Mock Draft Series: Live Blog Part 2

Welcome to part 2 of the live blog. I am going to cover rounds 6-11 in this part. Things got away from me in this portion after I feel like I had the best picks rounds 1-5. Follow along and let me know what you think.

This is a 12-team league, PPR scoring, 6 points for TD’s and -4 for INT’s. The rest of scoring is standard. The roster composition is 1 QB, 2 RB’s, 3 WR’s, 1 TE, 2 Flex, 1 Superflex with 18 bench spots. I will break up the analysis into 5 round segments and give my analysis in real-time. As always, if you have ideas for other mocks, feel free to send me a message on twitter (@HodgesHotTakes).

Round 6:

1. Team I (TRADE): David Montgomery
2. Team L (TRADE): Todd Gurley
3. Team J: D.J. Chark
4. Team I: Terry McLaurin
5. Team J (TRADE): Le’veon Bell
6. Team G: James Conner
7. Team F: Sam Darnold
8. Team B (TRADE): Keenan Allen
9. Team I (TRADE): Adam Thielen
10. @HodgesHotTakes: D.K. Metcalf
11. Team E (TRADE): Jerry Jeudy
12. Team A: Zach Ertz

Trade(s) Recap: All trade notations stem from trades discussed in Part 1. Please refer to it if you want to see the transactions.

My Pick: All the WR’s selected in this round had merit, but I was shocked each time a team passed over D.K Metcalf. He was the only name I circled I had to draft if he fell to me. I ALMOST sent a first round pick towards the middle of the round just to ensure I got him but I decided I will need all my rookie assets in case I need to upgrade QB during the season. Glad I didn’t ship the pick because he fell into my lap. I now employ 4 top 20 WR’s in a format where I can potentially start 6!

Best Pick: Team A grabs the 4^th TE off the board. It isn’t TE premium but it seems like every owner is employing the wait on TE strategy so getting a top end TE in round 6 while everyone else is waiting, is a solid get.

Questionable Picks/Moves: The run on RB’s was expected, but choosing Le’veon out of a group of 5 or 6 players in the same tier is questionable when Bell might have the shortest shelf life. One more down season and he might be riding off into the sunset as a viable fantasy player.

Round 7

1. Team A: Ke’Shawn Vaughn
2. Team E (TRADE): Steffan Diggs
3. @HodgesHotTakes: Justin Herbert
4. Team D: Malcolm Brown
5. Team H (TRADE): Chris Carson
6. Team F: Kareem Hunt
7. Team G: DaVante Parker
8. Team B (TRADE): Tyler Lockett
9. Team D (TRADE): Kirk Cousins
10. Team J: Ronald Jones
11. Team K: Jimmy Garapollo
12. Team I (TRADE): Robert Woods

Trade(s) Recap: Only trade that isn’t a piece of the part 1 trades is Team H jumped up three spots to 7.05 to pick Chris Cason. Team B moved back 3 spots and also upgraded his 13.05 to a 12.05. Nice jump to get your RB as the next guy took Hunt.

My Pick: Justin Herbert….. I know he went about 15 spots too early for my liking but I knew my league mates would not let me wait any longer on grabbing a QB. I am not a Herbert fan but he has at least 2.5 years to show he is a capable starter and his rushing upside will buoy any lack of throwing prowess. I recognize he is very likely to NOT start until midseason so I will have to go back to the QB well very soon and nab another one (or two) in order to keep my short term chances alive. I have a plan for this….

Best Pick: Robert Woods is great value at the end of round 7. He is the #1 WR and they have lost two viable weapons in Gurley and Cooks out in L.A. He will be a solid contributor and I am glad I don’t have the temptation of having to take him as my #5 WR. I would have immediately snatched him if he fell 10 more spots.

Questionable Picks/Moves: Ronald Jones after taking Le’veon Bell the round prior doesn’t do it for me. Those are the owners ONLY two RB’s and he is playing a very dangerous game both short term and long term with this stable. I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes back to the well in round 8. It appears he is just trying to collect bodies.

Round 8:

1. Team L: Jalen Reagpr
2. Team L (TRADE): Ryan Tannehill
3. Team J: Justin Jefferson
4. Team L (TRADE): Teddy Bridgewater
5. Team H: Deebo Samuel
6. Team G: Gardner Minchew
7. Team F: Tyler Boyd
8. Team B (TRADE): Dwayne Haskins
9. Team D: David Johnson
10. @HodgesHotTakes: Tom Brady
11. Team (TRADE): Tee Higgins
12. Team A: Henry Ruggs

Trade(s) Recap: All moving pieces were from previously executed trades.

My Pick: Tom Brady. I had to grab my band-aid as 6(!) more QB’s went between my picks. I should be able to squeeze 1 year of top 12 production out of him. If he plays well and goes for season 2, that’s an added bonus. I’m not doing backflips about my QB stable right now, but this at least keeps me floating in first year.

Best Pick: Tyler Boyd. Plain and simple. There was a run on rookie WR’s in this round and Team F plucks a PPR machine. One of these rookies will probably outproduce Tyler Boyd, but 3 of them will not. Those are not good odds. I always take established talent over perceived upside.

Questionable Picks/Moves: Team L had 3 of the first 4 picks and had a great opportunity to grab a solid core. I actually really like the idea of grabbing Tannehill and Teddy, but since he already had Matty Ice on the roster, one of those guys is a backup. Then with the other pick, he threw a dart on a rookie WR. Had a chance to get 3 starters and walked away with 2 at best.

