Yours truly participated in RotoWire’s Mock Draft Thursday, and while every draft is different, this one represented a good idea of what to expect in yours later this month. The following are highlights of the draft, which was a standard 12 team, 15 rounds, but with non-PPR scoring.
The No. 12 pick landed both Lamont Jordan and Steven Jackson – This was pretty ridiculous, as most people picking at the end of their draft will not be so lucky. The guy then went and got Chris Chambers and Roy Williams in rounds three and four, making it about as good a draft through four rounds as possible.
I do not like the No. 5 spot – This was my draft slot, and I lucked out, as Tiki Barber went fourth, and I was happy to get Clinton Portis at five. If Portis had gone fourth, however, I would have hated this position. I am passing on Barber this year, as I see his age and lack of goal line carries too much of a risk for a top-five selection. I would have taken Jordan here if Portis was gone, but even that pick wouldn’t have been great considering it wasn’t a PPR league, and that’s where Jordan excels.
Julius Jones went 10th overall – Jones is one of my favorite targets this year, and nearly every magazine has him rated somewhere between 15-25 on their RB rankings. But during the two drafts I’ve completed so far, he’s gone No. 14 and now No. 10. He’s certainly not coming as cheap as anticipated.
17 of the first 19 picks were RBs – Now I know backs typically go early and often, but they were flying off the board at an incredibly high rate here. This meant Steve Smith and Torry Holt were available after the top-20 picks. By the time my pick came back in the second round, Julius Jones, Willis McGahee, Reggie Bush, Domanick Davis, Kevin Jones and Chester Taylor were all gone.
Jamal Lewis was pick No. 60 – I’m not big on Jamal Lewis this year, but getting him this late is real good value. Word is Mike Anderson is already getting turned into a fullback.
Neil Rackers was taken in the ninth round – With the first pick in the ninth, to boot. Mike Vanderjagt soon followed at the end of the round. Rackers is the man, don’t get me wrong, but it amazes me when someone takes a kicker before the final round, let alone this early.
Overview – If you want a good backfield, you better draft a back with your first two picks. If you don’t get the coveted top-three, a late first round pick looks best.
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