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Subject: Gurupie 24 '06 Draft Recap
Posted by: Ref
- Donor [539581218] Wed, Aug 30, 2006, 16:48
I figured, why come up with all new questions when Guru's Recap covers the basics. Obviously for us it's a supplemental draft, but the draft could have huge or very little impact for you.
G24 Managers - You are each invited (although not required) to post your general reflections on the completed draft. Comments may be as detailed or as general as you wish. As a catalyst, free free to comment on any of the following:
1. What was your plan/strategy entering the draft? Were you able to execute as you had planned?
2. What were your favorite picks? Which do you wish you could do over?
3. Looking over all of the teams, which ones do you like the most (other than your own)?
4. What surprised you most about the draft?
5. If you could start over, would you do anything differently?
Non-managers are also welcome to post general comments on the draft, and to raise questions.
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| 1 | Doug
ID: 33772914
Wed, Aug 30, 2006, 20:00
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1. Get a decent flex player who can contribute this year at the end of first round (my first available pick)... just go for value/upside after that.
2. I was surprised to get Green Bay in round 2, and the other D/STs that were drafted ahead of them. The Eagles (who I kept) have fallen off a bit as a D/ST, so it'll help to be able to play matchups... and could be good trade bait when someone has a bye.
3. As far as the draft is concerned... AF, bj21, cold, GL, Promize all had picks that I thought were great. Not going to project the keepers and such at this time.
4. LOL, not much of anything. Maybe that the kickers lasted so long.
5. I kinda wish I would have lost my first round playoff game last year so that I could get a better draft slot. I don't think that postseason performance should affect draft slot. The lone exception might be that the league champ picks last or something.
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| 2 | smallwhirled
ID: 31759511
Wed, Aug 30, 2006, 20:22
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1. What was your plan/strategy entering the draft? Were you able to execute as you had planned?
Last year my team completely turned around, and I feel like I'm in a position to win right now. Knowing I wasn't going to be able to get an impact/glamour player at pick 18, I looked at what would help me the most right now. I saw the Chargers in the player pool and had them rated a couple tiers (I think they are underrated by the experts) ahead of the other crappy defenses that were left in the pool. So I hoped they'd fall to me (I thought it was likely after looking at old G24 drafts), and they did.
From that point foward, I would've liked to grab a decent RB, but a couple of guys I was targeting went in the picks before me and I ended up taking longer term players (Clemens and Colston). David Boston was just a flier pick that I felt like I could waste if it didn't work out, and Fargas is LaMont Jordan insurance.
Overall, I'm very happy with the Chargers. I would've been happy with that and be done with it probably. My past G24 drafts have been pretty pathetic, it's tough to get a keeper in the later rounds unless you get lucky.
2. What were your favorite picks? Which do you wish you could do over?
My favorite picks in the entire draft are Wali Lundy at 1.20 and LaBrandon Toefield at 4.13. I had really hoped that Toefield fell to me, I would've gladly snatched him up at 4.18 but that didn't work out.
If I could do it over, I would have probably tried to keep my eyes open a little more instead of being so "set" on the Chargers, I'm still pissed about Wali Lundy as evidenced in this reply.
3. Looking over all of the teams, which ones do you like the most (other than your own)?
Obviously you have to like skinneej's Packers with two picks in the top 5. Those guys could turn out to be long term keepers, and sometimes, those seem hard to get. I also like what Myboyjack did in terms of getting WRs who I feel will make an impact right now.
4. What surprised you most about the draft?
How quick the darn thing went.
5. If you could start over, would you do anything differently?
You can never have enough RBs and I only took an insurance back. Maybe get "luckier" and have it be my pick when a RB situation changes on the fly (Texans and Jaguars come to mind).
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| 3 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Wed, Aug 30, 2006, 20:35
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1 & 2. To get a starting RB/WRs that had huge upside. Also wanted a young QB that could startin case of injuries or could be developed as I knew Volek would probably not be around after this year. Also wanted a starting WR irregardless of age that was at least starting in the slot (#3 WR) as my WR/flex positions are so up in the air. This is a rebuilding year for me, but at the same time, I'm so competitive by nature that I want to do the best I can now instead of playing totally for next year or two. Not sure Berrian or Parker were the best picks, but we shall see. Vincent Jackson went right after Berrian and I forgot all about him. Not sure I would have picked him or not but I might have.
