Private Antsports Mock 14-team (1 Viewer)

[Andy Dufresne]

Silly me. I took a kicker that apparently isn't on the team.Oh well. I guess I'll hit the wire.Is Jan Stenerud still available? How 'bout Donald Igwebueke? The Vikes should put up plenty of points this year.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I'll be the first to give a summary of my team. All in all, I did the best I could with what was available at each pick. I’m amazed how different a 14 team is from a 10 or 12. There were a couple of guys that I wish I’d have picked earlier (most specifically Lelie). Lots of “what ifs” (Warner/Lewis/Barlow/Coles), but if they pan out like expected, this should be a solid, if unspectacular team. The multiple byes in the same week don't bother me as I'd rather get it done with than have one or two guys out for 4-5 weeks.

Position/Player/Round/Bye

WR Terrell Owens 1.11 10

The #2 WR seemed like the right pick at the time. But in a 14 team league, I believe it handicapped me throughout the rest of the draft. I constantly felt like I was one step behind. In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t given into temptation and taken a RB first (James or Taylor) as Jamal Lewis as my #1 doesn’t make me comfortable. Still, it’s always fun to have Owens on your roster!

RB Jamal L. Lewis 2.04 5

Not exactly my idea of a #1 rb, but after him at this point in the draft it got much worse. Still, if the FBG projections can be believed his numbers look pretty good- Rush 320/1360/9 Rec 44/308/2.

RB Kevan Barlow 3.11 10

Another “best available” pick. Could pan out well as Erickson has been quoted as being impressed with him. Being on the same team as my #1 WR bothers me, though. If it were a real league, I’d try to trade him if I could.

QB Kurt Warner 4.04 5

Normally too early for a QB but with the way my team was shaping up, I felt I had to gamble on a player that could deliver high returns. I believe the talk that he’s healed again (the effect of his injuries the last two years cannot be understated) and if so, he should throw for more than 30 tds. High risk high reward type pick.

WR Laveranues Coles 5.11 8

Spurrier, clueless as he is, wants to THROW. This means someone has to catch and Steve-o wouldn’t have brought Coles in at the price he did to not get him the rock. Even though he’s changing teams, I think he makes a great #2 receiver.

QB Tom Brady 6.04 10

Just in case Warner craps out, I needed a #2 QB that is a legitimate #1. I think this guy is incredibly underrated. He led the ENTIRE NFL in TD passes last year with 28. This with almost no running game and a #1 WR (Brown) that was hurt after week 3. That, and I just like the guy.

WR Muhsin Muhammad 7.11 3

Well. He’s a #1 receiver. But it is Carolina. I really, really, really, wish I’d have taken Ashley Lelie here. I don’t know what I was thinking as I thought I could get him with my next pick.

WR Tim D. Brown 8.04 8

Sad that he’s a #4 wr in a 14 team league. This guy has been money his entire career, which is just about over. But he’ll still get catches.

RB Kevin Faulk 9.11 10

This is my favorite pick of the draft. There’s rumblings that he could be the starter in NE as Antowain Smith doesn’t seem too interested. Faulk played exceptionally well when he did play last year and is in the same mold as Tiki Barber. To get him in round 9 made me very happy as I was surprised to see guys like Lamar Gordon and LaMont Jordan go ahead of him.

DT Philadelphia Eagles 10.04 3

Gotta take a D sometime. The’ll be one of the top.

RB Mike Anderson 11.11 10

Just in case Portis drops the ball a couple of times and Shanny gets jumpy.

TE Kyle Brady 12.04 7

There’s a different offense in Jax this year which features the TE more. He could put up good numbers.

TE Freddie R. Jones 13.11 7

Lots of buzz around him. Didn’t look close enough to realize that he had the same bye as Brady. Oh well, one of them will be waived anyway to make room for the “stud of the week” taken off the wire.

WR Antwaan Randle El 14.04 7

My second favorite pick. This guy’s electric and if either Ward or Burress go down, he’d be fun to have.

PK Todd Peterson 15.11 7

OOOOPS! That’s what you get for not researching kickers. Waiver wire drop!

