2018 Draft - What did you get?

[Guest]

This was a tricky draft for me since I could not do interviews but thanks to NLB for sending me their draft analyzer file. I would have interviewed a few different guys but it was better than drafting blind.

I am not good at the sexy graphics like other people. But here is my draft:

1 - 9 Bart Ross WR Central Connecticut
-This pick was purely because of his 4.28 dash. You almost never see a guy with a dash that good. NLB's scout had him at VO, hopefully that is not true. In any case, even if he drops post TC, worst case he should still be a solid deep threat and a good #2 WR. Best case - he is a mega stud.

1 - 27 Bubba Corbett ILB Tarleton State
-This guy is solid and heavily masked. What do you do with a perfect LB? Should I keep him in the middle or move him to SLB?

2 - 10 Harvey Borders G Arizona State
-Super masked. If he does not get hit with vsol he will be a starter for a long time.

2 - 27 Broderick Westbrook WR Mississippi
-I liked his bars, I am just not sure if his combines match. I was hoping for my #2 WR here but it was probably a reach.

3 - 9 Phil Browning WR Houston
-Did I really need to pick another WR? A good punt returner who will also be a good #3 WR.

4 - 10 Alonzo Gerard RB Michigan
-Not exactly the bars that I like in a RB but I am hoping he can be an effective #2. Not so sure about this pick.

5 - 9 Winston Guest ILB Northern Colorado
-I almost took him in the 4th but I was pretty sure he would fall. I think he is masked - I just do not know if his ceiling is high enough.

6 - 10 Lamar Shields C Miss. Valley St.
-The fact that this guy fell into the 6th leads me to believe he will drop post camp. But his bars are pretty solid and there are no combines to compare them to. I had him on my list as early as the 4th and I just had to grab him when he was still around in the 6th.

7 - 9 Billy Torres CB Auburn
-Another guy I thought of taking in the 6th. He certainly cannot defend the run but I hope he will be an effective nickle or dime corner. Yeah, he is too short and too light, big whoop. I hope he holds his value going into TC.

[Guest]

I was considering grabbing Westbrook in the 3rd round if he fell there.

[Aston]

You mean VSOD. A volatility stick of life would be even better for Borders. Really liked that guard but there was no way he was going to last to Round 3, I guess.

[Guest]

You mean VSOD.

Hey, I always wondered what that meant. Now I know.

[Aston]

Yeah, one of those mysterious acronyms I had to ask around for at some point. Like that corner (height aside) you got in the 7th. I welcomed you to the division and all, but now I'm thinking couldn't you have picked a different one? To answer your question on Corbett, I'd move him to safety, or offensive line. ;)

[Aston]

Utah's draft

The talent at the top really had me excited in this draft as it looked like an insanely talent-rich first round or so. We felt there was some drop-off after that for the rest of the draft, so it was worth giving up a 2nd rounder to secure a top first rounder. Really a great year at the top though, haven't seen a QB with a sense rush bar this high period that I can recall, since Tubbs, and now we have two in one year. Utah staked its whole draft on Boone, and came away with 8 picks in all, so it was pretty good.

1.14 - QB Randy Boone: At one point we were thinking we'd need to go Top 5 to get him. So we're pleased we got him this late, and all we gave up was swapping a 2nd for a 4th. After losing Bryce Foy and Tim Hein in the same year, struggling with Aaron Barrett for a year, cutting him and going with Ellis Wynn for a year, bringing Foy back and having him compete with Wynn, and watching Wynn retire, drafting a struggling 2nd rounder last year, it's good to see an actual long-term plan put in place at QB. Of course, don't count the chickens...

3.16 - TE Britt Peters: More than a few times over the years, we miss on a promising WR past the first round, but this one hurts the most since Hunter was taken off the board one pick before. Still looking for some potential pass-catching options to give our QB eventual targets, especially with Chuck Nalen's retirement this year, we went TE.

3.27 - CB Devin Buckner: This is a trade we could live to regret. 60/60 WR and stud KR Paul Marchion was traded to Camden last season, past the trade deadline, so it didn't go through. Got it done in the offseason, and the third round pick could have been a valuable chip, but it ended up going to the guy at the top of the queue at that point. Buckner has the opportunity to join Jesse Barringer, Bo Stanton, and Richie Ingram as mid round corners drafted in recent years who dropped a ton of points in training camp. Felt better about each of those guys than Buckner, though, who is mostly a combine - well, mostly a sole/40 pick.