I am still amazed Lundy fell to me. I had targeted him from the get-go. If I couldn't get him then Losman/Pennington or Grossman would be a consideration as were some WRs. I later found out that Penington was kept. I then was able to come back and get Hagan, a rookie WR who will start at the slot as he passed Welker on the depth carts. Came back and nabbed Berrian who is a risk but currently listed at #2 bu thas huge upside in speed, hands and route-running. Got lucky with Collins but had to get him in case he started over Volek.
3. Thought mbj got a couple of steals. Both were guys I was looking at. Also liked Yokel's picks. Although problematic having to re-pick, Kitna is super and the VIkings D should even be better this year. Had my eye on both of them. Coyotes might have gotten a couple of very good players early. Was
shocked he got Jennings so early, bt reading about him more lately and that could turn out to be very good. Drew was s super pick I thought. Also liked Doug's and GL's picks. Many other good ones but those jump are a few of the best I felt.
4. This draft was uncharacteristic I thought. There were several guys that I just can't believe fell as far as they did.
5. This is a rebuilding year for me, but with the surprise of Lundy I'm hoping to stay out of the bottom third. With some luck I can still have a decent year while I try to reload. It's a sahme Suggs deal fell through with the Jets or I'd be really excited. Porter is in the Outhouse as TB put it and Toomer is a wild card.
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| 4 | TB
Sherpa
ID: 031811922
Wed, Aug 30, 2006, 23:27
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The State of the Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are still in a building mode. We came into the draft with QB Peyton Manning, TE Todd Heap, RB Willie Parker, and kicker Josh Brown as our only solid keepers. RB Ahman Green is only 29 years old, but injuries the past two seasons have slowed him down. We acquired his young back-up, Samkon Gado, in a predraft deal that made us feel more comfortable with our RB#2 position. RB Cedric Houston's performance at the end of last season combined with the imminent retirement of Curtis Martin led us to believe that we could possibly be set at the RB position. The recent addition of Kevan Barlow by the actual NY Jets dashed those hopes shortly before the draft. Sadly, Mike Williams currently occupies our WR#1 position and the Tennessee Titans are our team defense. These two positions must be upgraded before this team can become a contender.
Baltimore Ravens Draft Plan
Unless this team drafts young talent it will not become a contender. Drafting mediocre players from the veteran pool is not going to make this team a winner. Those players are fine for rounding-out a current contender, but this team has not reached contender status and needs at least two more playmakers before being ready to contend. With that in mind, the focus was on acquiring rookie players and upgrading the receiver position. Rarely do rookie receivers make an immediate impact. The priority was to get an impact player in the first round and then draft receivers with the following picks who were going into successful passing systems with the opportunity to become a starter within the next two seasons.
With the 7th pick in the first round, the target pick was RB Jerious Norwood. There was no doubt that the five running backs drafted prior to the 7th pick were going to be gone. There was a chance that one of the top two rookie QB's were going to be drafted leaving Mike Bell on the board. The two other options considered were Vince Young and Vernon Davis. Both are rare talents but very raw at the professional level.
I could not pass up a player currently being considered for the starting RB position for a team who has been very successful running the ball. I have concerns with this pick for the long run, but do not want to second-guess my decision to pass on Norwood.
I didn't get to pick again until the third round, but followed the plan by drafting rookies: WR Hank Baskett, TE Tony Scheffler, WR Rashied Davis, ad WR Brandon Marshall. While none of them may turn out to be super stars, there were no guaranteed #1 or #2 receivers available to be drafted when we picked. I like this young crop of receivers and if just one of them turns out to be keeper worthy, I feel like this team could enter next years draft with a contender mindset.
The Ravens take on the draft
I already explained some concern with my first pick. I do not think I would second-guess the selection of Norwood with the first pick so I cannot admit that I am completely happy with this pick, but it could turn out to be a good selection. I will be honest. A small part of my brain says we could get very lucky this year if the team stays healthy and surprise some of our weekly opponents.
Other picks I like in this draft:
1.12 Greg Jennings, WR, GB- He will be the best receiver from this years draft class.
1.15 Jerious Norwood, RB, ATL- I know this is a bold statement, but he could turn out to be the third best back from this class.