QB Chad Hutchinson 16.04 3

Wanted to get David Patten and should have taken him instead of Peterson then used this pick on the kicker. Hutch is the only starting QB left (Blake and Redman don’t count as those are not officially NFL passing offenses) and lets face it, if you get to your third QB, you’re screwed anyway.

 

[dparker713]

Me next! Me next!

I'll include bye weeks, but I never pay attention to them during a draft, I deal with them in the season. And I do know that any team playing me in week 6 looks to have a cake walk.

I really like my team and think that my lack of RB depth is offset by everyone's lack of RB depth.

RB Ladanian Tomlinson 1.01 6

Well, it was the first pick and I felt that I needed to mitigate ris, so I selected LT over Priest. Had camp started and Priest was participating, this pick changes immediately.

WR Hines Ward 2.14 7

In a point per reception league, Ward is my 3rd ranked WR ahead of Moss. With the way the draft had unfolded, going RB RB here was not even considered. I had hoped that McNabb would fall, but he went a few picks earlier.

WR Eric Moulds 3.01 9

I looked at what was left in the RBs, and no one stood out. Moulds, on the other hand was my 5th rated WR. I thought that I would be able to somewhat break the run on RBs and get a mini run on WR at this point and targeted Stewart to fall to me in the 4th.

RB James Stewart 4.14 6

I was ecstatic to get James Stewart here as my RB2. Did I just say that? Yes I did and I mean it. He was close to the top 20 last year on a miserable team and he was my 2nd rated RB at the last turn behind Dunn (ppr). Mooch is a running coach and a winner and will have an immediate positive impact on the franchise.

WR Chad Johnson 5.01 6

Entirely a value pick. He was my last WR in the 3rd tier with Rice. I thought maybe Rice would fall to me in the 6th, but he didn't. After spending 3 of my first 5 picks on WR on a start 2 league, I decided that the rest of the draft would ignore this position unless a great value was starting me in the face. Also, I was weary of picking a QB here because I had several in the same area and didnt think any of them represented value.

QB Drew Bledsoe 6.14 9

While Drew slowed down in the second half last year off his ridiculous pace, he is still very much a starting QB and I was very surprised he was still on the board. I'd say this was my favorite pick.

Chad Pennington 7.01 5

The guy had an unbelievable ratio last year and I dont feel that a healthy Conway is as much of a drop off to Coles as many others do. I was looking to go QB-QB to start a run here and I liked Pennington's upside better then BJohnson or Collins who were the other considerations. The QB run started not long thereafter and I got my second guy named Chad, not a bad combo.

RB Ladell Betts 8.14 8

Im not sold on Candiate as the starter in Was and at this point in the draft I needed some bodies at RB. It was a risk pick, but QB and WR were solid and TE, K, Def werent a consideration.

RB Moe Williams 9.01 6

Goalline vulture and possible spot starter is about all you can expect at this point in the draft and Moe showed some decent ability last year. I thought about KFaulk here, and I probably should have taken him as this is a ppr league and with that he can easily be a spot starter. That and I think that ASMith sucks.

DT Baltimore Ravens 10.14 5

This is my top rated defense. I like the additions that they made and I think Ozzie Newsome is a great defensive talent evaluator, so when I heard that he had Suggs as the top player on his board, it shot my ranking of Bal up. Normally I play defense by committee, but with 14 teams I didnt want to get frozen out of startable defenses and at this point in the draft the QR and RB spots were fairly dry and I was still going to wait on TE.

RB Tyrone Wheatley 11.01 8

I needed yet another body at RB and Wheatley is a guy that will possibly see the field if he is healthy. RB depth sure is hard to get in a 14 team draft.

QB Joey Harrington 12.14 6

I like Harrington's potential and situation this year and in a league this big I think that starting QBs without competion are the most valueable after RBs.

TE Byron Chamberlain 13.01 6

All of the TEs taken in the following round were a consideration here, but I wound up taking Chamberlain because I felt he had the best opportunity to return to the top 10.

TE Daniel Graham 14.14 6

My second favorite pick. I'd been toying with selecting him since round 10 but was sure he would continue to fall. I think he has great potential and that he will be joining the big 3 this year, not Stevens.

TE Mark Brunell 15.01 7

He is a serviceable QB and has little job competition at least at the beginning of this year. QBs get hurt alot so I wanted to have depth at this position.

