Great draft this past weekend league.  I appreciate everyone being ready to roll come draft time.  Here are my grades.  As always I stipulate these are my opinions.  I probably missed stuff about your beloved draft picks.  I hope I don’t ruin the honeymoon/delusions of grandeur phase of your picks.  Just some of my thoughts.  Enjoy!

1. Andy

1.1: Marvin Harrison Jr.

2.1: Xavier Legette

3.1: Will Shipley

5.1: Erick All

   Andy started his draft with the first wide receiver taken in the NFL draft. Then he took the last wide receiver taken in the NFL’s first round.  Andy found the golden ticket last season when he won the consolation bracket.  His prize?  Marvin Harrison Jr.  He gets the best WR prospect we’ve seen in a long time.  Harrison has everything a team wants in an alpha wide out.  Going to the Cardinals who were in desperate need of an alpha was chef’s kiss.  Andy picked him in mere seconds after the draft began.  MHJ or Maserati Marv had a prospect score of 99.3 according to Late Round QB Draft Prospect (LRQB) Guide.  He was consensus #1 player in this year’s rookie draft and Establish the Run has him as the #3 overall Dynasty player behind only Justin Jefferson and Jamarr Chase.     

   In the 2nd round Andy went with Xavier Legette.  I can’t understand a word he says, but I love that he can stay in Carolina where others might understand him.  Legette earned a prospect score of 86.2, but was deemed “High Risk” by LRQB.  His top comps were Jonathan Mingo and Hakeem Butler.  He’s teammates with Mingo and will compete for targets with Diontae Johnson and aging Adam Theilen.  Legette ran the 40 in 4.39 seconds at 221 pounds.  Panthers are rebuilding, Andy is hoping the draft capital used on Legette gets him some early production while they play from behind in games.  

   In the third Andy went with Will Shipley.  Shipley had a 67.8 prospect score according to LRQB and has comps to Tevin Coleman who was relevant for a few seasons for the Falcons.  The Eagles signed Saquon Barkley for two years guaranteed as they rebuilt their running back room.  Last season’s D’Andre Swift, Rashad Penny, and Boston Scott are all gone.  So Shipley’s only competition for backup/handcuff duties is Kenny Gainwell. 

   Andy didn’t have a 4th round pick as he shipped it to Brad to move up in the startup draft.  He did this to select Chase Brown, who he then dropped, who Brad then picked up.  Brad used it to take Javon Baker so if he hits Brad will never let Andy live this move down.  But at 5.1 he took Erick All.  A dart throw Tight End prospect on the Bengals.  He’ll play behind Mike Gesicki as he rehabs his injury from last season. 

Draft Grade: B+.  You got the best player in the draft and two first round wideouts.  That’s a solid draft.  Shipley and All are more dart throws than depth pieces but overall pretty good.

2. Cuz

1.2 Malik Nabers

2.6 Drake Maye

2.11 MarShawn Lloyd

4.2 Tyrone Tracy

4.6 Brenden Rice

4.8 Theo Johnson

4.11 Spencer Rattler

5.2 Dylan Laube

   Cuz was wheeling and DEALING this draft.  He acquired quite a few picks as well as Cade Otton before and during the draft.  Overall he got a haul.  He started off with Malik Nabers, LRQB’s top prospect grade in the class at 99.5.  He’s on the Giants.  That sucks.  Daniel Jones or Drew Lock will be his QB.  That sucks.  Nabers…does not suck.  He’s going to demand a lot of targets.  If they can get him the ball, look out.  He’s a baller. 

