Big East Mock Draft with CFFI – bare cupboards
May 24th, 2009 by Vince Mullins
by Brian McDonald of College Fantasy Football Insider
For this week’s Big East mock draft we invited a fellow college fantasy footballer to partake in the fun, and Vince Mullins of Fantasy College Blitz was happy to oblige. Vince and his amigos at the Blitz know their stuff, so well-aware that he’d certainly be up to the task I anxiously began my draft preparation; after all this is the conference that has provided the likes of Michael Bush, Steve Slaton, Pat White and Ray Rice in recent years.
Then it quickly became apparent that this is not your older brother’s Big East. In fact the 2009 version of the conference bears little resemblance to the league of even a couple of years ago. And even before the drafting commenced I couldn’t help but think back to strolling through a video store (remember those?) years ago on a Saturday night, when all that remained was a copy of Beverly Hills Ninja and a robust selection of films starring C. Thomas Howell.
Slim pickings to say the least.
Big East Draft Results |
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| Round 1 | |
| QB Tony Pike, Cin – Jim B. QB Jarrett Brown, WVU – Alex E. WR Marshwan Gilyard, Cin – Brian M. QB Matt Grothe, SoFl – Vince M. |
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| Round 2 | |
| RB Noel Devine, WVU – Vince M. RB Mike Ford, SoFl – Brian M. RB Victor Anderson, Lou – Alex E. WR Mike Williams, Syr – Jim B. |
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| Round 3 | |
| RB Andre Dixon, UConn – Jim B. QB Adam Froman, Lou (JC) – Alex E. WR Tim Brown, Rut – Brian M. D Scarlet Knights, Rut – Vince M. |
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| Round 4 | |
| RB Delone Carter, Syr – Vince M. TE Shamar Graves, Rut – Brian M. D Bulls, SoFl – Alex E. RB Dion Lewis (Fr), Pitt – Jim B. |
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| Round 5 | |
| RB Joe Martinek, Rut – Jim B. WR Jonathan Baldwin, Pitt – Alex E. RB John Goebel, Cin – Brian M. WR Wes Lyons, WVU – Vincent M. |
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| Round 6 | |
| WR Vidal Hazelton, Cin – Vincent M. D Bearcats, Cin – Brain M. WR Jamar Howard, Cin – Alex E. WR Josh Chichester, Lou – Jim B. |
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| Round 7 | |
| TE Ben Guidugli, Cin – Jim B. RB Jordan Todman, Rut – Alex E. WR Logan Heastie (Fr) – Brian QB Greg Paulus (Tran) – Vincent M. |
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| Round 8 | |
| TE Nate Byham, Pitt – Vincent M. QB Zach Frazer, UConn -Brian M. TE Mike Owen, Syr – Alex E. D Panthers, Pitt – Jim B. |
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However because we had made plans for the draft, and the Big East is technically a power football conference, we went through with this thing. As the first pick drew near I wanted to draft Rony Seikaly, but I knew I should nab a quarterback early…because the drop-off was considerable. But then I realized the same decline existed at the running back, wide receiver, and at the tight end spots. And then 30 minutes later my Big East fantasy hopes rested in the hands of UConn quarterback Zach Frazer, and like staring at my freshman grades in college, I was uncertain of what had just transpired, but I knew it wasn’t good.
Jim led us off this time, and he quickly grabbed Bearcat Tony Pike with the first overall selection. Alex, sensing the impending quarterback nightmare, quickly grabbed Jarrett Brown, a QB that’s not a sure thing by any means. And then it was my turn. Knowing very well that Matt Grothe was the sole remaining quarterback that could be deemed fantasy-worthy…I passed on him in favor of Marshwan Gilyard, a true man-amongst-boys in the 2009 Big East fantasy world. Unwilling to look a gift horse in the mouth our friend Vince grabbed Grothe and sealed my quarterback fate; then he followed that selection up with the enticing but dangerous Noel Devine, and we were on our way.
The remainder of the draft is one big blur. We had six players from either Louisville or Syracuse drafted, included among these six is a fella who is best known for flopping around the floor at Cameron Indoor. Mind you we were each forced to pick a newcomer to Div-1 football and Greg Paulus fits the bill. Every pick seemed like a reach, yet there were still some surprises. No one took a shot at suspended West Virginia wide receiver Jock Sanders. Vince is feeling eligibility for USC-to-Cincy wide receiver Vidal Hazelton. Alex seems to think that Adam Froman (not to be confused with Abe) will earn the starting nod at Louisville, and my friend believes that he pulled a coup d’état with his newcomer pick. And Jim thought enough of Mike Williams to make him the second overall wide receiver.
If this draft shows anything it’s that this league is one in transition. The Big East has struggled to replace its stars of recent years, and maybe some of this can be attributed to the loss of both Bobby Petrino and, to a lesser extent because it’s only been one year, Rich Rodriguez. What can’t be debated is that once we move past the likes of Tony Pike, Marshwan Gilyard and Noel Devine there will be little reason for drafters in national leagues to look towards the Big East conference. Yet still, despite this dearth of talent, a Big East-only draft can still be a heck of a lot of fun.
So, what say you loyal followers? Who won this mock draft? Which team would you feel most comfortable with come this September?
Vince Mullins: QB Grothe, RB Devine, RB Carter, WR Lyons, WR Hazelton, TE Byham, D Rutgers and Newcomer/QB Paulus
Brian McDonald: QB Frazer, RB Ford, RB Goebel, WR Gilyard, WR Brown, TE Graves, D Cincinnati and FR/WR Heastie
Alex Esselink: QB Brown, RB Anderson, RB Todman, WR Baldwin, WR Howard, TE Owen, D South Florida and JUCO/QB Froman
Jim Belanger: QB Pike, RB Dixon, RB Martinek, WR Williams, WR Chichester, TE Guidugli, D Pittsburgh and FR/RB Lewis
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