K TBA (Hopefully Hollis) 16.14

Its my last pick of the draft so I have to pick a kicker. I want Hollis as a homer pick. Always good to have a player on your favorite team and the Giants might actually have a good offense this year. Unfortunately for that to happen, Collins needs to always remember which side he is on and he can never seem to do that.

 

[Clark Griswold]

It is finished!!! Analysis of my draft forthcoming.

 

[tombonneau]

Let me first start off by thanking those of you who had the fortitude to participate in this epic 7-day draft. I know not a lot of you are competiting in 14-team leagues, so this was all just sort of an experiment -- some might say exercise in futility -- for you, but for me, as one my main leagues is 14 (the other is 16 -- lemme know if you guys want in on one of those mocks ) this was a very valuable draft exercise for me. I've learned a lot not only from how I drafted but also how others drafted as well.

While my league is a lot less sharky than this and there will likely not be nearly the insane RB run we had in the first 2 rounds (likely half the guys will be going QB in 1 or 2) I still feel I have a much better sense of how my draft will unfold.

That being said, thanks for hanging in there and here's my thoughts...

RB Clinton Portis DEN 1.04 -- What can I say? I love the guy, he's my #1 player by far. Very happy he was there at 4. While I don't like picking this early in a 14 (see my following comments on my R2 pick) I might be able to get him a little lower in my league. If I can't get in Portis striking distance, I would prefer to draft in the 12-14 range.

RB Eddie George TEN 2.11 -- Yuck. Not a sexy pick by any means, but the old warhorse finished top 10-12 last year. And with Chris Brown in fold, any potential injury I can address later by drafting what I think will be a decent backup. I was adament on going RB here really hoping to get Green at this spot, but Eddie is okay.

RB Anthony J. Thomas CHI 3.04 -- To me, the third round is the fulcrum of a 14-team draft. It's where you decide to go the RB-RB-RB route, or switch to value at WR or QB. I wanted to see how I would shape up going RB-RB-RB, so took A-Train. In retrospect I'd rather have taken Koren or Dante, as I'd still have had Stewart or Hearst as my RB3 a round later. However I will say in my real draft, it will likely be very tough to pass a RB in the 3rd because the way everyone will go QB crazy I'm sure I will be looking at real value at my 3rd round pick.

QB Rich Gannon OAK 4.11 -- Don't like going QB this early and likely won't in my real draft, esp. before I even have a WR in fold, but I think Gannon has it in him to light it up one more year, and I put him a close #4 right behind the 3 running QBs.

WR Derrick Mason TEN 5.04 -- For waiting til R5 to take my WR1, I could do a lot worse than Mason. A very boring pick, but he should produce decent enough numbers. Though had I gone K-Rob in R3, I'd be feeling much happier about this pick.

WR Donte' Stallworth NOS 6.11 -- Having neglected the WR spot for so long, I knew my next few rounds I would be focusing on it. Not the hugest believer in Donte's upside this year as I feel Horn will be "The Guy" for one more year, but he was the best available option.

WR Jerry Porter OAK 7.04 -- A pick that everyone saw coming a mile away. While I'm not keen on gambling that Stallworth or Porter on their own become legit WR2 guys this year, I like the odds of combining them. As I've stated, I don't believe in spending high picks on WR because solid WR2s can be had off the wire during the season.

QB Jon Kitna CIN 8.11 -- A bit of a gamble pick for me, as I wanted Crumpler here but thought that Alge had a better chance of reaching me past the turn. I really wanted to get my BUQB here, and I think Kitna will be solid if he is allowed to play all 16 games.

WR Wayne Chrebet NYJ 9.04 -- Miffed that Alge is gone, I'm slightly picked up when I realize Jolley is still on the board. The Douglas is snatched out from under me by one pick. With no other TE worth a pick here, I go with Chrebet, who I think will be a steady performer this year.

RB Chris Brown TEN 10.11 -- We're really entering the Gobi Desert part of the draft here in the double-digit rounds. Maybe too early to take Eddie's backup, but I sene a run on backup RBs when Onterrio Smith goes one pick before him (from the non-Bennett owner) so I get a bit jumpy and want to make sure I lock him up. There really wasn't much else out there, though looking back I'd rather have picked the BAL DEF as I'm very high on them. Was hoping to get them past the turn, but no such luck.