   In the 2nd Cuz moved back four picks to acquire Cade Otton and took Drake Maye.  Maye is the talented Qb from North Carolina who has drawn some Josh Allen comps with his running ability.  He is more of a project on a rebuilding Patriots team, so I expect Jacoby Brissett to start the year as the starter and for Maye to learn behind him.  But Cuz suffered through Burrow’s injury last season and wanted to get some depth at the position.  He also took Marshawn Lloyd at 2.11.  He should be the top backup to new starter Josh Jacobs on an exciting, young Green Bay Packers team.  Lloyd had a respectable 74.6 prospect score and has a comp of Robert Turbin.  Let’s be real, he’s a handcuff, but the 2024 rookie draft was slim pickings at RB.  But he looks like a grown ass man who you don’t want to fuck with:

   Cuz didn’t have a 3rd round pick, but had four 4th round picks.  I thought he did a great job in getting a QB, RB, WR, and TE.  Like a little mini roster all from the 4th round.  It’s cute.  Tracy should backup Devin Singletary.  His prospect score is 51.7, but one of his top comps was Tony Pollard.  He has the pass catching chops due to him being a wide receiver his first four years in college.  I say first four years, because he was in college for 6.  It makes sense his initials are TT because he’s been in college as long as Van Wilder who loved dem titties.  He could overcome Singletary, so he’ll be interesting to watch during the summer.  But he’s 24.5 years old.  For perspective, D’Andre Swift is 25.5 and has played 4 NFL seasons already.  Cuz also got son of a hall of famer Brenden Rice in a wide open receiver room for the new Harbaugh-led Chargers.  He also got Giants tight end 6’6″ 240lbs Theo Johnson.  We don’t know if Waller retires or not this offseason, but Giants were going to wait around and get caught unprepared.  The Rattlesnake was a great selection for another QB prospect to sit on or trade away to a desperate Saints fan. (Update before publication, Cuz dropped Spencer Rattler, shame).  

   In the 5th Cuz stole my 5th round darling in Dylan Laube.  Laube has a prospect score of 63.9 and was considered “Low Risk” due to his incredible pass catching ability.  One of his top comparable was James White.  Zamir White is a bruiser, so Laube could carve a role for himself on third downs.  An analyst I follow named Pat Thorman was high on Laube.  After watching his film he said he had a little Joseph Addai or Matt Forte to his game.  

Draft Grade: A.  Just solid.  Quantity doesn’t mean quality, but Cuz did a quality job in his selections.  

3. Ian

1.3 Rome Odunze

1.8 Caleb Williams

3.7 Isaac Guerendo

3.10 Devontez Walker

4.3 Michael Penix 

5.3 Isaiah Davis

   Personally I think Ian crushed it.  Starting off with Odunze and Williams.  Getting that stack was a scenario I had in one of my mock drafts and it’s just brilliant.  They seem like best friends or perhaps… Step Brothers?

 

All it cost was Tony Pollard’s backup in Tennessee and 2.3.  Not too bad.  

   In the 3rd round you selected Isaac Guerendo.  He was a priority add for me in all my dynasty leagues, but I only secured him in 1.  A 9.98 RAS is not something you ignore.  Being on the incredible run-minded coach in Kyle Shanahan is not something you ignore.  His prospect score was a 66.4 with his top comp being Isaiah Pacheco.  He will be the #2 back behind Christian McCaffrey.  I’m planting the flag and saying I GUARANTEE it.  If CMC goes down this season, Ian will be hard to beat.  

   He also snagged Devontez Walker for the Ravens.  I didn’t like Walker too much.  His top comp is Jalen Tolbert who burned me in a different dynasty league.  Ravens have vacated targets with Odell and Duverney gone, but I don’t think he beats out Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, or Nelson Agholor.  Mark Andrews is still there.  Not a bad dart throw, but I wouldn’t expect much.

   Michael Penix at 4.3.  Didn’t know if this was a joke or not.  Penix is Ian’s 6th rostered QB and won’t be relevant unless Kirk Cousins goes down.  Meaning he’s a QB handcuff that you’d have to sit on for a few years before you can do anything with.  I assume this was to mess with Dom who has Cousins. (Update prior to publication Ian dropped Gardner Minshew and Daniel Jones, so he only has 4 QBs now)

   In the 5th he snagged Isaiah Davis for the Jets.  Jets also drafted Braelon Allen and have Breece Hall, so I’m going to list Davis as a Taxi dart throw/drop candidate.

Draft Grade: B+.  I LOVED the first three picks, but didn’t care for his last three picks. 

