The League

I think mine wasn't too bad. My goal was to get upside players in good situations to get some playing time right away as I'm thinking I have a 2-3 year window to try to make the playoffs.

1.03 - RB, LeVeon Bell - Gio fell to me in a dynasty league at 1.04 but not meant to be here. Bell has opportunity right away and a clear road to start (for now, don't sign Bradshaw!) RB is my weakest position so hopefully he'll pan out and not be another Daniel Thomas.

2.03 - QB, Matt Barkley - Was hoping Manual would drop but he didn't. My next biggest need long term is QB so Barkley it is as he has a shot to start next year. Eagles could always draft one of the many stud QBs next year, but worth the chance.

2.13 - RB, Kerwynn Williams - Got sniped again just one pick ahead so went with Williams. He doesn't have much ahead of him and should step right into the 3rd down/pass catching roll which could actually lead to quite a few touches in this offense. Ballard while solid isn't a stud so who know? Opportunity is what I'm drafting for.

2.16 - WR, Charles Johnson - I could see the way things were going so no way I was going to wait again and I picked up my sleeper. GB is pretty bare after the top 2-3 guys so should have an opportunity to get some plays right away and could move up the depth chart by next season.

3.03 - TE, Gavin Escobar - My long term need pick for TE and he fits the bill. May be 3 years before he gets a chance to start and that's when I'll need him. In the meantime he again has opportunity for touches even this year with Dallas talking about running two TE sets like the Pats.

3.12 - WR, Kenny Stills - Really surprised he was still here, he usually goes much earlier. Just look at the depth chart. Go ahead, take a look. Yea...could get significant playing time already as a rookie with a QB that tosses 5000 yrds a season. I'll take it this late.

Overall my team is still a work in progress with the biggest hole at RB. Hopefully I can actually make the playoffs this year and get a more serious run next year.

I didn't have any sort of strategy at all coming into this draft to be 100% completely honest... I went into draft week not even thinking I'd be picking until #29, but after reading about what type of returns Chris Ivory was getting in trades I thought I'd test the market and managed to work out a deal with FRA for the 1.04. I spent pretty much NO time researching the top tier players leading up to the draft until after the trade was made... It was pretty stressful!

1.04 - Tyler Eifert, TE : I'll be honest. I felt dirty selecting Eifert at the 1.04 spot. Took my sweet time trying to see if I could work a deal to move back in the draft, acquire a pick next season, as well as move up from the #29... In the end, it didn't work out. Instead I let team need, league scoring, and salary be my tie breaker between Eifert, Patterson, and Nuk. I felt that Patterson could end up being too raw to contribute in the near future. Nuk would've been a welcome addition, but with AJG and Julio locked in cheap for 3 more seasons I felt that TE was my biggest hole. I've been liking what I've been reading so far, even though it's REALLY REALLY early, about the Bengals moving Eifert around all over the field. The fact that the #1 drafted CB was using to shadow Eifert when NO/BAMA played each other is a telling sign about his athleticism. If Gio or Austin slipped to this spot though, they would've been my choice over Eifert.

2.12 - Latavius Murray, RB : I was really hoping that Da'Rick Rodgers would be available here, but LBer took him 2 picks earlier I was going back and forth on this pick between Murray and Boyce and decided to go Murray. He's really tall for my liking, but he can run in the 4.3's and his BMI matches up with AP! (I don't think he's AP2.0, but kinda cool to read about) If there's a team that needs a solid backup RB it's the Oakland Raiders, and I don't consider Rashad Jennings or Jeremy Stewart to be solid backups. DMC hasn't lasted more than 13 games in a season and he's in the final year of his contract. In steps Murray to (possibly) force a RBBC when DMC goes down and take over the job full time next season I thought I was taking him early, originally planned on taking him in the 40s with one of my two 3rd rounders, but after reading Scott's post, it sounds like Murray was going to get picked at the 2.13

3.09 - Chris Harper, WR : I hoped and prayed that after passing up Boyce at the 2.12 that he'd somehow slip this far, but no luck as LVE took him to end the 2nd round. I also had Charles Johnson slated as the pick here, but Scott took him near the end of the 2nd. Decided to go Harper, but was on the fence between him, Goodwin, and Knile Davis. Harper has been compared to Boldin, not a bad guy to be compared to! The Seahawks have an offense on the rise, so hopefully Harper will be able to supplant the side dishes, Rice and Tate'r, and become one of Russ Wilson's more trusted targets. The dude's built like a RB, so maybe they'll look to get the ball in his hands and create something the same way they'll be using Harvin this season?

3.15 - Knile Davis, RB : Lit up the SEC in 2010, injured in 2011, dropped the ball (over and over and over) in 2012. His combine numbers would make Zeus himself pleased... Maybe Davis is just a workout warrior that won't ever be the same after his ankle injury, maybe he played last season not to get hurt? Andy Reid had a rookie RB this past season with fumbling issues in Bryce Brown that had amazing back to back games, so it's possible he's looking to mimic what Brown brought to the table in KC. The backup spot behind JC is still up in the air, but what I've been reading is that the Chiefs want to make Davis into what Hillis was supposed to be in their offense. Could this eventually become a RBBC, the way that JC and Jones split time a few years? We'll just have to wait and see what happens. At pick #50, to get a guy that was talked about competing for the top RB spot beside Lattimore prior to the 2012 season, I'll take that chance In all honesty, I was really surprised that BTP didn't use his 3.01 (Reed) or 3.08 (traded) to draft Davis and backup Charles.

As always, time will tell with this draft, but I think I got me some gamers who could find their way into the starting lineup sooner than later.

1.9 Ball, Montee DEN RB
Listing Ball first because if I only had one pick here he would have been the selection. Drafting for need here but I definitely like Ball's talent and situation. John Fox and rookie RBs be damned I need a starter for week 5 and Ball is going to be it! (fingers crossed). The kid is smart and loves the game and is going to do everything it takes to get on the field, live up to his name and Ball out of control. Possible ROY candidate as he stacks up short yardage TDs and clock milking 4th quarter first downs in a Manning lead offense. Seen him go 1st in a few drafts which just goes to show how top light and deep this draft was with guys.

1.8 Hunter, Justin TEN WR
Pretty hard take a WR here not named Keenan Allen considering his standing this time last year. He'll be good but is possibly maxed out as an athlete, so with a lot of WR2 guys already on my team for the next few years I went with the huge upside play in Hunter. Locker's specialty is supposed to be the long ball and the Titans will be working that play action with CJ2k and their beefed up line, should be a lot of opportunity for a guy like Hunter if he can tighten up his technique and stay healthy. Britt will probably be gone next year and Hunter and Wright can compliment each other perfectly.

2.9 Rogers, Da'Rick BUF WR
Predraft this guy was on my radar as a top 10 possible pick. He understandably fell in the draft but to not be drafted at all was an overreaction. But all that does is give the kid a choice of teams to go to and dictate his own fate. Da'Rick picked Buffalo which should provide a fast track to possibly start with noone established behind Stevie Styles, and should provide a distraction free environment... though the drugs and character concerns seem somewhat over blown and behind him. He's only got one shot to show it though. Highest upside pick possible at this point in the draft but there were a couple other guys I liked right here and one specific guy I was kind of expecting to take here that fell way further.


Wish I could've managed a way to trade into the begining of the 3rd/end of 2nd round, but wasn't able to swing it. In the end I'm happy with what I added to my team. If anything I'm a little worried about Hunter. He's a bit more of a project and a less natural football player than the other two. Hopefully his name continues to be mentioned with AJ Green and Randy Moss years down the line... and not Tyrone Calico.

What draft?