Round 9:

1. Team A: Michael Gallup
2. Team E (TRADE): Denzel Mims
3. @HodgesHotTakes: Evan Engram
4. Team D: Jarvis Landry
5. Team B (TRADE): Ben Roethlisberger
6. Team F: Darren Waller
7. Team G: T.Y. Hilton
8. Team H: Mark Ingram
9. Team I: Darius Slayton
10. Team J: Raheem Mostert
11. Team K: Christian Kirk
12. Team K (TRADE): Austin Hooper

Trade(s) Recap: All moving pieces were from previously executed trades.

My Pick: I thought about grabbing another RB for depth but I figured I would see a run on TEs between this and my next pick. I have the best WR group, Best RB Combo so might as well get a top tier TE instead of being mediocre at position by waiting a few rounds. I thought Engram would have been gone before Ertz a few rounds ago so I was happy to get back to grabbing value after forcing QB’s last two rounds.

Best Pick: People are sleeping on Michael Gallup since they drafted CeeDee Lamb but he is tied to an elite offense with plenty of targets to go around. He will either command a big extension or be signed to new team as a #1 in a few years so the sky is the limit. Worth the risk in round 9. He isn’t fading into oblivion like some think.

Questionable Picks/Moves: I am not high on Darren Waller but argument can easily be made for him going top 6. However, the owner already had George Kittle on the roster. He will now be extremely thin at other positions and will most likely have to play Waller in flex. That is something I don’t like to do.

Round 10:

1. Team L: Derek Carr
2. Team K: Michael Pittman
3. Team J: Derrius Guice
4. Team I: Phillip Rivers
5. Team H: Dionte Johnson
6. @HodgesHotTakes (TRADE): Jarrett Stidham
7. Team F: Jordan Howard
8. Team B (TRADE): Brandon Aiyuk
9. Team D: Brandin Cooks
10. Team G (TRADE): Sony Michel
11. Team B: Nick Foles
12. Team A: Zach Moss

Trade(s) Recap: I believe the final piece to the Lamar puzzle is complete. I finally pulled the trigger on a trade. I gave up a 13.03 and my 10.10 to move up to 10.06 and get the 15.07. I was definitely on the wrong end of this one but I felt I had to jump up and grab one more viable QB (gross). I did not think he would make it and it would have left me in a tough predicament going into the regular season.

My Pick: Jarrett Stidham is my #3 QB (#2 short term). I am running a huge risk here as nothing out of New England seems to indicate Stidham is getting the job. Most people are simply assuming this will be the case. Even if he does start, we don’t know how skilled he will be. You can probably tell I wasn’t thrilled with this and I felt I let the draft dictate me over the last few rounds after doing such a good job through 6 rounds. My justification is if Herbert or Stidham develop into a solid QB, I am fine. If both becomes solid, I am dominating, and if both look like busts, I have weapons in other spots to fix my mistakes.

Best Pick: If I would have stood PAT, Sony Michel would have been a target for me. This offense is surely going to be a run first philosophy and he will be the lead back. Sony is a good RB #3 going in round 10. The fact the owner upgraded in later rounds off me only sweetens his deal.

Questionable Picks/Moves: Derek Carr and Nick Foles might not be the starters for their respective teams. Both these owners need to spend draft capital on Mariotta/Turd Biscuits in the upcoming rounds in order to preserve this investment.

Round 11:

1. Team A: Leviska Shenault
2. Team E (TRADE): Na’Keal Harry
3. @HodgesHotTakes: Matt Breida
4. Team D: A.J. Green
5. Team D (TRADE): Jameis Winston
6. Team F: Mike Williams
7. Team G: John Brown
8. Team H: Tarik Cohen
9. Team D (TRADE): Jordan Love
10. Team J: Hunter Henry
11. Team K: Damien Williams
12. Team L: Will Fuller

Trade(s) Recap:  After grabbing A.J. Green, Team D packaged him and 14.09 for 11.05 and 12.08 from team B. Im not entirely sure what happened here but I guess team B expressed his strong interest in Green and made team D an offer they could refuse.

Team D was also able to secure 11.09 for 17.04 and a 2021 2^nd round pick.

My Pick: Matt Breida. Breida is “my guy” in drafts this year. I think he carves out a nice role in Miami and if he can stay healthy, will run laps around Jordan Howard. Feel strongly about this which is why I was happy to wait so long before grabbing my #3 RB. I turned down a few offers to move this pick and I am glad I stood firm and took Breida.

Best Pick: Hunter Henry is the final “really good” TE on the board. He is always an injury concern, but getting him in round 11 when the likes of Engram, Waller and Hooper went in round 9, is really good value.

Questionable Picks/Moves: Team D made two trades in this round to secure Jameis Winston and Jordan Love. He has Rodgers so it was wise to tether Love to him, but the two moves in conjunction just make no sense, especially in round 11. Love may not see the field for 2 years and Jameis isn’t guaranteed a starting job next year. These assets could be sitting on the bench for a few years and you need more than that in Round 11.

This concludes Part 2 of the Live Blog. I will hammer out 6-7 more rounds for Part 3 and then call it a day. After an A+ rounds 1-5 for me, I can only give myself a C for rounds 6-11. Every QB decision was forces out of necessity and they are not good picks. Metcalf and Engram fit the brand of taking excellent value when it presents itself and they salvaged these rounds for me. Breida is the hill I am willing to die on this year. If I am wrong, it won’t kill my championship chances, but if I am right, I have a great 3 headed monster at RB.

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