Preseason Power Rankings #2

 

Current	Prev		Notes
1	1	Fuck It Three	Blah Draft, Still solid Roster
2	2	If We're Using Logic	Trades = wash at QB, RB.  Gained big pick for next yr
3	6	Play it backwards	Graham gives big boost.  Still QB ???
4	4	Rollin' 4 Deep	Nothing if not consistent.
5	3	Smells Low	Drop is more about other teams improving
6	5	Ah it's Early	Needs Rookie Love ASAP
7	7	Off Suit 10 s	All the trades = lost Graham, added lots of potential
8	8	I'm Out	Added depth, actually closed the gap a lot

 

  

2015 Draft Grades

 

Smells Low – D

3.5	Ajayi, Jay MIA RB
4.5	Jones, Matt WAS RB
4.6	Josh Hill NO - TE
5.6	Hardy, Justin ATL WR
6.6	Hawkins, Andrew Cle WR
7.6	Rawls, Thomas

Let this be a cautionary tale….trading away early draft picks can lead to desperation reaches.  Ajayi has the talent to make it in the NFL.  The problem is he is RB2 and the clock has already started ticking.  Barring injury in front of him, he is most likely one of those backs we forget about in a year.  Ditto for Jones. 

I’m actually a little optimistic for Josh Hill.  If he can fill 75% of Graham’s shoes, he could be a value add.  Hardy steps into Harry Douglas’ role in ATL, which could be good in the event of injury (Julio) or osteoporosis (Roddy White). 

***GOLD STAR BONUS – Can anyone remember who Riley traded his 1^st and 2^nd round picks for?  I’m sure they were awesome, but can’t for the life of me find them on his roster.

 

F It 3 – C-

1.7	Yeldon, T.J. JAC RB
2.7	Winston, Jameis TBB QB
3.7	Johnson, Duke CLE RB
4.7	Artis-Payne, Cameron CAR RB
5.7	Steve Smith Sr. Bal - WR
6.7	Davis, Mike SFO RB
7.7	Kenny Britt,

It looks like FI3 was peeking at my draft board.  Unfortunately, he sat 1 pick earlier all day.  That said, it’s a good thing that his roster is solid already, because Yeldon is the only pick that might have a shot to contribute regularly this season.  FI3 got great value out of 3.7, I actually think Duke Johnson has the potential to be the 3^rd best back in this draft.

I like the addition of Winston.  I wonder if Jameis knows that he is now destined to be the next Peyton Manning based solely on the Southy luck he has been baptized into.  Honestly, the rest of the draft looks like the aftermath of a monkey /football orgy.

 

If We’re Using Logic – C

2.8	Williams, Maxx BAL TE
3.8	Lockett, Tyler SEA WR
4.4	John Brown Ari - WR
5.8	Robinson, Josh IND RB
7.1	Owen Daniels, DEN TE
7.8	McBride, Tre

Not gonna lie, woke up Sunday morning feeling like a college walk of shame.  Part “seemed like a good idea at the time”, part “never heard of her”.  Apparently I felt the need to add a lot of TE depth behind the NFL’s #1 TE (Gronk).  Didn’t worry about addressing my glaring hole at RB where outside of McCoy, everyone on my roster is an aging platoon guy. 

Waiting for the 16^th overall pick has some down side.  The only thing that saved this draft from being a complete bust was getting 2 of my high priority guys in Lockett and Brown.  Oh, and the satisfaction of never having to start Jay Cutler. 

Bright side, next year looks promising with 2 First Rnd picks and Logic still has most of his Championship roster in tact.

 

Rollin’ 4 Deep – B-

1.6	Parker, DeVante MIA WR
2.2	Abdullah, Ameer DET RB
3.2	Dorsett, Phillip IND WR
4.2	Langford, Jeremy CHI RB
5.2	Smith, Devin NYJ WR
5.5	Bell, Kenny TBB WR
6.2	Huff, Josh - PHI WR
6.8	Grayson, Garrett NOS QB

The potential is there for this to be a draft class we look back on in 3 years and wonder “how did he get ALL of those guys?”.  Best case scenario for the rest of CNK is only a few reach their potential.  I like the Parker pick, but mostly for the Tannehill connection it created.  I do fear Ameer IF the Lions can figure out how to make him the next Sproles.  Dorsett could be a HOFer if he plays his whole career with Luck; however, the Colts can’t go 6 WR and there are a lot of mouths to feed.