4. Dan

1.4 Keon Coleman!

3.4 Malachi Corley

4.4 Jalen McMillan

5.4 Bub Means

   You can tell Dan’s draft strategy was Wide Receiver.  He shipped his 2.4 pick to Brad in the mega blockbuster from last season which landed him Zay Flowers, Kirk Cousins, and Sam LaPorta.  Of course he used Flowers in the deal to acquire Tank Dell and used Cousins in the deal to get D’Andre Swift.  He knew he had to make 1.4 count.  After unsuccessfully shopping 1.4 he decided to just get his guy.  Most draft pundits had Xavier Worthy and Brian Thomas ranked higher than Coleman.  But I understand the rational.  The best landing spot was the Bills due to Josh Allen and the vacated targets left from Diggs and Gabe Davis leaving (241 targets).  Opportunity is there.  No question.  His prospect score according to LRQB was an 86.4.  His top three comparable players were Breshad Perriman, Kevin White, and Courtland Sutton.  The Bills just kept signing dusty wideouts like Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Mack Hollins.  Coleman should be the top receiver in targets but I don’t know if it’ll be plug and play for Diggs like Dan is expecting.  I’ll talk more about Xavier Worthy and Brian Thomas in my next two draft grades, but needless to say I had them ranked higher than Coleman.  Dan knows it.  But he got his guy and I respect that.  Some sick highlights:

   In the 3rd he took Malachi Corley.  This is an interesting pick.  As many of you know I use Establish the Run draft guides and Late Round QB prospect guides.  I’ve been pretty blunt about that.  They disagreed on Corley.  ETR had Corley as the 9th best wideout in this class over Ricky Pearsall, Xavier Legette, and Ja’Lynn Polk.  I’m talking their 13th best player in this rookie class.  LRQB was not impressed.  His prospect score was a 71.8 and was deemed “High Risk”.  The prospect guide is so low because he didn’t breakout in college.  Barely any production.  Most of his targets came from screen passes (44.3%).  What ETR is seeing is a Deebo Samuel comparable.  They think he can be a supercharged Randall Cobb for Aaron Rodgers.  All that to say.  He could be great or he could be terrible.  But it helps that his main target competition is Allen Lazard and Mike Williams behind the obvious Garret Wilson and Breece Hall.

   4.4 Jalen McMillan.  I’ll be completely honest.  I didn’t know who this was.  Completely off my radar, so I had to do research just to write about him here.  3rd rounder who played for the Huskies alongside Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk.  His prospect score was a 74.6, which should have had him higher than the 4th round in our rookie draft.  Tampa Bay has Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.  McMillan should compete for the third spot.    What caught my eye was his comps.  Kenny Stills and… Amon-Ra St. Brown!!!  I felt like a jackass for not knowing who he was.  Great dart throw.

   5.4 Bub Means.  This wins for best name that you’ve picked.  But the Saints WR room is wide open after Chris Olave.  I do think Shaheed is the true #2, but Mike Thomas is gone and anything can happen.  (Update: Dan already dropped him)

Draft Grade: C+  Coleman reach might bite him in the ass, but between Corley and McMillan Dan might make out like a bandit here.  

5. Colton

1.5 Xavier Worthy

2.5 JJ McCarthy

3.5 Luke McCaffrey

4.5 Braelon Allen

5.5 Cade Stover

   Colt went with the balanced build getting at least one from every position.  He started off going Xavier Worthy over Brian Thomas and Brock Bowers.  I had a really tough time ranking those three but when everything was said and done I finished my rankings with BTJ, Bowers, then Worthy.  I was prepared to take Worthy if the other two were gone, but he wasn’t my preference.  The exact moment when I changed my rankings was when I had an epiphany.  Worthy weighed in at 165 lbs.  I weigh 165 lbs.  Worthy weighs the same as me.  I would be murdered instantly in the NFL.  Dead.  That scared the shit out of me.  But like I said I still would have drafted him if he fell to me.  Why?  Guy can ball.  Like I mentioned in my mock drafts he plays fast and he was always open.  Reid will scheme for him.  Reid comped him to DeSean Jackson.  That’s high praise considering Jackson had over 11,000 yards in his career.  The NFL has changed with smaller, faster wideouts being able to ball out.  Excited to see what he does. 

