Draft Recap - Kevin’s mild take
Hello League,
This take will be not so hot (Mild). The Pico De Gallo of takes. But with the draft finished, I wanted to provide you all with a little bit of insight on each of the picks I made. Maybe you don’t like your team, or you are wondering why guys fell where they did, and I am hoping this gives all of you some visibility to each of my picks, and maybe gives you some interesting insight from someone who really enjoys researching for fantasy sports (not saying you all do not). We can probably look back on this and see how wrong I was come January as well.
Follow along as I take you through my 2017 Elite Eight Draft journey.
Round 1 (Pick #2 Overall)
David Johnson - Running Back - Arizona Cardinals
Not much to say here to start the draft. To me the number one overall player was a toss up. Could’ve been Le’veon or DJ. I was going to take the one that Sexual Misconduct did not take at number one. Easy choice.
Round 2 (Pick #19 Overall)
Todd Gurley - Running Back - Los Angeles Rams
I like the idea of having two running backs, but this pick may have jammed me come the later rounds, forcing my hand with receivers. That being said, I still really like Todd Gurley. The Rams beefed up at left tackle this offseason, and Rams head coach Sean McVay has expressed his interest in getting Gurley many touches this year, both in the rushing and passing games. Don’t let the recency bias fool you. Gurley was a stud his rookie year, as he was at Georgia. I think a coaching change will renew Gurley’s fantasy prowess, especially in PPR.
Round 3 (Pick #22 Overall)
Amari Cooper - Wide Receiver - Oakland Raiders
Honestly, I was hoping I could snag Doug Baldwin or Brandin Cooks with my earlier pick #19, to hopefully snag Gurley here, clearly that did not happen. I happily settled for a solid wideout with a solid quarterback in Derek Carr. Had Sexual Misconduct taken Cooper the pick before me, I really would have been stumped here.
Round 4 (Pick #39 Overall)
Keenan Allen - Wide Receiver - Los Angeles Chargers
This was the first of two back-to-back risky picks. As I mentioned before, I kind of handcuffed myself by taking two running backs early, forcing my hand in later rounds. I needed a pass catcher here, and I didn’t really know what else to do as I didn’t like any of the other guys there. Keenan Allen is a player I love, but he’s missed 23 games in the past 2 seasons, not to mention, the Chargers are crowded with pass-catchers with a good running back. Ouch. High upside though, please say a prayer for him. He is a stud.
Round 5 (Pick #42 Overall)
Greg Olsen - Tight End - Carolina Panthers
G-Reg is my favorite NFL player not on the Lions, but this was a reach. I am not afraid to admit it. I really didn’t want to stream a tight end every week, so I shored up the position with this pick, albeit quite early. He’ll play every week for me until he proves he should not. He has literally not missed a game in nine seasons. Got my guy here. He wasn’t going to make it to my next pick.
Round 6 (Pick #59 Overall)
Kareem Hunt - Running Back - Kansas City Chiefs
I have heard people rave about Hunt since the beginning of July. Had Spencer Ware not gotten injured this weekend, I still would’ve taken Hunt late. But Ware is now out for a long time, making Hunt a bell-cow back. If Todd Gurley does not pan-out, this guy is the next guy up. I have seen Andy Reid do great things with young-offensive players, here’s to hoping we see it this year with Kareem Hunt.
Round 7 (Pick #62 Overall)
Willie Snead - Wide Receiver - New Orleans Saints
I sat here at pick 62, stumped. I wanted Tyreek Hill or Jamison Crowder, both gone. Props to whoever got them. This left me locked up. I had to go receiver here with only 2 receivers chosen in 6 rounds. Snead will play most downs, in a historically pass-heavy offense. The Saints spent some bread on their run-game this offseason, so I’m hoping Snead still gets plenty of looks across from young-stud Mike Thomas.
Round 8 (Pick #79 Overall)
Kenny Britt - Wide Receiver - Cleveland Browns
These middle rounds had me stumped. I needed receivers, but I didn’t like many of them at this spot. With only 60 seconds to pick I had to assess the situation quickly. Kenny Britt is the number one receiver on a team with quarterback deficiencies. I hope someone can get him the ball, he did some good things last year. I’m thinking he could maybe fill that Terelle Pryor type role?
Round 9 (Pick #82 Overall)
Russell Wilson - Quarterback - Seattle Seahawks
I believe it is a cardinal sin to reach on quarterbacks. I kept waiting for someone to start a run on QB’s, but it never really happened. I was surprised to see Wilson fall so far. He was banged up last year but is now healthy. Great player, could give me 10-20 rushing yards each week.
Round 10 (Pick #99 Overall)
Zay Jones - Wide Receiver - Buffalo Bills
Zay Jones was not a player I was planning on taking before today. I really wanted Adam Thielen here, but oh well. Zay Jones got a ton of hype on NFL Draft Day, with many saying he could be the biggest sleeper in the NFL Draft. He is now number one on the Buffalo Bills depth chart at receiver after the Sammy Watkins trade. I hope someone can throw him the ball. I looked his name up once I was on the clock and pulled the trigger with, like, 4 seconds left. Again, I didn’t really know what else to do.
