I had a draft on Wednesday night. This is the fifth year we’ve had this 12-man league, and it never ceases to amaze me how different leagues and drafts can be. You could do 1,000 drafts, and no two drafts would be the same. The other members of the league range in football IQ from King Solomon-wise to village idiot-dumb, and it’s a fairly even distribution.
There’s the guy who never brings anything to a draft. This year, he decided to use a draft analyzer, only he couldn’t get it to work and had to borrow a player list from someone else. To illustrate how insane fantasy football is, he won the league last year. Then there are guys who do way too much research. He puts together a binder of information, with player profiles, depth charts and all sorts of stats. We even have a guy who admittedly didn’t follow football much prior to joining our league, so he trusts his draft to a draft analyzer (which he actually knows how to work), and even brought his own Mac with him. It was ridiculous, but to each his own.
Here are some of the biggest surprises from the draft:
I took Aaron Rodgers fourth overall. Everyone got quiet and looked at me sideways, and I know Ray Rice is in for a monster year. But in a 12-team league with six-point passing touchdowns, I felt it made sense. Also, in every prep draft I did, if I went Maurice Jones-Drew or Ray Rice, I was always getting stuck with two lower level starters at QB.
I love my team.
Calvin Johnson went 13th overall, and before Randy Moss. He looks great so far, but Moss should outperform him.
DeSean Jackson went 18th overall, and before Miles Austin.
Jackson is a reasonable third-round pick, but I’d prefer him in the fourth. Then again, this same guy also took Terrell Owens in the fourth round.
Larry Fitzgerald is going too late. He went 24th. Derek Anderson throwing passes is actually a good thing for Fitzgerald. He is at least a top 20 guy, and probably top 15.
It took less than three full rounds (Pick 33) for someone to draft someone who was already taken. We all laughed at him.
Steve Smith (
New York) was drafted late in the third round before Steve Smith (
Carolina). After the group stopped teasing the guy, he mentioned that he didn't feel good about his WR1, and made his next selection: Chad Ochocinco.
Brandon Jacobs was drafted 40th. You should feel dirty just reading that.
Arian Foster was taken 49th to lead off the fifth round. I think Foster is in for a big year, but think that might be a little ambitious. Then again, when drafting from a bookend spot, you need to take players when you can.
Joseph Addai was a top 10 fantasy running back last year, but I was able to get him in the fifth round with pick number 52, a great value if he can stay healthy. Joe Flacco was taken with the next pick. Gross.
Jermichael Finley was picked late in the fifth round, which is a little too soon. But he looks great, and he’s a matchup nightmare for any defense, and he has one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL throwing him the ball.
The Jets defense was taken in the eighth round, with pick number 86 and the first kicker at the end of Round 10. People, I implore you. Hold off on drafting defenses and kickers for as long as you can.
After selecting Peyton Manning 11th overall, an owner rightly ignored the position until Round 11, taking Matthew Stafford. A few seconds passed, and he had this to say: “Is it bad if your backup quarterback has the same bye as your starter? (Expletive.)”
So remember: do your homework, don’t reach unless you really want a guy, and don’t be that guy.
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