RB Adrian Peterson CHI 11.04 -- See above. I've had too many guys I've been thinking would slide get taken before me, so I just grab Peterson.

TE Mikhael Ricks DET 12.11 -- A TE with slight upside. I was hoping to back him up with Daniel Graham a few rounds later -- as a Pats fan I really think Graham will be quite good this year. Not saying he'll be the Todd Heap of 2003, but he could be close. I'll be looking to select Graham as my TE2 in lots of leagues and hoping for the best.

DT Chicago Bears CHI 13.04 -- A defense with upside (am I allowed to say that?). They really are returning a lot of the same personnel that made them a top unit in 2001. Assuming they stay healthy they should be top 10. Plus, it'll be fun to root for Urlacher.

QB Kelly Holcomb CLE 14.11 -- Butch Davis can spout off all the praise he wants about Tim Couch -- I know what I saw last year, and that was that Kelly Holcomb is a better QB for the Cleveland Browns than Tim Couch. It's only a matter of time.

PK John Carney NOS 15.04 -- I wish I knew more about Morten Andersen's status, because he was money for me last year til he hurt his calf. But I like Carney, a savvy vet kicker in a dome. I still can't fathom that some people take Ks before the last or next-to-last rounds. :wacko:

RB Quentin Griffin DEN 16.11 -- An afterthought, but if Portis goes down, I think Q gets the nod over Anderson who would stay at FB (but likely get the goalline vultures).

I'd give myself a B- on this draft. The A-Train pick really sullies the draft for me. I wish I hadn't preranked only RBs in that round, but what can you do? A good exercise though.

 

[Clark Griswold]

Great draft guys! With this being my first 14 team draft ever, I knew it would be an educational experience. With that being said, I thought I did fairly well, but I did make a few reaches. But, I guess that is what you have to do when 224 players are selected.

Here is my analysis of my roster pick by pick.

RB Marshall Faulk STL 1.06- I believe he will perform like before this year, finishing in the Top 5. I was happy to get one of the Top 7 backs in this draft, which I think this year is a must.

RB William Green CLE 2.09- A young back that I am high on. He finished last year strong and I think he picks up where he left off. Almost went QB here but figured my guy would fall to my next pick.

QB Daunte Culpepper MIN 3.06- I gambled and won. My favorite pick of the draft. I felt at this point of the draft that he was great value as he is my #1 QB. His rushing helps my running game and I felt lucky to get him here.

WR Peerless Price ATL 4.09- With the crap left at RB, it was time to get some WRs. I think Price will start off slow this year, but once he and Vick get some chemistry he will take off. A 100 catch season is not out of reach.

WR Jimmy Smith JAC 5.06- An off year last year by his standards with 80 catches. I say he still has a couple of great years left and will have close to 100 catches this year. For grabbing my WR1&2 in the 4th and 5th, I felt I ended up with a decent pair. After the 5th, I like the look of this team.

RB Michael Pittman TB 6.09- My first reach of the draft. We don't even know if he will play this year and I don't think he deserves to. However, I think he gets suspended for 2-3 games and plays. If he does, I still don't know where or how much. A wasted pick in my eyes, a no-no in any draft.

WR Tai Streets SF 7.06- Really like this guy this year. In a 14 teamer, I would be OK with him as my WR3. Not huge stats this year, but I think he will put up 1K yards and 7-8 TDs.

TE Randy McMichael MIA 8.09- Higher than I wanted to draft him, but I had to have him. I think this time next year it will be the Big 4 at TE with the addition of McMichael. He is not being overlooked this year, so I knew I would have to draft him pretty high to get him.

QB Patrick Ramsey WAS 9.06- Time to get a backup QB while some good ones are left. I think I am pretty asfe with Culpepper, so I went with a QB who has the best chance to post some incredible numbers.

RB Thomas Jones TB 10.09- This pick was probably made a hour or two after the trade to Tampa was announced. With Pitt on board I took Jones because I think Chucky might actually help him. I cut Jones a little slack because he has been in the desert.

WR Santana Moss NYJ 11.06- At this point, I am going for guys who at least have the opportunity and talent to put up numbers. I think there will be a three-headed monster at WR with the Jets, with Conway, Chrebet and Moss putting up similar numbers.