   Here are all Xavier Worthy’s catches in 2023.  Pay attention to his separation on even the basic routes:

   Colt went JJ McCarthy over Drake Maye which was interesting.  I think McCarthy has the better chance to start this year, but don’t be surprised if he has to sit behind Sam Darnold.  I get it.  Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson.  It feels like we could play quarterback and be successful with those guys.  But Darnold has some experience now and beat out Trey Lance to win the backup job for the Niners last offseason.  It’s interesting to me that you had to pick between Worthy/Thomas and Maye/McCarthy.  I preferred Thomas and Maye, you preferred Worthy and McCarthy.  I’m interested to see how it works out.

   3.5 Luke McCaffrey.  CMC’s brother!  He should be the #3 wideout on the Commanders behind Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson.  But now that Heisman winner Jayden Daniels is in town look out.  His prospect score is a 69.5.  He played Quarterback for most of his college career before eventually switching to wideout at Rice.  Not a bad dart throw to see what happens.  We know he comes from a great football family. 

   4.5 Braelon Allen.  Allen was quick to declare for the NFL draft.  I remember I was pining for him when I saw his age!  Only 20!  But then things went downhill.  He didn’t do any of the tests.  Typically that happens when someone knows the results will only hurt them.  He’s slow.  But big.  It worked at Wisconsin.  But now he’s behind Breece Hall and they drafted another rookie RB.  It’s a shame.  Age helps his prospect score of a 72.3, but his top comp was Royce Freeman.  Another comp was James Conner though.  So not a bad taxi stash.   

   Cade Stover was a good dart throw tight end pick.  Prospect score was a 51.7, but he’s on the Texans who have Stroud.

Draft Grade: C.  There’s potential here, it’s just five players who I probably wouldn’t have taken if I was drafting in your shoes from those positions.  

6. Brad  (It’s me!)

1.6 Brian Thomas Jr

2.2 Blake Corum

2.4 Ricky Pearsall

4.1 Javon Baker

5.6 Jacob Cowing

   Almost the perfect draft for me.  I was so fucking stoked that I landed this group of players.  Will it all work out?  Probably not, but it’s rare to set your rankings, prefer certain people and then get the guys you prefer to get.  That’s half the battle.  The next half is actually being right.  At 1.06 Brad went LSU stud Brian Thomas Jr. over Brock Bowers, Caleb Williams, and Johnathan Brooks.  While doing my film watching I saw an absolute stud.  Many people think he played second fiddle to Nabers and couldn’t do all the things that Nabers could do.  But man.  His jump balls for touchdowns, his jukes in the middle.  Dude can play.  Nabers/Thomas have a legit chance to replicate Chase/JJ.  I also saw this comparison and wet my pants:

And then of course Establish the Run didn’t help either:

Now I don’t truly think Thomas is going to be JJ.  JJ is in a tier by himself.  But I’ll take a sliver of a chance.  He takes Ridley’s WR18 role right away.  Ridley did that with a lot of close misses and with T Law banged up most of the year.  What can Thomas do with a healthy T-Law?

   At 2.2 Brad got his target. Blake Corum.  His prospect score is 79.1.  He is behind Kyren Williams.  He was a third round pick.  He isn’t that fast.  Why Corum?  I share my predraft notes with you here:

He also helped end Saban’s Bama tenure, something this group especially should be thankful for:

   At 2.4 Brad had a rough time choosing between Ricky Pearsall and AD Mitchell.  The difference maker was draft capital and prospect score.  Pearsall came out as 89.7 compared to Mitchell’s 84.0.  If Auyik or Deebo get traded or hurt Pearsall has a clear path to targets on a very good Niners team. 

   Brad didn’t have a 3rd round pick since he sent 3.6 and Elijah Mitchell to Dickinson for Courtland Sutton last year.   But at 4.1 he had Javon Baker fall in his lap.  Baker was originally recruited at Alabama but as a freshman he couldn’t get past Devonta Smith, John Metchie, and Jameson Williams.  His prospect score is a 67.6, but in a wide open Patriots receiver room anything can happen.  Hype video Amon-Ra style raised his value a bit.  (He went 2.12 in another dynasty rookie draft I did a couple weeks ago)

   At 5.6 Brad went another WR in 5’8” Jacob Cowing.  One of his top comps was Tank Dell, so it’s a dart throw while monitoring the 49ers receiver situation. 

