Last Place Wisdom: Post Draft Recap

Draft day began at 4:30am for me, when I woke up thinking of fantasy football. I had not had any fantasy football related dreams as of yet, but that changed in a big way with one of my weirdest. No 50 Cent in this one, but we ended up renting like an airplane hanger to hold the draft in, and a number of you were replaced with total strangers who couldn't be more annoying. The first round was filled with bizarre picks and someone acting like a 5 year old and losing their first pick by being "funny" and wasting all of their time. I woke up thinking "what the heck just happened"; was my brain trying to tell me everyone else in the league didn't know what they're doing so don't worry, or was it my subconscious way of feeling better going into the draft, since I know how competitive everyone is and have to admit I was a little less confident going into this year than the past. That question remains to be answered, but thankfully being woken up at 4:30 was no big deal since I had a 5am date with my BBQ to get ready for.

The draft didn't disappoint; the evening pretty much had everything I love about playing in the TFLOEG. Great inside jokes, lots of football talk and just the ability to hang out distraction free for a couple of hours.



Last year I did not do a traditional draft recap and my excuse was that I just wasn't "feeling it". Maybe that was a response to me knowing deep down just how much I blew it with my Davante Adams pick, but this year is the opposite. I'm most disappointed that the season isn't starting yet and can't wait to discuss it more. So I'm going to give thoughts on each team, broken up by random thoughts, and also touch on the teams that are either clear risers of clear fallers from my pre-draft rankings.

• Keith - I'm very happy coming out of the draft. I was expecting to be able to draft Gio Bernard with my first pick, but having Demaryius "Only Winners Get Wings"Thomas fall to me was a nice consolation. From there, I would have never expected Gore to last till my 4th rounder; years of our league making fun of the old man seems to have paid off. Being able to fill the rest of my team with exciting guys who are hopefully on the upswing, knowing that I'd be able to get a QB and TE late in the draft leaves me pretty happy going into the season. Mr. Manager Pick of the Draft - Josh Doctson, I didn't have a rookie I could trust last year but I feel positive about Josh as a keeper, and I snagged him right when I needed to. Devin Funchess is my runner-up, as I really could see him being the top target in Carolina.

• John - Ever since his disaster of a season, John has had a philosophy of drafting with his heart rather than just his head. That is very apparent in his picks of Henry, Steve Smith and Michael Thomas. With a lot of late picks I was expecting John to take more high upside players, instead he played it safe and stuck with handcuffs. How that works out for him is still to be seen. Mr. Manager Pick of the Draft - Derrick Henry. It was clear what John was doing and he certainly reached, but if you believe in a guy you have to make bold moves. 

• Curtis - Curt started off by throwing everyone for a loop with his pick of Charles Sims. He's a reliable player, but I think Curt's team needed a star WR in that spot. Overall, Curtis made some good moves and I'm still feeling good about his prospects this season. Mr. Manager Pick of the Draft - Paul Perkins. I was tempted to put Fleener here, but I think Perkins has David Johnson type upside for Curtis. I was really hoping to get him myself, but Curtis reached a bit early for a player who could pay off big. Jay Ajayi is a runner up in this spot.

Lets address the Oven Mitts in the room; Clarke gave Aaron a brief respite from holding the Mitts, but Aaron came through with the crowning achievement of his draft. I also realize that I'll have to deservedly wear the oven mitts this season as well, but I have no apologies; when it comes to talking Defense or kickers my eyes glaze over and I check out.

• Dawson - Dawson ended up with incredible WR depth this year, which is never a bad position to be in. Unfortunately it came at the cost of his RBs, as I don't think anyone else has as many questions marks at the position. He did manage to snag Coleman away just before me, which might be Dawson's saving grace at the position. Mr. Manager Pick of the Draft - Kamar Aiken and Torrey Smith. Both guys are potential WR 2's who Dawson got super late. He might need to convert that depth into help elsewhere.
• Andrew - I don't really know what to say about Andrew's draft. Michael in the 2nd Round might have been crazy, but I can understand it at least. It could be a playoff making move if he's as good as reported this pre-season. What I don't understand are Kearse, Cruz and Graham; replace them with some high upside potential and my opinion of Andrew's draft changes drastically. Mr. Manager Pick of the Draft - Rashad Jennings - Andrew needed this type of safe starter, if he can keep his job all year he'll be a cornerstone player for him.
• Mike - Mike's done his homework; seeing him explain his home-made consistency ranking to me was pretty impressive, it's far more work than I've put into preparing. His team is solid, as his high draft picks let him take more established players rather than chase the upside of lottery tickets. Mr. Manager Pick of the Draft - Yeldon or Ivory - One of these guys is going to be a real steal for Mike. No more scrap picking for him.