Round 11 (Pick #102 Overall)
Terrance West - Running Back - Baltimore Ravens
Okay, if Danny Woodhead (grittiest player in the league) can stay hurt, I have the Ravens number one guy. West will still get some goal-line looks and many touches in the run-game, but Woodhead is going to catch all of the passes out of that backfield. West was one of those guys that kind of fell during the draft, so I got my fourth and final running back here. Done with running backs, as I really like the previous three backs I chose.
Round 12 (Pick #119 Overall)
Marcus Mariota - Quarterback - Tennessee Titans
I have wanted to draft Marcus Mariota since June. There was a string of six or seven weeks last year where he was the number one fantasy quarterback in football. He did get banged up, but I think he is in line for a solid year, with weapons all over the field.
Round 13 (Pick #122 Overall)
Jack Doyle - Tight End - Indianapolis Colts
Jack D had a solid year last year. Dwayne Allen moved on to New England this offseason, opening up the number one tight end slot to Doyle. He’ll get most of the looks, we’ll see if it could be enough to crack my lineup.
Round 14 (Pick #139 Overall)
Cooper Kupp - Wide Receiver - Los Angeles Rams
LATE ROUND FLYER ALERT
In a fantasy utopia (for me), this guy will be like a SoCal Julian Edelman, catching 1000 passes out of the slot, for like 200 total yards, in LA of course. It looks like he will be the slot-guy for the Rams, and experts say he has been Jared Goff’s favorite target throughout the preseason. Keep an eye on this guy. My team also needed some grit, combined with great route-running ability. Come back here when Cooper Kupp explodes. Best pick in the entire draft. He’ll go number one overall in 2018 fantasy drafts.
Round 15 (Pick #142 Overall)
Dan Bailey - Kicker - Dallas Cowboys
AT&T Stadium is indoors. That’s it.
Round 16 (Pick #159 Overall)
Carolina Panters Defense/Special Teams
They were elite like two-years ago, now they have no secondary. Luke Kuechly tho.
In review, it seems like 5 or 6 times throughout the draft, I guy I really liked went right before my pick, leaving me stumped. Maybe it was a lack of preparation, I am not sure, but there were a couple of times where I really panicked not knowing what to do. I am still happy with the way it turned out. I think I made it work. Not complaining, I can envision a solid year from this bunch.
With love,
Devin J. Swiftney
Hello League,
This take will be not so hot (Mild). The Pico De Gallo of takes. But with the draft finished, I wanted to provide you all with a little bit of insight on each of the picks I made. Maybe you don’t like your team, or you are wondering why guys fell where they did, and I am hoping this gives all of you some visibility to each of my picks, and maybe gives you some interesting insight from someone who really enjoys researching for fantasy sports (not saying you all do not). We can probably look back on this and see how wrong I was come January as well.
Follow along as I take you through my 2017 Elite Eight Draft journey.
Round 1 (Pick #2 Overall)
David Johnson - Running Back - Arizona Cardinals
Not much to say here to start the draft. To me the number one overall player was a toss up. Could’ve been Le’veon or DJ. I was going to take the one that Sexual Misconduct did not take at number one. Easy choice.
Round 2 (Pick #19 Overall)
Todd Gurley - Running Back - Los Angeles Rams
I like the idea of having two running backs, but this pick may have jammed me come the later rounds, forcing my hand with receivers. That being said, I still really like Todd Gurley. The Rams beefed up at left tackle this offseason, and Rams head coach Sean McVay has expressed his interest in getting Gurley many touches this year, both in the rushing and passing games. Don’t let the recency bias fool you. Gurley was a stud his rookie year, as he was at Georgia. I think a coaching change will renew Gurley’s fantasy prowess, especially in PPR.
Round 3 (Pick #22 Overall)
Amari Cooper - Wide Receiver - Oakland Raiders
Honestly, I was hoping I could snag Doug Baldwin or Brandin Cooks with my earlier pick #19, to hopefully snag Gurley here, clearly that did not happen. I happily settled for a solid wideout with a solid quarterback in Derek Carr. Had Sexual Misconduct taken Cooper the pick before me, I really would have been stumped here.
Round 4 (Pick #39 Overall)
Keenan Allen - Wide Receiver - Los Angeles Chargers
This was the first of two back-to-back risky picks. As I mentioned before, I kind of handcuffed myself by taking two running backs early, forcing my hand in later rounds. I needed a pass catcher here, and I didn’t really know what else to do as I didn’t like any of the other guys there. Keenan Allen is a player I love, but he’s missed 23 games in the past 2 seasons, not to mention, the Chargers are crowded with pass-catchers with a good running back. Ouch. High upside though, please say a prayer for him. He is a stud.