4.11 - T Cole Ferguson: Utah has three prized young tackles and a veteran backup, so it's unclear where Ferguson fits in with the team. Some movement could be happening on the line as a result, but Ferguson looks to be a solid pickup at this point in the draft, if not a guy that Utah would have leapt at in previous years. This can be considered our 2nd round pick, since it's the piece we got in exchange with Clay and Motor City. In that case, if he does better than Jesse Wagner, an actual second round pick from two years ago, it would be a pleasant surprise. Wagner was a combine stud who rose a little in camp, and could be on the block with a strong camp from Ferguson.

4.19 - RB Ken Schacht - Pretty much the worst contract decision Utah has ever made in recent years was that 4 year, $29 million deal it handed out to underachieving former first round pick Quinn Hanson. "Shat man" is a speedster that we hope will be a good complement, after Brad Shaw, our previous 'speedster' has underwhelmed in several years of being RB2, and last year's 5th rounder, Brent Kinney, struck out. A reach at this position, but I was never good at drafting RBs.

5.18 - DE Jermaine Mahoney - If Joseph Mallow is really on the block as rumored, Mahoney makes no sense as a replacement since he projects to RDE. With his small size, you'd think he could be a linebacker, but we are hoping for him to provide another backup option on the 2-deep at DE instead of FA retreads.

6.17 - ILB Percy Hampton - It's our own damn fault we didn't have Adrian McIntyre in the queue above him here, as their places in the queue should have been flipped. I guess we're looking at WLB potential here, but 4.78? At OLB? Might not be that great.

7.16 - G Jared Francis - A shot in the dark here (we were also considering BOS 7.25 OLB Clay Porter), and really did not want to go guard, but none of the other candidates we had could approach the grade for this 24-year old guard. He'll have a chance to battle it out with last year's 7th round guard, Max Mills - a different style of player, who also rised in camp. The loser could wind up at center, or traded. Or, Francis could suck in camp, and get cut.

[Guest]

I welcomed you to the division and all, but now I'm thinking couldn't you have picked a different one? To answer your question on Corbett, I'd move him to safety, or offensive line. ;)

I don't know why I am giving you draft advice. You do not seem to need any - I thought your picks were solid. I wish I saw your QB when I picked 1.9. I completely glossed over him.

Actually, I can be pretty inconsistent in drafting. I am pretty anxious to see how this crop turns out. And don't worry, I will be an easy win for a season or two. ;-)

[Guest]

Jared Francis was a possibility for me in rounds 6 and 7 but I already drafted two linemen. I was stocked.

[Aston]

Actually, CPU bottom-feeder Denver beat me in the last game the '17 season to keep me out of the playoffs. Heh! :(

I was really worried that you were going to take that QB at 1.09, after you started asking around for intelligence. I figured, man, he's gonna go QB, and it's over. Good thing you picked WR. I think it'll work out for both of us.

[Guest]

Washington Bombers Draft

Not that we're an extraordinarily talented team, but roster is pretty solid from top to bottom, so it was a relaxed draft. Was looking mostly for defensive help, but took BPA when available.

1.19 - S Edgar Stone (41/57)- Stone is one of those that you miss at first glance; then you spot him, and think 'hm, not bad'... then the draft goggles really go on. There were three safeties all about the same grade, and they all look great. His tweener size means he'll probably end up playing everywhere, but think I'll keep him at safety for the most part.

1.32 - C Donovan Mark (37/76) - A case of BPA. 'Only' a center, but superb camp and bars. 2nd highest overall grade in the draft, 4 reds and a blue. I really need a guard more than a center, so hoping he (or Foreman) can move over. Has the size for it.

2.32 - RB Norbert Rodgers (38/62) - pretty enthused about this pick, esp. for a low 2nd rounder. Not a starter, of course, but he looks to be invaluable in all the little things - 3rd down back, receiver, and return guy. I'll consider a WR move here, but either way, great add.

3.32 - QB Nicky Fortenberry (14/34) - Bit of a stab here. Big arm, good sense rush, maybe some masking going on. Feels like a really good risk at this spot.