I hope no one took much offense to my rather insistent belief that Defenses and Kickers before the last 2 rounds is a waste. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see players who could be fantasy stars drafted behind what is pretty much a total crap shoot, but I also want everyone to draft the best teams possible. 

• Shayne - Much like John, Shayne has his own approach to the draft that I've observed over several years where he doesn't concern himself with potential starters if they're not likely to beat out the top players on his team. I think this leads to why I don't find Shayne's team as exciting as others, but once again there is no doubt Shayne should have a solid team this year. Mr. Manager Pick of the Draft - Ezekiel Elliott - Shayne's best move of the draft was made a month before, to trade for a potential franchise defining player for a fair price. 
• Aaron - Aaron went from having no RBs to having a pretty solid RB core by focusing heavily on the position. He drafted a lot of players I like, and I don't think my opinion has changed more for any team post-draft. He still needs to have one of his RBs become a star before I'll really consider him a contender, but he found enough competent talent to compete while he waits for a guy to step up. Mr. Manager Pick of the Draft - Gio Bernard- This guy is a safe starting RB most weeks, and is probably the perfect pick for Aaron given his position in the 1st round.
• Steve - According to John, Steve is going to be cheering for my team when we don't play each other, and I have to say the feeling is probably mutual. I'm pretty high on the Detroit Lions this year, and all of Steve's first 5 picks are guys I strongly would have considered taking myself. Maybe this is finally the year Steve puts it all together and gets himself a championship. Mr. Manager Pick of the Draft - Larry Fitzgerald - The Frank Gore of WRs, I see Larry continuing to be a really good player going forward, and he could have helped a lot of teams out.

Steve's Runner-Up pick of the draft: Sexy Ameer Abdullah

• Stan - The Champ had a pretty Stan like draft. Maclin is the perfect steady influence that Stan could have used, but I don't really like the rest of the WRs he ended up taking. I think he's in a good position going into the year, but unlike the #hottakes I don't think he's going to end up repeating. Mr. Manager Pick of the Draft - Isaiah Crowell - I think Crowell could be one of the sleepers of the year. What Stan has going for him is 4 starting RBs and he's arguably the deepest at the position.
• Travis - Travis was one of the teams that needed to have a strong draft to help establish his position in the league, and I think he accomplished that. Grabbing 3 of the top rookies in Shepard, Booker and Prosise should hopefully help him this year and beyond. He also managed to do that without sacrificing this season, as solid picks like Brees and Barnidge should make him much more competitive this year than last. Powell is the only pick I don't really like, as there were better options still available, however things are looking up. Mr. Manager Pick of the Draft - Devontae Booker - The RB position in Denver is far from settled, but whoever wins the job should have some high upside. Booker has a good chance of being a RB star this season or next.
•  Clarke - Clarke had a strong draft. Grabbing RB handcuffs in his position was probably a smart move, as his high end talent there allowed him to stock up on WRs instead. Being able to get Gordon, Coleman and Sharpe were great moves and I think Clarke is now in the best position to win the league this year. My only concern on his team would be Luck, who I'm not high on this year, however QB is the easiest position to fix. Mr. Manager Pick of the Draft - Coleman or Sharpe. These are probably the 2 rookie WRs who I think have the highest chance of being stars as early as this year, and Clarke managed to get both of them. 

Teams moving up in my estimation include Clarke, Steve, Myself, Mike and Aaron. Teams moving down include Andrew, John and Dawson. Curt dropped a couple of spot, but it's not a reflection on my thoughts of his team, just that I think Steve and I had really strong drafts. My off the top of my head power rankings: 

1. Clarke
2. Steve
3. Stan
4. Keith
5. John
6. Curtis
7. Mike
8. Shayne
9. Dawson
10. Aaron
11. Travis
12. Andrew

Anyways, time for the season to start so we can stop speculating and let the standings do the talking.