1.20 Wali Lundy, RB, Hou- Rookie running backs are smart choices in the first round. Was fighting for third string at the beginning of the draft and had been named starter before the draft was completed. Long-term he has to fight off a healthy Domanick Davis. Mid-term he might be sharing carries with Morency and Smith.
1.21 Ernest Wilford, WR, Jax and 2.02 Doug Gabriel, WR, Oak- If I was in contender status these two players would have been nice to round out my roster. Gabriel should be on my roster already. Draft snafu by my DP in last years draft when pulling the name from my invisi-queue.
3.21 Vincent Jackson, WR, SD- He was on my short list of picks. Will be the #1 WR in SD within the next two years.
4.04 Stephen Gostkowski, K, NE and 4.14 Michael Koenen, K, ATL- People were drafting kickers in the first round and here in the 4th round two teams drafted young starting kickers playing for good teams.
5.04 Drew Carter, WR, CAR- Had he lasted one more pick I would probably be able to drop Mike Williams on waivers and pick my 5th round selection up.
5.10 Ciatrick Fason, RB, Minn- Has moved up to the RB#2 position and since when has Taylor ever carried the load for a full season or even stayed healthy for a full season?
Draft Surprises
1- Kickers being drafted in the first round.
2- How slow some managers are when it comes to making picks or leaving queues. The Pros have 15 minutes and that's for the first round. Everyone should have a draft plan well before the draft starts, not start doing research when their pick comes up.
3- Most managers made some great picks and the knowledge across the league is outstanding
4- The depth of current talent in the NFL and the quality /potential of young talent still available.
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| 5 | TB
Sherpa
ID: 031811922
Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 00:09
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Other picks I like in this draft:
I didn't realize that this guy was drafted until I went in to make a waiver claim and saw him on the Chiefs:
4.18 Marques Colston, TE, NO
Very nice pick and someone I considered a very deep sleeper. Not deep enough for this league and only reinforces number 3 above.
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| 6 | StLCards
Leader
ID: 31010716
Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 14:24
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SF49ers
Entering the supplemental draft with the 24th overall pick kinds of limits your options. If there is one thing I have learned in this league it is that you need depth. You will have an injury and how well prepared you are to offset that injury is huge. Also, every game and every point counts. To simply give away a game because your player(s) are on a bye week could be as good as giving away a chance at the playoffs. Two years I missed the playoffs by the tie-breaker (points for) and last year I decided that wouldn't happen again. Last year I kept 2 DSTs and drafted 2 kickers to cover those bye weeks. I also drafted the backup to my starting QB and then dropped him for a starter later in the year. This year I wasn't able to follow that strategy as Losman went 1 pick before me and Toral had already drafted my backup QB.
Part of my draft strategy was already decided when I selected my keepers. I thought long and hard about whether to release either Anderson or Barlow. At the time Barlow hadn't been traded. By the draft it was clear that Anderson was falling on the depth chart, but I knew Barlow should start in NY. I knew that during the draft any RB or WR falling to me at 24 would be a long term project at best. I decided I would just as soon have Anderson as my project than a rookie only likely to play special teams. Going to 8 keepers next year would make it all but impossible to keep that player anyway, so it would just be a wasted roster spot in my mind. I tried that before with Musa Smith as a keeper only to release him the next year.
So I feel like I came into the draft with a couple of needs. I had no kicker and last year they were all pretty well gone by the end of the second round. I also needed a backup QB and WR depth. I also thought a second DST would be good for the bye week. I had already abandoned any idea of picking up a RB and had little hope of getting a QB. Having TO and Lloyd at WR I felt no pressing need to take another #2 WR. In my mind it came down to Losman in rd 1 and then a marginal kicker in rd 2, or just take a top K in rd 1 and then a #2 WR in rd 2 and my 3rd K in rd. 3. When BMD took Losman my path was chosen.