DEF Atlanta Falcons 12.09- Really like this unit and think they can build off of last year. Didn't really like any of the pther options on D and went ahead and grabbed them. With the team I ended up with, DBC is probably how I would play the season out.

RB Najeh Davenport GB 13.06- Have heard that the GB coaches really like him and at this point, I just want a RB that has a shot at some extended work.

WR David Terrell CHI 14.09- I always like having at least one guy from my team and here he is. He definitely has the talent, I just hope he puts it together. A promising start to last season.

K Martin Grammatica TB 15.06- Went ahead and took him in the 15th so I made sure I got him. #1 Kicker on my board.

RB Shawn Bryson DET 16.09- I have liked what I have seen from him in Buffalo and I think he might have shot in Detroit. A reach to be for sure.

Overall, I like my team. I wish I has more than 1 TE,K or D but that is what the waiver wire is for. I like my starters and I wish I had a little more depth, but I don't think I am the only one. I give myself a B.

 

[Clark Griswold]

Overall, I think alot of the teams are pretty well balanced in relation to each other. There are a couple of teams that are a little inferior, but one team stands out to me. I think Blackened Voodoo had the best draft. I don't know if picking at the turn was the main reason, but it certainly helped in my eyes. Plus, he made some pretty good choices. to a great draft, Voodoo.

 

[Spartans Rule]

My draft analysis:

RB Travis Henry BUF 1.10

With Harrison gone, RB was the only position to consider. Henry vs. Barber was a tough call, but I really love Henry's upside considering his age and Buffalo's offseason moves. I also think he catches more passes this year with Centers gone, important in this scoring. As for Tiki, we may have seen his upside already.

RB Charlie Garner OAK 2.05

RB was again the only position to look at. With a point per reception, Garner was the easy choice. Those teams who didn't go RB-RB had a nightmare trying to dig up quality backs, so I was glad to get my starters early.

WR Torry Holt STL 3.10

I had been hoping for Horn but he went a pick before me. Nothing excited me much at RB, and WRs were going quickly so I felt that was the way to go. I usually don't care for Holt due to his lack of TDs, but he was clearly the best WR left.

WR Marty Booker CHI 4.05

Last guy left in my 2nd tier of WRs. Another guy who works well with the point per reception. I felt pretty good at this point having both my starting RBs and WRs, but had I known Jerry Rice would be sitting there for me in the 6th, I probably would have gone with James Stewart here instead.

QB Steve McNair TEN 5.10

QB was the really the only position on my mind at this point. In a league this large I felt putting together a QBBC would be very difficult, so I really wanted to grab one of the top options. I had hoped for Brooks or Garcia but they went just before me. So, I was left with the perenially underrated McNair. A boring pick for sure, but a very safe one.

WR Jerry Rice OAK 6.05

I was rather shocked to see him still on the board. I'm not especially high on Rice, but the guy is the greatest WR in history and had a huge year last year. To get him as my WR3 was very nice. From here on I could focus on other positions.

TE Shannon Sharpe DEN 7.10

I hadn't really planned on going TE here, but with WR secure, backup QB not an issue yet and RB a crapshoot, Sharpe struck me as having the most value. He was tops among TEs in FP/G in this system last year. He's not a flashy pick like the big 3 TEs, but he should produce almost as much and came at a lot less of a price.

RB Jamel White CLE 8.05

RB was just ugly at this point, but it was only getting uglier and I had to get a RB3 at some point. White makes a good fill-in because of his pass-catching, and has upside should Green falter again. Not many RBs could offer both those attributes at this spot.

QB Kordell Stewart CHI 9.10

A few QBs I had liked more went off the board before me, but I'll settle for Slash. He seems to have big years every time he's written off. If he can continue the trend, I'll be real strong at QB.

DT New England Patriots 10.05

I usually play with IDP, so I don't have any Team D sleepers. I felt I better get one I knew and could trust before things got ugly.

RB Artose Pinner DET 11.10

A homer pick. I like what I've heard on him and I think he may be able to push Stewart. I don't like my RB depth at all, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.

WR Ike Hilliard NYG 12.05

Another good value at WR. With defenses having to worry about Toomer and Shockey, he could quietly have a big year. This put the finishing touches on the strength of my team, the WR corps.

