This year's draft grades are in, and they run the gamut. Draft grades are not indicative of across the board results, but a little bit of good pre-season press never hurt anybody!
First, my draft prediction results:
I said that we would see more WRs than ever in the first round; The previous record was four, this year we saw five (the first three picks were receivers: Brown, Jones, and Beckham) in round one, thirteen of the leagues' first 28 picks, (and 26 of the first 56!) making it the Larkspur Bowl's premium position in 2016.
I thought we would see the five IDPs taken in the first five rounds double to ten. However, that number stayed at five: DL JJ Watt, LB Luke Kuchly, DL Khalil Mack, S Reshad Jones, and LB Lavonte David. However, I also predicted that we would see 56 defensive players (up from 42) taken in the first twelve rounds. Uh, I was also wrong, but it did climb to 51!
One for three- Not a terrible day at the plate! ANYWAY, ON TO THE GRADES:
Kevin Stabe followed up two solid years of 'B" drafting with an A+, projecting above average at every position except QB and DL for the
Sasquatch. Their unwavering belief in franchise quarterback Matty Ice will ultimately be the key to their success in 2016: There are no other weak points for Saskatoon at the outset.
Toronto called an audible at the last moment and brought in a ringer for their 2016 draft, as Chris DiPaolo followed up Stu Ferguson's A grade in 2015 with another A grade. The veteran receiving corps of Green, Marshall, and Fitzgerald boasts an enviable ceiling and floor. The team will hope that Coby Fleener can elevate his game in what has traditionally been a very fruitful position.
Yahoo! sees
Hill Valley's second straight go at the first overall pick a much better time out. With four starting caliber wideouts projected for 220+ points, they'll ride a running back carousel headlined by Shady McCoy. Jameis Winston and Eric Ebron are young players that are being charged with big roles on a Mike Verrino led team that is desperate to return to the playoffs after a two year hiatus.
Pete Persampieri enters his eighth year in the Larkspur Bowl the same way he entered the last seven: Drafting a runningback in the first round.
HCM City's competitive point totals the past two years have not resulted in playoff berths- the team's one and only appearance in the dance came all the way back in 2010. Their draft grades have improved every year, and a plethora of receiving options should give them the ability to work some early upgrades at other positions.
The
Van Halens have put together a quality starting lineup with major depth concerns- but depth is easily attainable, while high end talent is quite another matter. The team brings back Kelvin Benjamin after a lost 2015, and has pinned its hopes on a pair of sophomores: David Johnson and Tyler Lockett. They also added Matt Stafford after picking Drew Brees in the fifth round, because what is an Ajay Patel team without a QB controversy?
After three years as the league's best graded drafter,
Phoenix took a tumble on the 2016 report card by gambling on injured players (JJ Watt, Jimmy Graham), suspended players (Josh Gordon, Vontaze Burfict), and rookies (Tajae Sharpe, Laquon Treadwell, Derrick Henry, and Karl Joseph) that could cause the four time champs to get off to a rough start on their quest to be on the podium for the seventh year in a row.
The
Moosecrew score a solid B for the second time in two tries under Marty Sheehy, but their roster looks very good to me: a lot of players with assured roles and speculative upside. Odell Beckham and Aaron Rodgers are going to set the tone for a lot of high scoring affairs in Manitoba. Along with ODB, Jordy Nelson, Steve Smith, Torrey Smith, and Mahammed Sanu should all see 90+ targets
Tom Acquisto decided to give Adrian Peterson a return ticket to
Oakwood with the 8th pick, despite being burned by his suspension in 2014. He is joined by the DE-TEAM: Demaryius Thomas, Demarco Murray, DeVante Parker, and Desean Jackson. The offense has talent and depth, and if Tyler Eifert can come back to health to be a difference maker at TE, this should be the Drivers' year to finally make a playoff run.
The defending champion
South Park Cows went upside at RB at the first turn, taking Le'veon Bell and Jamaal Charles back to back. If both can stay healthy (and in Bell's case, out of trouble) it will be the best one-two punch in the league, and afford the team plenty of flexibility to churn the roster. Mike Hart has been aces at divesting from the projection's narrative in both of his years here; look for more of the same in Larkspur Bowl VIII.
On
the Island, Jay Kalmer's squad brings a nice balance of tantalizing upside (rookies Ezekiel Elliot and Sterling Shepard both bring Rookie-Of-The-Year potential to the table) and veteran know-how (Forte, Jeffery, Edelman, and Sanders) to the field. Khalil Mack headlines an all-around defense that has long been a strong suit for the LBIV Champions.
New York's Finest lower than average score can be attributed to a few things: an injured cornerback (Vontae Davis) and suspended kicker (Josh Brown) are both holes in the lineup that should be easily addressed; Kevin White and Devin Funchess are both risk/reward propositions that could pay big dividends, or leave gaping holes in the lineup; And past Carlos Hyde and Frank Gore, there's no plug and play third RB. That said, if Cam Newton can approach his 2015 numbers, Tom Grimes should be able to optimize a lineup around him.
Savannah went all-in on elite IDPs very early last year, and it hurt them. This year, they focused on offense for the first seven picks, before shifting their focus to linebackers- and then in the ninth round they made a pick that might define their season: Tom Brady (suspended four games) could turn the team's only roster weakness into an overwhelming strength. It is imperative that the Petes start strong this year.
Pete Allegretta and the
Pawnee Pride went all the way to the 'Ship last year on the back of one of the Larkspur Bowl's all-time most dominating offenses After losing the big game, they came back from the off season and made Luke Kuechly the second IDP (and first LB) to be a first round draft pick. This years WRs won't hold a candle to last year's endgame bunch, but there's a trio of guys that saw triple digit targets last year (Evans, Baldwin, Aiken) and two aspiring bellcows in Jeremy Langford and Melvin Gordon (plus a fistful of handcuff scratch off tickets) at RB.
Vince Milillo had some severe connectivity problems, which is somewhat ironic as he is a 'web guy.' As such, his defense is in shambles, which really bottomed out his draft grade. NO MATTER! The
Malibu Deadbeats will piece together a defense with budgets and sleepers, in grand Draft Dodger fashion. The offense should be there: DeAndre Hopkins leads a credible WR corps, while the RB trio of Lamar Miller, Arian Foster, and CJ Anderson could breakout as the league's best. Stop me if you heard that before- Miller and Foster teamed up with Eddie Lacy and promised to be a dynamite punch for the same squad last year. BUT THIS YEAR, THEY REALLY MEAN IT.
