Never To Early To Mock Draft
By: Andy Wheeler
So you may be thinking…are you nuts? It's not even the 4th of July and you are doing a Fantasy Football mock draft? Yes. Yes I am. And you know what, there are a ton of people doing the very same thing. Of the 68 "mock-drafting" rooms available, 48 of them were full. So if your preparation hasn't begun yet…time to get moving.
I decided to pick first in my first mock draft of the year. Just for the fun of it to see what players would fall and who's hot.
Round 1:
Adrian Peterson
This was a pretty obvious pick to me. The funny thing is, if you look at your leagues scoring, chances are QB's make up a very good portion of the Top 10. So you take the best RB available with that first pick because honestly there are a million quarterbacks to take that can be beneficial. There just aren't that many slam dunk RB's. Everyone else seemed to agree with me since 9 RB's went in the first round
Round 2:
Robert Griffin III
I don't care if he's hurt. I owned him last year and as a friend of mine liked to say "Owning him is like cheating" The fact that he lasted to the 2nd round is pretty surprising to me actually. I'll be able to grab another QB later in the draft to get me through the first few weeks if need be. Either way if he some how drops in your drafts grab him, he's a lot of fun.
Round 3:
Darren McFadden
This is a risk vs. reward with this pick. He's never ever healthy, but like we say every year…if he just stays healthy for a whole season, watch out! I thought about taking Reggie Bush here because I think big things could be in store with him in Detroit but to me McFadden has way more upside.
Round 4:
Jordy Nelson
My first WR and I'm thrilled to get him. There was some streakiness to his game but in terms of WR's I'll take Nelson simply because of his proximity to Aaron Rodgers. To have him as my number 1 WR doesn't bother me at all
Round 5:
Dwayne Bowe
And it doesn't bother me because I've got this guy too. I've owned Bowe when he's been good, and I've owned him when he's been terrible. So I'm treading lightly here but Bowe is a premier talent and not only does he get an upgrade at QB, but he gets a brand new Head Coach in Andy Reid that LOVES to throw the ball. I expect him to be a massive bargain in the 5th round.
Round 6:
DeSean Jackson
Look I have no idea what to expect from the Eagles. I don't even know who the starting QB is going to be. However I do know that if what I've seen with Chip Kelly's offenses at Oregon is true Jackson COULD be at the center of things and very busy. If he's not oh well but considering what was available at this point I decided the upside was worth it despite all the unknown.
Round 7:
Mikel Leshoure
Running back got real shallow real quick. Leshoure will get some touches it's just not known how many. However, I'm guessing that he'll get most of the touches from the 10 yard line and in considering Reggie Bush's age and size. If it doesn't work out I'll be playing the waiver wire or have to hope a later round pick works out if I happen into somebody useful.
Round 8:
Miles Austin
I hate the Cowboys. I really do. He has durability issues and Dez Bryant is now the man in Dallas. However that doesn't justify having the guy fall to the 8th round. There is enough upside there with his past numbers that when I saw him here I jumped. It will be a coin flip between him and Jackson for that flex spot come opening day.
Round 9:
Mark Ingram
No idea what he'll do, but one of these years he's either going to get a majority of the carries and be a work horse or he'll just flame out. I'll cross my fingers and hope he finally breaks through. Essentially I'm hoping that either Leshoure or Ingram work out.
Round 10:
Andy Dalton
I decided it was time to get my "fill in" for if I have to wait for RG3. Think about this for a second, this is a 12 team league. Dalton is the 120th player off the board. QB is super deep AGAIN this year. I don't recommend waiting this long to take your first QB but don't afraid to fill in your other skill guys first and wait on QB. Would you like 3600+ yards and 27 TD's in the 10th round? Yes please.
Round 11:
Brandon Pettigrew
Needed a tight end and Pettigrew isn't a bad guy to get this late. He has a huge amount of upside simply because of the amount of times Stafford throws him the ball. Now granted Megatron is the main man in Detroit, but Pettigrew is averaging 4 catches a game for his career in Motown. His problem is he doesn't score much. If that were to change though he could be a bargain this late
Round 12:
Darrius Heyward-Bey:
He moves out of the terrible atmosphere of being a Raider to being a new toy for Andrew Luck to play with. Who knows if he ever reaches his full potential that he got being drafted with the 7th overall pick in 2009…but I'm willing to take that chance with my 12th pick of 2013.
Round 13:
Isaac Redman
Somebody is going to run the ball in Pittsburgh and I probably took the wrong guy. However I haven't seen any camp or any pre season games yet…so I'll throw a dart and hope for the best.
Round 14:
Zach Ertz
The new Eagles rookie TE could do great, or he could do nothing. We'll find out when camp comes around but I always like to grab a second TE late just in case.
Round 15 + 16:
Ravens Defense
Gary Zuerlein
In real drafts and fake ones, kickers and defenses should be your last picks.
So there you have it gang. If you haven't started your preparations yet, it's time to get started. The start of the NFL season is only 79 days away.
Follow me on Twitter @TheAndyWheeler