Draft Grade: B-  In my honeymoon/delusional phase I see this as an A+.  Most others probably see it as a C-.  Figured I’d split the difference.  BTJ should be a good NFL starter but there are a lot of mouths in Jacksonville (Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis, Evan Engram, Travis Etienne).  Corum is a handcuff unless we hear otherwise.  Brad now has 5 of those. 

7. Adam  

1.11 Trey Benson

2.7 Bo Nix

5.7 Rasheen Ali

   Adam is tied with his brother with the least amount of picks in this years draft with 3. But I have to take it with a grain of salt because he traded back in the 1st and acquired a second 1st rounder next year.  That value will be baked into these grades.  At 1.11 he gets James Conner’s heir and handcuff.  Benson wind up with an 84.1 prospect score and a top comp of Kenyan Drake.  Drake had double digit touchdowns for the Cardinals a few years back.  There’s a chance Conner plays out his contract this year and Adam needs to wait a year, but we’ll see how it works out.  Regardless he at least has Conner and now has his backup. 

   At 2.7 Adam takes Bo Nix after McCarthy and Maye were off the board. Nix went to the Broncos at pick #12.  Payton is supposedly really high on him.  He’s accurate and was more slice and dice than big play guy.  Russel Wilson sucked at intermediate throws and that’s Bo Nix’s strength, so this could be an over correction on Payton’s part.  They also drafted his college teammate Troy Franklin which should help him transition to the NFL.  Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, and Troy Franklin isn’t the worst receiver room.   

   At 5.7 he went with dart throw Rasheen Ali.  Henry is the bellcow for the Ravens, but Gus Bus and Dobbins are gone.  Keaton Mitchell is coming back from injury.  His main competition for backup duties is Justice Hill.  62.5 prospect score, worth a dart throw to see what he does in OTAs. 

Draft Grade: C.  The 2025 1st round pick is nice. If Dom’s team gets injured and Adam gets a Top 6 selection next year then this grade will be higher.  On the flip side if Dom does well and Adam does bad this year then there could be very little difference in the pick swap.  If Dom wins it all and Adam wins the consolation bracket it’s a difference of pick #12 and pick #13.  One spot.  Time will tell the value there.  The 2024 rookie class was supposedly stacked at wideout and weak at RB.  Adam left the draft with two RBs and a QB.  This was a D or F grade for me, but until I know the 2025 picks value I have to boost it up a notch.  Short and sweet.  

8. Mike B 

2.3 Ben Sinnott

2.8 Adonai Mitchell

3.3 Jaylen Wright

   I guess the Bellocq bros are bearish on the 2024 draft class.  Cuz had 3 more picks then them combined.  I have to factor in Mike’s acquisition of knee-less Tajae Spears since he traded 1.8 for Spears and 2.3.  At 2.3 he went with Ben Sinnott.  Sinnot has a prospect score of  83.9 according to LRQB.  The 6’4” 245 pound K State product went 53 overall to the Washington Commanders.  He provides an instant red zone target for Jayden Daniels.  Last year at K State he caught 82 passes and 10 touchdowns.  His only competition is aging Zach Ertz.   Establish the Run has him ranked as Dynasty’s 11th best tight end.

Here’s a flavor of what Mike’s getting:

   Later in the 2nd after a run of QBs AD Mitchell fell into Mikes lap.  His top comp was Alec Pierce who he has a chance to replace.  His prospect score was an 84 as he played second fiddle to Xavier Worthy at Texas.  He’ll compete for targets with Michael Pittman and Josh Downs for Anthony Richardson.  He has a lot of potential.  Establish the Run had him as the 8th best player in this draft class.  Not 8th best wideout, 8th best player.  We’ll see if he’s the Boom they are predicting.