What would I do over? At one point in the draft it was my turn to pick and I saw the news that Collins would likely be signed by TN. At the time I considered taking him, but my need for a QB was in week 4 and I didn't think that Collins had a shot at starting by then so I took a rookie WR in Baltimore thinking that McNair will need someone to throw to and may latch on to this kid. More likely I will cut him after a few weeks.
what picks did I like? Based on drafting position I would say that Ref probably got the most value in the draft by taking Lundy and Collins. I'm not totally sold on Lundy though, so we'll see. I liked a couple of 3rd round picks. I think 3.12 for Arnaz Battle was a great pick as SF really uses him a lot and the loss of Lloyd makes him more valuable, but he needs to stay healthy. Also pick 3.21 of Vincent Jackson could prove to be a great pick as Rivers could take to this guy quickly. He fits the type of player I give value to. He is a second year player, big, fast, not a ton of competition and a chance to work with a QB he's used to playing with being on the second team.
draft surprises Somebody questioning me taking a K in the first round ;) After losing games by less than a point which ultimately cost me a shot at a playoff, those extra K points could be huge :)
I guess another draft surprise was the Packers winning the lottery to get the fist pick, and then making a trade to also get the 5th pick. Two picks that could set him up for a long time to come.
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| 7 | Perm Dude
ID: 12748318
Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 17:32
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Cleveland Browns
The news over the summer wasn't good for the Browns. While Bledsoe's value seemed to rise with his move to Dallas and their signing of TO, the sudden loss of Curtis Martin was a real body blow. Coupled with the looming demotion of Northcutt to special teams, I needed to make each pick count, especially early. Luckily I didn't have too much to worry about with DST (TB) and a top kicker (Elam) already in the fold.
I was disappointed in essentially moving down three picks in the first round. Knowing the pickings were slimmer, I made the move with the Packers to pick up a quality WR in Driver and solidify a depleted receiving corps. Despite daily emails from Ref trying to pawn Lee "Gimp" Suggs for a pick, I knew that Rhodes was likely to get more carries this year and so concentrated on a quality receiver.
Picks
Doug Gabriel: This is a guy who has a ton of potential and has been a little disappointing as a result. But the situation in Oakland is changing, and with the possibility of him starting opposite Moss I knew he had too much upside to pass up.
Todd Pinkston: Bad pick. Not only a bad player to take, but I really should have take a running back here. Worse pick of the draft by far.
Zach Hilton: This seemed like a very good pick at the time, but like a lot of drafts in training camp things can change quickly. I'm holding off on cutting bait with him.
Charlie Whitehurst: An excellent 2nd teamer, he's got some great skills and a long-term upside I like.
William Green: He'll end up as #2 in Cleveland, which means a good number of touches. At this point in the draft he was the best RB on the board.
Mulligan
I certainly would have taken a RB earlier. I'm pleased that Green was still left and that made up for a lot, but I should have taken one a lot earlier, probably in place of the disastrous Pinkston pick.
Also, if I delayed a bit I might have had a shot at Collins.
Likes
Gabriel. Green. Whitehurst. I thought these guys were taken at or a little later than they should have been.
Surprises
Finding my second pick cut just about before the end of the draft!
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| 8 | GoatLocker
Sustainer
ID: 060151121
Fri, Sep 01, 2006, 00:51
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1. What was your plan/strategy entering the draft? Were you able to execute as you had planned?
When ya know ya have a huge problem on the RB side, there is only one thing you can do, draft RBs. Of course, having the 11th pick in the first round makes it very tough and would obviously take a lot of luck to come up with an RB who would be able to make a big difference.
And of course, I was still stinging from last years first round choice in Eric Shelton, who is still rumored to be dropped here shortly.
So, going into my pick, I didn’t like the RBs left and thought for a bit I had a shot at getting Vernon Davis.
Fat Chance, picked right in front of me.
So, find the next best RB and take them, right.
Naw, even though I was in good shape WR wise, I felt at this time, that the best value pick for me was to go with Chad Jackson.
A risky pick at best since there is still some question as to where he will fit in with New England, but, let’s think about this, Tom Brady is throwing the ball.
2. What were your favorite picks? Which do you wish you could do over?
Actually pretty easy here.
My last two picks.
And I was fairly surprised to find both of them still available.
4.10 Courtney Anderson, TE, Oak
5.10 Ciatrick Fason, RB, Minn
Yeh, can we start over.
Not really, I'm pretty happy.
3. Looking over all of the teams, which ones do you like the most (other than your own)?
I don’t like mine, I have a glaring hole at RB.