TE Stephen Alexander SD 13.10

I really like this guy as a sleeper after the big 2nd half he had last year. He should be a nice backup for Sharpe, and if he blows up I can trade one of them.

QB Marc Bulger STL 14.05

Even though I felt comfortable with my QBs, this guy just has too much upside. I don't trust Warner's health at all. He was the one guy left that I thought could be a huge difference maker for my team.

K Sebastian Janikowski OAK 15.10

He's a kicker.

RB Jonathan Wells HOU 16.05

He could start or steal some carries or something. I like the value this late. RB was the only position I really didn't feel comfortable with.

OVERALL:

I'd give my draft a B+. While I thought I made solid picks every round, I wasn't able to do anything to set myself apart from any other team. Its tough in a draft with 14 good owners. I'm real strong at WR and TE, decent everywhere else, RB depth kinda sucks but thats how it goes in a draft like this. This team would definitely compete, but I'd need to catch a big break to win it all.

 

[tombonneau]

I agree with picking at the flip. Not to take away from Voodoos drafting, but assuming Harrison/Owens go (and in my league, I would bet the 3 QBs go in R1 as well), I'd be potentially looking at taking two top 10 RBs with those picks. I'd love to be able to do that. I think that is quite advantageous.I would have maybe made a few different picks than him. Probably would have gone 1WR/Shockey at 3/4, plus I'm not a Favre fan so would have gone another QB/WR at that flip. But it certainly is a nice spot to pick from in a 14.

 

[smcindoe]

RB Ahman Green, 1.09 - Would have been nice to have a top seven pick. It was either Green or James here.

RB Michael Bennett, 2.06 - I like this pick. I think he's going to be better than projected.

WR Joe Horn, 3.09 - Horn is #4 on my WR list, so I was thrilled to see him still around this late.

TE Jeremy Shockey, 4.06 - Ugh. Not bad from a value perspective, but in hindsight taking a TE early in a draft like this just isn't a good idea. In a real league, I'd be working on trading him for WR2 or even a better RB3.

WR Isaac Bruce, 5.09 - Decent talent with some potential upside if the Rams get going again. Not bad 60+ picks into a draft.

QB Matt Hasselbeck, 6.06 - Could be a top five QB, but considering the risk it would have been nice to have a better QB2 than what I wound up with.

WR Reggie Wayne, 7.09 - I was questioned on this pick, but given the other WRs that were going around him I'm not really sure why. He's the #2 WR on a team that should score a lot of points. As a WR3, he's not a bad gamble.

QB Jake Plummer, 8.06 - Another high-risk QB. Not a bad pick this late, but nothing to get excited over.

RB Lamar Gordon, 9.09 - I like the pick, but it would be nice to have a starter at RB3.

WR Ed McCaffrey, 10.06 - Yeah, I know, Ashley Lelie. We'll see.

RB Aaron Stecker, 11.09 - A reach, but what wasn't at this point?

WR Terry Glenn, 12.06 - Someone has to catch the ball in Dallas. Well, in theory at least.

TE Chad Lewis, 13.09 - I like this pick. In fact, if I'd know Lewis would be around in round 13, there's no way I use a fourth rounder on Shockey.

DT Dallas Cowboys, 14.06/DT Green Bay Packers 15.09 - Not a bad combo. Not great, but about what I expected when I decided to wait until the last rounds for DT/PK.

PK Matt Stover, 16.06 - He's a kicker.

 

[tombonneau]

WR Reggie Wayne, 7.09 - I was questioned on this pick, but given the other WRs that were going around him I'm not really sure why. He's the #2 WR on a team that should score a lot of points. As a WR3, he's not a bad gamble.

Yeah, I was just busting your balls bc I love Wayne and would have liked to have gotten him. Probably was a little bit of a "conventional reach" in a 14-team, I'd guess he'll go 1-2 rounds later, but IMO that is where he "should" be going.

 

[EastBayFunk]

This was a weird draft. I ended up taking a lot of players that I almost never think about picking. My team:

RB Shaun Alexander SEA 1.05

I'm not a gue Alexander fan, but I think he has a reasonable chance of improving on last year's numbers. I thought about Faulk, but I just didn't feel like taking him.