   At 3.3 Mike traded up to snag Jaylen Wright.  His prospect score was a 70.7 but he’s fast and he’s on the Dolphins.  His top comps were Anthony McFarland, Ty Chandler and Demarco Murray.  He’ll be part of the three headed monster in Miami with Mostert and Achane who have injured riddled histories.  

Draft Grade: B.  He basically got 3 2nd round graded players and Tajae Spears to backup his Tony Pollard.  Of course if he had stayed put he could have had Brock Bowers.  It’s easy to look back and judge.  But you win some and you lose some and despite the way the Titans GM and Pollard’s agent fucked Mike over, he’ll still be competitive.  

9. Mike Dickinson 

1.9 Brock Bowers!

2.9 Roman Wilson

3.6 Ja’Tavion Sanders

4.9 Frank Gore Jr.

5.9 Joe Milton

   At 1.9 miraculously Brock Mfing Bowers falls to Dickinson.  Easily the best value pick of the first round.  99.3 Prospect Score equal to Marvin Harrison Jr.  Two time Mackey award winner. Two time national champion.  Dom and Ian traded up and took QBs.  Dan, Colt, and Brad all passed on Bowers for WRs.  He fell right into Mike D’s lap.  Last year he was plagued by the tight end position.  No more. 

7 people passed on Bowers.  One person passed on him twice.  Those 7 people might regret it:

   At 2.9 Mike took Michigan stud Roman Wilson.  His prospect score is 75.7 and his top comps were Randall Cobb and John Metchie.  Perceived as a slot specialist.  But landing on the Steelers who shipped out Diontae Johnson means he has a chance to get playing time right away.  Albeit on Arthur Smiths offense with Russell Wilson at QB.  God, I just threw up while writing that sentence. 

   At 3.6 I thought Mike D would take Isaac G, but like an idiot he instead took Ja’Tavion Sanders.  Panthers are rebuilding and Sanders had a prospect score of 67.8.  He got some hype this offseason with insane athleticism.  6’4” 243 lbs and was the 1st pick of the 4th round.  My only issue is Panthers offensive line stinks.  Typically tight ends in those situations need to stay in and block more than run routes.  Plus with the Bowers pick this one seemed irrelevant.  With all that being said I will point out that Dickinson was ranked dead last in the league 12/12 in terms of tight end dynasty value according to KeepTradeCut heading into the draft.  Now he is ranked 2/12 behind only Adam with his Kincaid and Hockenson duo.  That’s an impressive jump.   

   At 4.9 Mike D took Frank Gore Jr.  Love the name hate that the Bills also drafted Ray Davis.   Now it’s a camp battle to see who backs up James Cook.

   At 5.9 Dickinson took Joe Milton.  When the NFLPA rookie uniform video dropped my jaw dropped when I saw number 19 for the patriots.  I immediately looked up to see if it was a wide receiver like Polk that I had overlooked or something like that.  Nope it was 6’6” Joe Milton.  Who’s to say Maye is gonna win the starting job?  Just look at this unit in the front row:

Draft Grade: A.  Turning a weakness into a strength in one rookie draft is money and a great way to stay competitive.  

10. Ollie 

1.10 Johnathan Brooks

2.10 Troy Franklin

4.10 Malik Washington

 5.8 Jordan Travis

 5.10 Jaheim Bell

   The rich get richer.  Ollie who has Johnathan Taylor, Travis Etienne, Derrick Henry, and Joe Mixon drafts a running back in the first round.  Johnathan Brooks was a stud at Texas until injuring his knee.  The draft capital used on him (46th overall pick) helped his prospect score (93.8). His top comps according to LRQB was Sony Michel.  ETR comped him to Javonte Williams, Mark Ingram, and Rashard Mendenhall amongst others:

   Here’s what we know.  Panthers invested high capital on him.  The Panthers are bad.  The new head coach wants to run.  Brooks needs to heal from his injury.  This rb draft class sucked.  Ollie has RBs already.  This gives him ammunition to trade a couple players for a dynasty stud though.  I would recommend he reach out to Colton.