Round 5 (Pick #42 Overall)
Greg Olsen - Tight End - Carolina Panthers
G-Reg is my favorite NFL player not on the Lions, but this was a reach. I am not afraid to admit it. I really didn’t want to stream a tight end every week, so I shored up the position with this pick, albeit quite early. He’ll play every week for me until he proves he should not. He has literally not missed a game in nine seasons. Got my guy here. He wasn’t going to make it to my next pick.
Round 6 (Pick #59 Overall)
Kareem Hunt - Running Back - Kansas City Chiefs
I have heard people rave about Hunt since the beginning of July. Had Spencer Ware not gotten injured this weekend, I still would’ve taken Hunt late. But Ware is now out for a long time, making Hunt a bell-cow back. If Todd Gurley does not pan-out, this guy is the next guy up. I have seen Andy Reid do great things with young-offensive players, here’s to hoping we see it this year with Kareem Hunt.
Round 7 (Pick #62 Overall)
Willie Snead - Wide Receiver - New Orleans Saints
I sat here at pick 62, stumped. I wanted Tyreek Hill or Jamison Crowder, both gone. Props to whoever got them. This left me locked up. I had to go receiver here with only 2 receivers chosen in 6 rounds. Snead will play most downs, in a historically pass-heavy offense. The Saints spent some bread on their run-game this offseason, so I’m hoping Snead still gets plenty of looks across from young-stud Mike Thomas.
Round 8 (Pick #79 Overall)
Kenny Britt - Wide Receiver - Cleveland Browns
These middle rounds had me stumped. I needed receivers, but I didn’t like many of them at this spot. With only 60 seconds to pick I had to assess the situation quickly. Kenny Britt is the number one receiver on a team with quarterback deficiencies. I hope someone can get him the ball, he did some good things last year. I’m thinking he could maybe fill that Terelle Pryor type role?
Round 9 (Pick #82 Overall)
Russell Wilson - Quarterback - Seattle Seahawks
I believe it is a cardinal sin to reach on quarterbacks. I kept waiting for someone to start a run on QB’s, but it never really happened. I was surprised to see Wilson fall so far. He was banged up last year but is now healthy. Great player, could give me 10-20 rushing yards each week.
Round 10 (Pick #99 Overall)
Zay Jones - Wide Receiver - Buffalo Bills
Zay Jones was not a player I was planning on taking before today. I really wanted Adam Thielen here, but oh well. Zay Jones got a ton of hype on NFL Draft Day, with many saying he could be the biggest sleeper in the NFL Draft. He is now number one on the Buffalo Bills depth chart at receiver after the Sammy Watkins trade. I hope someone can throw him the ball. I looked his name up once I was on the clock and pulled the trigger with, like, 4 seconds left. Again, I didn’t really know what else to do.
Round 11 (Pick #102 Overall)
Terrance West - Running Back - Baltimore Ravens
Okay, if Danny Woodhead (grittiest player in the league) can stay hurt, I have the Ravens number one guy. West will still get some goal-line looks and many touches in the run-game, but Woodhead is going to catch all of the passes out of that backfield. West was one of those guys that kind of fell during the draft, so I got my fourth and final running back here. Done with running backs, as I really like the previous three backs I chose.
Round 12 (Pick #119 Overall)
Marcus Mariota - Quarterback - Tennessee Titans
I have wanted to draft Marcus Mariota since June. There was a string of six or seven weeks last year where he was the number one fantasy quarterback in football. He did get banged up, but I think he is in line for a solid year, with weapons all over the field.
Round 13 (Pick #122 Overall)
Jack Doyle - Tight End - Indianapolis Colts
Jack D had a solid year last year. Dwayne Allen moved on to New England this offseason, opening up the number one tight end slot to Doyle. He’ll get most of the looks, we’ll see if it could be enough to crack my lineup.
Round 14 (Pick #139 Overall)
Cooper Kupp - Wide Receiver - Los Angeles Rams
LATE ROUND FLYER ALERT
In a fantasy utopia (for me), this guy will be like a SoCal Julian Edelman, catching 1000 passes out of the slot, for like 200 total yards, in LA of course. It looks like he will be the slot-guy for the Rams, and experts say he has been Jared Goff’s favorite target throughout the preseason. Keep an eye on this guy. My team also needed some grit, combined with great route-running ability. Come back here when Cooper Kupp explodes. Best pick in the entire draft. He’ll go number one overall in 2018 fantasy drafts.
Round 15 (Pick #142 Overall)
Dan Bailey - Kicker - Dallas Cowboys
AT&T Stadium is indoors. That’s it.
Round 16 (Pick #159 Overall)
Carolina Panters Defense/Special Teams
They were elite like two-years ago, now they have no secondary. Luke Kuechly tho.
In review, it seems like 5 or 6 times throughout the draft, I guy I really liked went right before my pick, leaving me stumped. Maybe it was a lack of preparation, I am not sure, but there were a couple of times where I really panicked not knowing what to do. I am still happy with the way it turned out. I think I made it work. Not complaining, I can envision a solid year from this bunch.
With love,
Devin J. Swiftney