QB Michael Vick ATL 2.10

All of the decent RB2 guys were gone by this pick and so I took a QB with a lot of potential. In retrospect I probably should have taken Eddie George here although I'm not very high on him.

WR Koren Robinson SEA 3.05

I've been preparing for a dynasty draft lately and that might explain me taking so many young guys. Koren has the pedigree and stats of a future star. Even if he only repeats last year's numbers then he'll still be a solid WR for me. I thought Canidate would last to this pick and so yet again I was left without a RB that I liked.

RB Emmitt Smith ARI 4.10

I never want to even pick this guy, let alone have him as my second RB. However, it really became clear that there would be nothing but utter trash at RB beyond this point and so I had to take a starter. To get an idea of how huge a RB rush this was, Stacey Mack was taken at 3.12. I like Mack and think he'll crack 1,000, but I've never seen him go so high. It's possible Emmitt will break 1,100 yards, although an ugly RBBC situation may be more likely.

WR Quincy Morgan CLE 5.05

He's going to surprise a lot of people this season. The other WR options did not please me much and so I took Q.

RB Marcel Shipp ARI 6.10

This may have been too early, but with the way people were taking RBs I didn't want to risk losing my insurance policy. I almost hope Emmitt gets hurt so that this guy can show his skills. He's getting screwed IMO.

WR Travis Taylor BAL 7.05

The best WR value at this point.

QB Brad Johnson TB 8.10

He should be a solid backup for Vick.

WR Antonio Bryant DAL 9.05

He showed promise as a rookie. It will be interesting to see who emerges from Glenn, Galloway, and Antonio.

RB Onterrio Smith MIN 10.10

Figured he offered as much potential as any RB left on the board. Bennett's foot may be an issue down the line and this guy, not Moe Williams, will be the backup.

TE Jerramy Stevens SEA 11.05

There wasn't much better at TE and so I took the felon. I've found that you can succeed without drafting a good TE and so I rarely take one high.

RB Michael Wiley DAL 12.10

As I said, you never know.

DT Oakland Raiders 13.05

I was AWOL for this pick, but I can't argue too much.

WR Marcus Robinson BAL 14.10

He has as much potential as any of the WRs left. Having he and Taylor is a little more comforting than having just Travis.

WR Drew Bennett TEN 15.05

Should be a starter this season. He's shown some ability.

PK Tim Duncan ARI 16.10

I liked his name.

Overall I'm not too thrilled with this team. It ought to decent at WR and strong at QB, but the RB situation is a little grim. I realize that I should have just taken Eddie George in the 2nd and grabbed Brown later, but after making the mistake of taking Vick instead I think I did decently by getting the Az. backs. At least I should have two starters. However, the weakness of my RB2 slot is going to force me to give this team a C+. I was hoping to get Maurice Morris to backup Shaun, but he was taken a little earlier than I expected.

 

[Doug B]

GRISWOLD:

Overall, I think alot of the teams are pretty well balanced in relation to each other. There are a couple of teams that are a little inferior, but one team stands out to me. I think Blackened Voodoo had the best draft. I don't know if picking at the turn was the main reason, but it certainly helped in my eyes. Plus, he made some pretty good choices.

to a great draft, Voodoo.

TOM:

I agree with picking at the flip. Not to take away from Voodoos drafting, but assuming Harrison/Owens go (and in my league, I would bet the 3 QBs go in R1 as well), I'd be potentially looking at taking two top 10 RBs with those picks. I'd love to be able to do that. I think that is quite advantageous.

I would have maybe made a few different picks than him. Probably would have gone 1WR/Shockey at 3/4, plus I'm not a Favre fan so would have gone another QB/WR at that flip.

But it certainly is a nice spot to pick from in a 14.

Thanks, Griswold! I enjoyed mocking with you guys. Tom, I didn't feel comfotable enough at WR1 to go after Shockey or Heap at 4.01. With Toomer and Driver, I essentially took two very good WR2. Had I been able to get Horn or Holt, TE could have been a possibility for 4.01.

Picking at the flip is better for the beginning of the draft. I was very pleased with the starting lineup I was able to assemble. I was especially glad to avoid having holes at either of the RB2 and WR2 positions, which is not easy to avoid in a large draft.