Every single team in the league has holes, but the ability to cover them with depth is what will get teams to the playoffs.
That said, I like the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts
4. What surprised you most about the draft?
Nothing surprises me in this draft. This league is so deep and with 24 managers all trying to get better, anything and everything is liable to happen and as usual did.
5. If you could start over, would you do anything differently?
Yeh, not keep Shelton, of course, I don’t know who I would have kept in place of him.
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| 9 | skinneej
Leader
ID: 040625911
Fri, Sep 01, 2006, 09:49
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Green Bay Packers
1. What was your plan/strategy entering the draft? Were you able to execute as you had planned?
Well, getting lucky and winning the lottery takes some pressure off of planning for the first round pick, so that one was really a no-brainer. Bush may not turn out the be the best player in this year's draft, but he was the consensus top pick and I was not going to try to overthink it. I really liked Maroney and he would have been a good pick to pair with Dillon so initially the thought was to trade up and try to land him as well. I had good depth at WR and two early 2nd round picks so I thought I could package that together and move up. After discussing options with the other teams in the top 4, I realized I had no chance to land Maroney, so it was on to plan B.
I targetted picks 5-8 to move into to get either D. Williams, M. Bell or Leinart. I had soured some on L. White and had moved him down a couple spots on my list. Looking over the teams in that range, PD's Browns made the most sense. The other team's had adequate WR depth, but the Browns had no real starter. Having a top WR in Fitzgerald already and a good young starter in Troy Williamson left Driver expendable. Driver has put up two solid 1200 yrd seasons and I expect this year to be no different. Rookies are no sure bet even at the #5 pick, and with the chance to land a top 15 WR it made sense for both teams.
With Williams taken at #4, that left me Bell or Leinart. Since my team has no starting QB, I really thought about drafting Bell and looking to deal him. In fact, I offered the pick up for a starter, but all I got offered was a "Volek". :) C'mon, I said a GOOD QB!! Ha! Well, after no offers that seemed to work for me, I selected Leinart who should be the starter by next season. If the Cards are underacheivers through 10 games, you may see him this year as he's looked pretty good for a rook.
Going into the draft, I knew there were 3 starting QBs available: Kitna, Grossman and Losman. While none are really attractive, they are starters and should have mostly positive scores so that was all I was hoping for. Well, at 2.05 they had all been taken. My other needs at that point were K and TE and I didn't want another rookie or project, so I went for the best K available. Tynes kicks for a good offense and is young, so he could be a keeper even with the reduction to 8 next season.
2. What were your favorite picks? Which do you wish you could do over?
Obviously I liked my first two picks, but there were some good picks by other teams that stand out. With the Duckett trade, Norwood was a great pick at 1.15 and Musa Smith at 1.17 could be a great long term pick. I was high on him before he broke his leg, so it's nice to see him back. It will be a crowded backfield in Bal, but this pick is more toward the future. Lundy will get plenty of chances early, but Morency will split time and seems to make the big play at least from what I've seen in the pre-season. I had completely missed Buckhalter being available, so at 4.03 that one could be huge. If he stays healthy, and Westbrook is slow to get back into the flow, he could have some value this year. Obviously, having a draft pick when timely news comes out is fortunate, so Collins was a good pick and may start in week 1.
3. Looking over all of the teams, which ones do you like the most (other than your own)?
There are several teams that will be good, but depth is important and some teams have a weak position or two. That being said, the teams with the best starting teams to throw out each weak are the Cards, Bears, Rams, 49ers, Raiders, Colts and Broncos. Some of these teams could be crippled by a key injury, but will be hard to beat each week when everyone's healthy.
4. What surprised you most about the draft?
Well, kickers did start going early, but the good teams already have solid keepers and are looking to round out their roster. The 3rd round is when I expect kickers to start being drafted, but my 2nd rounder was the 3rd pick for me so I took a good one earlier than normal. Also, TE's like Pope and Lewis went early 2nd round when I had them targetted for my 3.06 pick. Pope may have helped his cause with his preseason play, so I was forced to dig a little deeper to get a TE than I had planned.
5. If you could start over, would you do anything differently?
Nope. It would have been nice to get Collins if my pick had been up when he was signed, but I'll have to continue to look for a QB.
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