   In the 2nd he went Troy Franklin.  I liked Franklin when I was watching his film.  Good route runner.  Ate in the Ducks offense because of the slice and dice short throws from Bo Nix who he joins in Denver.  His prospect score was a 77.7 and his top comps were Jameson Williams and Jalin Hyatt.  Translation? He’s fast, but skinny.  He’ll be competing with Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims for Broncos targets.  The connection with Nix should help there though. 

   In the 4th he took a flier on Malik Washington who was drafted by the Dolphins.    This is a great pick.  His prospect score is low, only 51.5.  His top comp is Devin Duverny who was more of a special teamer, but he has a legit chance to start in the slot for Miami.  Tyreek and Waddle are the alphas but they don’t exactly stay healthy all the time.  Good 4th round flier. 

   In the fifth he took Jordan Travis and tight end Jaheim Bell.  Loved these fliers.  Rodgers doesn’t have long left in his nfl career.  Travis would’ve been a much higher pick if he didn’t have his leg look like it broke off his body.  I don’t know much about Bell other than he had a higher prospect score than Ja’Tavion Sanders (68.6 vs. 67.8) and got drafted by the Patriots.  All that stands in his way is Hunter Henry?

Draft Grade: C+.  It’s a solid draft.  But taking Brooks when you’re already so stacked at running back is just greedy.  I’ll like this draft haul a lot better if you ship one of your RBs and one of your mid wideouts for an alpha.  Offer Derrick Henry and Diontae Johnson to Colton for AJ Brown and see what happens.  

11. Dom 

1.7 Jayden Daniels 

3.2 Jermaine Burton

3.9 Ray Davis

3.11 Kimani Vidal

 4.7 Louis Rees-Zammit

   Dom was Diddling like a mad man this draft.  He traded up with Adam sacrificing his 2025 1st to snag that kid Jayden.  It was the right move.  His QB situation was Justin Fields and Geno Smith.  Fields was shipped out from Chicago to Pittsburgh where he’s competing with Russ Wilson.  Sam Howell was traded to the Seahawks who have a whole new coaching staff, meaning the job isn’t safe for Geno either.  Dom addressed it by trading for Kirk Cousins, shipping D’Andre Swift to Dan.  But he needed a young signal caller and this was a great draft to do it.  Jayden won the Heisman and it was well deserved.  We all remember watching incredible play after incredible play last season.  He’s incredible.  6’4” 210 lbs. lightning speed. 40 touchdowns through the air, another 10 on the ground.    Nearly 4000 yards in the air, over 1100 yards rushing.  He goes from the bayou to the swamp.  Now he is a Commander.  It’s worth noting that Sam Howell was getting destroyed last season.  There are some obvious offensive line issues.  His weapons are great though.  Everyone talks about Caleb Williams weapons but people haven’t been hyping up Daniels.  Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Luke McCaffrey, Ben Sinnott, Austin Ekeler, and Brian Robinson.   If the offensive line can protect him I believe he’ll be a stud right away.  Some might dock Dom for going Daniels over Williams but they are both great prospects. 

Here’s 24 straight minutes of Jayden highlights to inject in your veins:

   At 3.2 Dom chooses Jermaine Burton.  A 76.9 prospect score but juicy with potential.  One of his top comps is Robert Woods.  There were character concerns and that’s why he dropped to the third round, but he found himself in the Bengals offense that just lost Tyler Boyd and who’s number two wideout Tee Higgins is currently franchise tagged.  You could easily plug and play Boyd’s production into the your Burton estimates for this season but if Higgins gets traded that could shoot up quick.  I think Higgins reports when necessary and plays on the tag, but he could still miss games when things are sore or tight because without a long term deal why risk it? That is opportunity for Burton.

   At 3.9 Dom went with Ray’Mahn Davis.  Bills drafted him and Frank Gore Jr to backup James Cook.  Dom has Cook so getting his potential handcuff was smart.  I wouldn’t expect much from Davis as a pro.  He’s 24.5 and has a prospect score of 69.8.  Could he become relevant with a Cook injury? Absolutely.

