always is) so I went with it

[Vin+ 3,121]

3rd team best team.

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Anybody want to share general drafting strategy, just for some discussion?

 

I'm a pretty heavy RB/WR guy for the first few rounds. I usually wait on QBs (especially because others in my leagues go hard for them) and TEs, just racking up as many RBs/WRs as I can. I always draft a kicker in the penultimate round and then a defense last, because I'm a week-to-week defense guy.

[Cherry 1,302]

Depends if it's PPR or not. PPR I aim for WR 1-2. RB 3-4. Flex and TE 5-7. Depth WR and RB 8-10. 11 QB. BPA after.

[oochymp 2,393]

RBs early and often

 

I try to come out of the first round with a top WR or RB, if I'm picking late I'd rather get the 2nd or 3rd WR than the 6th or 7th RB if that's the way the draft is falling, I usually wait until the 8th-10th round for a QB depending on how the draft is falling then I grab two quickly, this year I'm probably going to be on the late end of that, then I'll use my last three picks on TE, Defense, and K in that order unless I'm looking at a great value on a TE earlier (like Barnidge in the 10th) the rest of my picks I try to balance between WRs and RBs largely in a BPA approach

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Just did a mock draft for practice. Wish it had a FLEX instead of 3 WRs, but this is what I had. Drafted 5th overall out of 10 teams. Non-PPR.

 

QB: Blake Bortles (9)

RB: Todd Gurley (1)

RB: Doug Martin (3)

WR: Allen Robinson (2)

WR: Sammy Watkins (4)

WR: Jarvis Landry (5)

TE: Delanie Walker (7)

K: Graham Gano (13)

DEF: Eagles DST (15)

 

Bench: Marcus Mariota (14), Ameer Abdullah (6), John Brown (8), Marvin Jones (10), Devin Funchess (12), Ladarius Green (11)

 

 

Not crazy about this team, but everyone else in the mock seemed to know what they were doing.

[oochymp 2,393]

not a bad team, RB spot seems a little weak, but that may just be the theme of the year

 

I just did another mock drafting #5 of ten and I decided to wait as long as possible on QB, here's the result:

 

QB: Eli Manning (12) Kirk Cousins (13)

RB: Ezekiel Elliott (1) Lamar Miller (2) Ryan Matthews (6) Melvin Gordon (8) Theo Riddick (10) LeGarrette Blount (11)

WR: Sammy Watkins (3) Demaryius Thomas (4) Kelvin Benjamin (5) Jordan Matthews (7) Sterling Shepard (9)

TE: Jason Witten (14)

DEF: Jets (15)

K: Justin Tucker (16)

 

I don't think I'll be able to wait as long on QBs as I have because for some reason in these mocks most people have only been drafting one QB, none of my leagues follow that approach because it's stupid for a real team (one of the teams in this most recent mock only drafted one QB and it was Tom Brady, have fun the first four weeks)

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Love the Zeke/Miller 1-2 punch and RB, and I'm high on Sammy Wats this year, so I love that team outside of Elijah, but for the 12th round, it's not terrible value, and your depth at WR is dope.

[CampinWithaMissingPerson 2,025]

Sammy coming off a foot injury man, those are no joke. But obviously Allen Robinson was coming off one his rookie year before he exploded last year. Sammy is still young, just something to watch. Heard he had a setback but then recently sounds like hes starting to rehab nice again. Lots of "maybes" regarding Training Camp.

[oochymp 2,393]

I might actually have a problem, picking 8th of 10:

 

QB: Philip Rivers (13), Kirk Cousins (14)

RB: Le'Veon Bell (1), LeSean McCoy (3), Latavius Murray (6), T.J. Yeldon (7), Frank Gore (10)

WR: Keenan Allen (4), Jarvis Landry (5), Kevin White (8), Sterling Shepard (9), Josh Doctson (11), Vincent Jackson (12)
TE: Rob Gronkowski (2)

K: Steven Hauschka (15)

DEF: Vikings (16)

 

As always (in mocks) I let autopick take care of my kicker and defense in the last two rounds

[SteVo+ 3,702]

You were able to get Bell 8th overall?

[oochymp 2,393]

You were able to get Bell 8th overall?

I know, I was shocked too, here are the seven players who went off the board before him in order: Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, Odell Beckham Jr., DeAndre Hopkins, David Johnson, Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley

 

This is the first mock I've done that saw him fall outside of the top 4, which is where I would think he should go, he's pretty clearly the top back IMO, so I don't know why people took Johnson, Zeke, and Gurley ahead of him, the only way I see passing on him is to get one of the top 3 WRs (which I think is a pretty clear tier) and that's just a matter of preference.

 

If he falls to me at 8 in any real leagues I'm going to be beyond excited, that's really why I was willing to grab Gronk in the second, also kinda wanted to see what that would do to my roster and overall I feel pretty good about that one

[SteVo+ 3,702]

The only knock on Bell is injuries, but if he's healthy, you KNOW he's an elite fantasy player against any defense. That's why he's the top back for me, as well.

 

As for the rest of that team, oochy, I'm not a fan of taking Gronk because of the depth at TE, but you still managed to get good starting WRs in Allen and Landry. Your WR depth is iffy, but I do remember you saying you like high-upside guys on the bench. Between White, Shep, and Doctson, you should get a productive receiver.

[oochymp 2,393]

Yeah, I probably won't take Gronk in any of my actual leagues, but that's what I do these mocks are for. I definitely ended up pretty weak at WR, but I think I've got a solid RB group. Barring injury, Bell is a start every week guy, and most weeks I should be fine starting two of McCoy, Murray, and Yeldon, and like you said I have a lot of high upside guys in my depth.

 

I'm also still amazed at how long I can wait on QBs and still pull out a solid platoon, I don't expect to actually be able to do that in any of my real leagues. I think it's a function of ESPN rankings and the fact that most people go to autopick once they draft their starters, which I really don't get but that's another discussion.

[Vin+ 3,121]

I feel like WRs are pretty easy to find on the waiver wire.

 

RBs....not so much.

[SteVo+ 3,702]

I feel like WRs are pretty easy to find on the waiver wire.

 

RBs....not so much.

 

 

On that note, one problem I always find with drafting high-upside guys for backups (like Sterling Shepard, for example) is they always put you in a tough position.

 

After two or three weeks of the season, you're looking to make upgrades through waivers, and there are a couple of really solid pickups, but do you part with Shepard knowing he could still explode? Whereas if you have a guy like Kendall Wright and he hasn't done much, you can dump him.

Edited July 14, 2016 by SteVo

[oochymp 2,393]

 

drafting third out of ten, most people were on autopick by about the 8th round:

 

QB: Aaron Rodgers (5), Marcus Mariota (14)

RB: Mark Ingram (2), CJ Anderson (4), Latavius Murray (6), Matt Jones (7), LeGarrette Blount (10), Isaiah Crowell (13)

WR: Julio Jones (1), Alshon Jeffery (3), Jordan Matthews (8), Tyler Lockett (9), Mike Wallace (12)

TE: Ladarius Green (11)

Def: Cardinals (15)

K: Graham Gano (16)

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Like your RB/WR starters, not a fan of the RB/WR depth personally, but you got great value with basically everybody else.