However, for the latter half of the draft, picking at the flip loses you a lot of sleepers. A lot of guys don't make it the 26 picks back to you. Still, the flip offers a good trade-off -- a decent starting lineup in exchange for better positioning to nab sleepers.

............

BLACKENED VOODOO MOCK DRAFT

RB Fred Taylor JAC 1.14 7 - with Stacy Mack gone, Taylor gets his goal-line carries back. He's effective in the passing game, as well. Picking 14th, I didn't feel I could get too hung up on the injury bug -- I needed to swing for the fences.

RB Tiki Barber NYG 2.01 4 - in a point-per-reception (PPR) league, Barber has shown surprising consistency over the last three years. Top rushing numbers have been a recent pleasant surprise.

WR Amani Toomer NYG 3.14 4 - Though I still think Toomer has room to improve, I really feel like he's more of a fantasy WR2. But I missed out on both Holt and Horn.

WR Donald Driver GBP 4.01 8 - Driver's a legit fantasy WR2, so I took him a little early. But I wasn't going to pick up Green Bay's top WR at the bottom of the fifth.

QB Brett Favre GBP 5.14 8 - Wanted to get a decent QB after I built a nice RB & WR base. Favre produces year-in, year-out, and he doesn't miss games. Plug him in the lineup, and forget it.

WR Rod Smith DEN 6.01 10 - really a value pick, as I needed RB more than WR. At the time, there were a few decent RBs left for RB3, and I gambled that one would make it back to me. I suffered some buyer's remorse after this pick, thinking maybe I should've taken Rice. But I've recently learned that Rod Smith has taken it upon himself in Broncos minicamps to help Plummer get up to speed. That kind of intangible is a huge plus.

RB T.J. Duckett ATL 7.14 8 - some really like him a lot in 2003. I was thinking of Duckett more as a spot starter, but if he turns into a 1100 yd-8 TD back like some say, I won't complain. Honestly, I might have waited too long on a RB3.

TE Marcus Pollard IND 8.01 7 - decent -- if not spectacular -- TE production. His TD numbers have remained consistent. I don't expect Dallas Clark to steal too many touches right out of the box.

DT Carolina Panthers CAR 9.14 3 - this league awards points for points-against defense, and this convincd me to take a defense early. Carolina was 5th last year in points allowed, and held opponents to 17 or fewer points 10 times -- and that was in the first year of Fox's system. The Panthers D should be expected to imrove this season.

QB Drew Brees SDC 10.01 6 - solid backup to the iron man Favre. Brees has a little upside with David Boston on board. Still, Shottenheimer is no Mike Martz.

RB Maurice Morris SEA 11.14 4 - backup RB on a good rushing team with a balanced offense. Wanted to handcuff Toefield to Fred Taylor, but barely missed. Morris is a very good player, though.

RB Curtis Keaton NOS 12.01 10 - backup RB on a good rushing team with a balanced offense. Was a firecracker against my Saints last preseason ... then we obtained him 2 weeks later. Keaton gets razzed for not having learned the Saints offense last season. However, the guy came in a few days bfore the regular season, missing all offseason and training camp with the Saints' coaches. Keaton is a good player; he just needed to spend time in the Saints' system.

WR Bill Schroeder DET 13.14 6 - Detroit's reception leader in 2002. I'm thinking this crafty vet will outdo Charles Rogers for about half the 2003 season. Mooch should come to rely on Schroeder's experience.

TE Eric Johnson SFO 14.01 10 - I loved his potential after the 2001 season. Injuries befell him in 2002, but I could see him bouncing back. The big question -- just how will Erickson employ the TE?

WR Marc Boerigter KCC 15.14 9 - surprisingly, the first KC receiver taken. With nice TD numbers, I'll send the 15th-round pick to see if Boerigter can round out his game.

PK Olindo Mare MIA 16.01 4 - solid kicker in a warm-weather town. Plays alongside just the right kind of strong-rushing/mediocre-passing offense for kickers to rack up points. Does have to go to Buffalo and New England in December, though.

............

GRADE - A: in sum, I was able to pick a starting lineup with no obvious holes, plus consistently select players who have a good chance of contributing. I didn't have to "throw away" any picks.