   At 3.11 he took Kimani Vidal.  Love this dart throw.  He was a workhorse at Troy and he lands on the Harbruagh Chargers.  Greg Roman brought in Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins who know his system to lead the backfield, but don’t be surprised when Vidal takes over.  Good depth piece and good potential pick here.

   4.7 Dom took someone that I had to google in Rees-Zammit.  Rugby player that Chiefs signed will probably be dropped before the season starts. 

Draft Grade: B.  Solid B.  Daniel’s over Williams was a plant your flag type of call.  The potential is there for his third round picks.  Fixing QB was the mission and he succeeded.  

12. Oscar  

1.12 Ladd McConkey

2.12 Ja’Lynn Polk

3.8 Bucky Irving

3.12 Jared Wiley

4.12 Audric Estime

5.11 Jase McClellan

5.12 Ryan Flournoy 

   When you’re the champ you pick last.  I spoke with Oscar a couple weeks prior to the draft to get a better understanding of what he was thinking.  His message was clear.  Vacated targets.  It makes sense he goes with McConkey in the 1st and Polk in the 2nd.   Let’s start with McConkey.  Keenan Allen had 150 targets in 13 games.  He’s gone.  Ekeler had 74 targets in 14 games.  He’s gone.  Gerald Everett had 70 targets in 15 games.  He’s gone.  Mike Williams had 26 targets in 3 games.  He’s gone.   320 targets.  Gone.  Insert Ladd McConkey.  The two time national champion from Georgia posts a respectable 87.5 prospect score according to LRQB.  He blew people away with his footwork during the combine and it earned him the 34th pick in the NFL draft. 

   The new regime in Los Angeles is making it well known their intentions.  They are going to run the ball.  McConkey will be the slice and dice, move the sticks guy.  Valuable in PPR formats.  He’s a little on the smaller size, 5’11” 209 but not too bad.  I like the pick. 

   In the 2nd Ja’Lynn Polk fell to you.  I thought this was a huge steal.  Polk has a prospect score of 86.5 almost as high as McConkey.   The Patriots wide receiver room is wide open.  Polk played alongside Rome Odunze and still balled out.  Great value and I like what Oscar did to get some younger wideouts for his aging core. 

   In the third Oscar had his picks from the Brad Betrayal that took place before the league even began.  Famously trading back in the first of the startup handing Mike Jamar Chase and Dickinson CMC but earning Oscar 2 additional 3rds and Jalen Hurts.  It worked out for Oscar as he is the inaugural champion but the other two are cursed by the fantasy Gods for all eternity.  Oscar traded away one of them for a 2025 3rd, which is smart.  Roster sizes are limited and now he has 2 3rds in 2024 and 2025.   Spread the wealth.  In this draft he took Bucky Irving.  Low prospect score with a 51.0.  One of his comps was Tyjae Spears, which is pretty good.  Good receiver.  Don’t know if he’s an upgrade of Chase Edmonds who is backing up Rachaad White in Tampa and that’s saying something.  He then took Jared Wiley.  Another player I needed to google.  He’s a dart throw tight end that could eventually replace Kelce.  Is he worth a roster spot for a few years while you find out?  I thought taking him over Javon Baker and Dyan Laube was egregious. 

   In the 4th you took Audric Estime.  Decent pick.  Javonte Williams is on the last year of his rookie deal and hasn’t looked the same after the devastating knee injury.  Perine could get cut to save money.  The running back room might be more wide open then people think.  Plus Estime is a bruiser.  A Mark Ingram type.  We know Sean Payton loves to thunder and lightning people with his running backs.  Estime’s top comparable was Alfred Morris.  

   Oscar had the last two picks in the draft and took Jase McClellan and Ryan *checks notes* Flournoy.  McClellan is on the Falcons and comps to DeeJay Dallas type.  Prospect score for a 5th round pick isn’t too bad with a 58.2.  Obviously Bijan is the truth, but he’ll compete with Tyler Allgeier for primary backup duties.  I have no fucking idea who Ryan Flournoy is.  

Draft Grade: B.  Loved the first two picks.  Liked Estime pick.  The rest are garbage.   

Thanks for reading league!  

Assistant to the Commissioner,

Fantasy Football Brad