My critically-acclaimed Cheatsheet Customizer will be ready this week (personalized conference groupings, etc.) – in the meantime, a look at my all-FBS top 144 Wide Receivers for 2011.
Rank Name Class Team Bye
1 Ryan Broyles Sr OKLA 2, 11
Alshon Jeffery crushed many a smaller defender in 2010, expect more in 2011 (Icon SMI)
2 Justin Blackmon Jr OKST 5, 13
3 Alshon Jeffery Jr SOCAR 8, 14
4 Jeff Fuller Sr TXAM 2, 14
5 Royce Pollard Sr HAW 6
6 Patrick Edwards Sr HOU 7, 14
7 Juron Criner Sr ARZ 7, 14
8 Michael Floyd Sr ND 7, 14
9 Jordan White Sr WMCH 10, 14
10 Tavon Austin Jr WVU 7, 12
11 Damaris Johnson Sr TULSA 6, 14
12 Darius Bright Jr HAW 6
13 D.J. Woods Sr CIN 6, 9
14 Lance Lewis Sr ECU 3, 14
15 Eric Page Jr TOL 9, 14
16 Kamar Jorden Sr BGSU 10, 14
17 Darius Johnson Jr SMU 6, 14
18 Cody Wilson Jr CMCH 13, 14
19 T.Y. Hilton Sr FIU 7, 14
20 Robert Woods So USC 6, 14
21 Da’Rick Rogers So TENN 4, 14 Read the rest of this entry →
Over the last few weeks I had the pleasure of partaking for the 3rd year in a mock draft that will be published in the Athlons Sports College Football Magazine (web slideshow debuted today here). Some of the best fantasy college football minds around participate in this mock and has now become my official kickoff to the new season. Drafting in April certainly has its challenges as there is an endless list of questions that will mostly be answered in the next 4 months.
Bobby Rainey - yeah, we all picked on CBS for putting him in their top ten RB last year. Line forms behind us. (Icon SMI)
Format – 12 teams and 20 rounds in this mock and I got the 12th pick in the draft. The starting lineup consists of: 2 QBs, 3 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 Flex (RB or WR), 1 TE, 1 Def/ST and 1 K. The scoring is straight-forward with the only addition a .5 points per reception.
With the 12th pick in the draft and a big starting lineup, my strategy was to draft more on value early on with little regard to positions. I wanted to avoid question marks early and concentrate on players that I feel strongly will have the same value in August as they do now. Once I have built a strong core of these type players, I would then shift my strategy to high upside guys in systems that produce fantasy studs.
Let’s break down my draft and see how I did and if I was able to stick to my strategy.
1.12 – Bobby Rainey, RB, Western Kentucky – Last year I caught a little criticism for having Rainey ranked lower than my peers, but with a brutal opening four games on the schedule expectations had to be tempered. Well Rainey ran through that gauntlet of a schedule and finished with 1649 yards and 15 TDs. This year the schedule is a joke compared to last year with Rainey having a chance to push 2000 yards. Extremely happy to see him available at pick #12.
This is the second version of my Mock Draft. The Top 10 remains virtually unchanged with Robert Quinn and Blaine Gabbert swapping spots and Jake Locker sneaking in at #10. It seems like most of the other mock drafts are gravitating to look more like mine, at least in the Top 15 with the exception of the Bengals. I stand pat with my prediction that the Bengals will not select a WR at #4.
The one concern when looking at my mock draft is the fact that I believe we are going to see 5, maybe even as many as 7, quarterbacks selected in the 1st round. But you might ask “Drew, you only have 4 in your mock draft, what gives”? In one word….trades. I expect several teams trading into the back of the first round to select their QB. I can’t mock a QB to the Patriots at #28, but don’t be surprised if a team like the Bengals trade up to #28 and select someone like Andy Dalton.
The other interesting observation of my mock is that there are no running backs in the 1st round. I have never bought into the belief that the Dolphins would select Mark Ingram at #15. Never in the history of the NFL draft has there not been at least one running back selected in the 1st round and in fact only once has there been fewer than 2 taking in the first round.
1. Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn – There are a lot of signs that suggest the Panthers might not select Newton 1st overall but no player is standing out as the clear cut #1. This leads me to think they will pick more from a business standpoint. Therefore, Newton is the player that will create the most excitement.
2. Denver Broncos: Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama – As every day passes, it is starting to become more and more clear that Dareus is the Broncos pick here. Patrick Patterson is a player that makes sense for the Broncos and certainly talented enough to go this high, but NFL teams don’t select CBs in the Top 2. Read the rest of this entry →
It is that time of year again for the NFL Draft. Of course, the NFL is currently locked out and there is a possibility of no pro football this season. However, all that will be on the back-burner on April 28-30th. That is when fans of all teams will be given the hope that the players drafted will lead their teams to the promise land. Let’s take a look at my first mock draft of the season. Bear in mind that I will be updating this consistently up until the draft.
1. Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn – There are a lot of signs that say the Panthers might not select Newton 1st overall but no player is standing out as the clear cut #1. This leads me to think they will pick more from a business standpoint. Therefore, Newton is the player that will create the most excitement.
2. Denver Broncos: Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama – As every day passes, it is starting to become more and more clear that Dareus is the Broncos pick here. Patrick Patterson is a player that makes sense for the Broncos and certainly talented enough to go this high, but NFL teams don’t select CBs in the Top 2.
3. Buffalo Bills: Von Miller, DE/OLB, Texas A&M – The Bills are an interesting team as most people assume they are a lock to draft a QB here. While it seems like the Newton is the QB the Bills would take, Blaine Gabbert isn’t. I don’t believe the Bills are desperate enough to take Gabbert. They aren’t in love with him, especially with all the needs on the defensive side of the ball. Chan Gailey coached Miller, who was an absolute beast during the Senior Bowl week. Read the rest of this entry →
RB DeMarco Murray showed that he wants to be featured on Sundays.
Today was the last real day of practice as tomorrow will be just be a short walk-through. Essentially, the players had one last chance to impress. In this article, I am going to share my thoughts on the North Squad based on my observations the last few days. The most impressive player for me has to be running back DeMarco Murray (Oklahoma), who appears to be a three-down back showing a great combination of speed and power which extremely soft hands. Murray will continue to fight the label as an injury-prone back after being banged up his four years in college. This will likely scare some teams. However, he looks like a back with some nice upside which could pay a big rewards to a team if he slides into the third round. Hear our audio interview with Murray here.