4.16 - WR James Beaty (19/33) - I'd actually forgotten I had this pick, so probably not exactly who I would've taken here. But he was on my list for a reason. Kind of like Fortenberry, has enough good qualities and potential masking to make him worth a stab. All depends on TC for this one.

4.32 - S D.J. Metcalf (29/46) - wild theory here. Metcalf has some pretty decent bars, and a good camp but for Position Drill. So I'm hoping he'll benefit greatly from a trim-down and switch to CB. Could be a solid nickelback.

5.32 - C Harvey Moss (24/47) - just going by camps at this point, and can never have enough depth at OL. 3 blues, decent bars. Should make it as a backup.

6.32 - DT Gus Bronson (20/49) - OK camp, good PRS. Scrubbish, but probably makes it.

7.32 - TE Lamont Lake (16/43) - wow, my first Mr. Irrelevant. Makes the roster for that alone. Also has some decent bars, average camp, and high volatility. Who knows.

Overall, pretty solid draft, I think. Don't know that there are any game-changers in there, but looks like two starters, two significant contributors, two scrubs, and three 'potentials'. I like it.

[Guest]

I was really worried that you were going to take that QB at 1.09, after you started asking around for intelligence. I figured, man, he's gonna go QB, and it's over. Good thing you picked WR. I think it'll work out for both of us.

I just did not see Boone or I very well might have taken him. I thought long and hard about taking Baines. I think Baines has the look of a creeper and he projects to have a very good avoid int bar. I just thought the 1.9 was too early to take him and that the 1.18 was too late to get any of my top targets (but your offer was very tempting).

[kingfc22]

Anchorage Draft (Grade: A-)

With all 22 starters returning from last season's 13-3 team, the Anchorage war room was looking to back fill some of our aging veterans.

1.28 - WILB Norbert Daigle (41/67) - Look for Norbert to join last year's rookie DPOY, Josh Caldwell, in the starting lineup for what should be a good linebacking core as we move forward.

2.29 - TE Subby Franklin (30/41) - We did not get a chance to scout Subby, but we did like his combine scores. Hopefully, we can finally give Nori a TE to add to his arsenal of offensive weapons.

3.28 - CB Terry Castellanos (21/48) - Depending on how he does during training camp, Terry has a chance to start in the nickel or dime.

4.29 - C Conrad Olds (29/68) - We've only had two starting centers in franchise history and with Anderson entering his 11th season we could not pass on what we believe is a very good value pick. Look for Conrad to earn the #2 spot with a possibility of moving into the starting lineup as the season goes on.

5.28 - RB Alfred Campbell (30/48) - Alfred will likely not see the field too much this season, but we needed a 3rd back to fill out our roster. We really hoped that Alonzo Gerard would fall to us in the 4th round as he was our main target at RB.

6.29 - P Teddy Curtis (38/52) - With the loss of Eugene Legette to Brooklyn, we needed to fill this hole. Teddy is likely to start unless we decide to bring in some competition during the preseason.

7.28 - DT Oscar Grosz (14/27) - Likely to be released.

[Pat]

I won't have access to the game for awhile...can someone post my rookies ratings?

[BradZ]

I won't have access to the game for awhile...can someone post my rookies ratings?

The way I see it:

1.12 CB Hardy Robertson - 34/44
1.26 S Darnell Drakeford - 43/73
2.11 TE Marco O’Neal - 53/72
3.15 WR Hunter Vandersommen - 19/26
3.26 G Rickey Banks - 29/46
4.14 LT Grant Durham - 13/62
5.13 WR Edward Nacisse - 21/53
6.12 DT Tito Jones - 24/30
7.11 RB Cedric Edwards - 24/31

[Pat]

The way I see it:

1.12 CB Hardy Robertson - 34/44
1.26 S Darnell Drakeford - 43/73
2.11 TE Marco O’Neal - 53/72
3.15 WR Hunter Vandersommen - 19/26
3.26 G Rickey Banks - 29/46
4.14 LT Grant Durham - 13/62
5.13 WR Edward Nacisse - 21/53
6.12 DT Tito Jones - 24/30
7.11 RB Cedric Edwards - 24/31

Much appreciated Brad.

Surprised to see Robertson so low, but again, pre-camp only means so much.