Langford is a good pick if you think he is the heir to Forte (ask Mitch how that’s going for Christine Michael).  Josh Huff could play a big factor into Chip Kelley’s quest for a National Title and has a legit shot at being a Heisman finalist.  The only problem is this is the NFL, not Pop Warner.  I’m not buying Grayson being the future of the Saints, but I also passed on a chance to buy Apple Stock at its low.

The positive was landing Brandin Cooks and Seth’s 1^st rounder next year.  The only issue with these picks is that only one (Parker) has a chance to break the starting lineup for R4D this season unless half his starters get injured/suspended again.

 

Play It Backwards – B

1.5	Agholor, Nelson PHI WR
2.3	Perriman, Breshad BAL WR
2.5	Sam Bradford Phi - QB
3.6	LeGarrette Blount NE - RB
6.3	Woodhead, Danny SD RB
7.3	Roy Helu

I was a huge fan of the top half of this draft.  Love Agholor from a talent and volume standpoint.  Perriman has some questions marks for me but could not be in a more favorable situation in Baltimore, good coaches and opportunity go a long way.  Bradford mixes a high ceiling and the safety of a somewhat known quantity.  Unfortunately that quantity is 2, as in how many blown knees and lost seasons he’s responsible for.  For a team counting on Kaepernick, PIB needs Bradford to be more reliable. 

The back half of the draft was spent adding depth to a somewhat tangled RB situation.  I like Blount’s upside, but the rest are prospect picks waiting for a big injury including the community bicycle of Bishop Sankey.  Really its Mitch grasping at straws to fill 1-2 Flex spots.  Short term, the trade for Graham was the best thing that happened this offseason.

 

I’m Out – B

1.8	Green-Beckham, Dorial TEN WR
2.4	Mariota, Marcus TEN QB
3.3	Cobb, David TEN RB
6.4	Montgomery, Ty GBP WR
7.4	Williams, Karlos BUF RB

 Well… If you like the Titans chances of making the playoffs anytime soon, than you are also high on this draft.  And…you might also be high on several other things as well.  I like Green-Beckham’s talent, but I think there were other players available with a little more upside based on situation.  I like everything about Mariota, just hope he is still in one piece when the team finally gets built around him.  I like Cobb’s north/south running style.  Should be able to earn majority of carries in the near future.   

I felt somewhat bad for stealing Abel’s beloved Gopher Maxx Williams for him but I do look forward to trading him to Abel for a 4^th round pick after he sits on my bench this whole next year.   

Truth be told, I think the genius here was in adding 2 starter via trade (L. Murray and B. Marshall) and still moving back from 1.4 to get his boy Mariota later.  While he did add dead weight in Jay Cutler, I think I’m Out did a good job of restocking the cupboard. 

 

Ah It’s Early –  B+

1.1	Cooper, Amari OAK WR
1.2	Gordon, Melvin SDC RB
2.1	Coleman, Tevin ATL RB
3.1	Strong, Jaelen HOU WR
3.4	Johnson, David ARI RB
5.1	Smelter, DeAndre SFO WR
5.3	Croweder - Was WR
6.1	Bowe, Dewayne - Cle WR
6.5	Petty, Bryce NYJ QB

AIE added some premium star power by maneuvering into 3 of the top 9 picks. Cooper and Gordon were locks at 1 and 2 and should be instant plug and play into his starting rotation.  AIE also added potential rookie RB1 Coleman in the 2^nd round.  While I’m not a big fan of his running style personally, situation is half the battle and his is optimal.  Even 3^rd rounder, Strong, should slip into a playable WR2 by midseason. 

I really like the late addition of Bryce Petty.  Again, his situation and college productivity may have him on the field by Week 8 if the J-E-T-S get off to a rocky start.  While I graded him out as an “B+”, it should be noted that he mortgaged the future pretty heavily with a “WIN NOW” mindset.

 

Off Suit 10’s – A

1.3	Gurley, Todd STL RB
1.4	White, Kevin CHI WR
2.6	Funchess, Devin CAR WR
4.1	Conley, Chris KCC WR
4.3	Allen, Javorius BAL RB
4.8	Carson Palmer Ari - QB
5.4	Coates, Sammie PIT WR
7.5	Carter, Deandre BAL - WR

CNK’s version of Monty Hall and “Let’s Make A Deal” was hosted by OSX this year.  With proposed, rejected, amended, conditional, withdrawn, voided, and accepted trades numbering in the thousands, Kyle shimmied his way into the 3 and 4 slots.  Time will tell but he may not be far off of the production of the 1 & 2 overall as both Gurley and White NEED to produce early for their respective teams and could be top tier players by the end of the season.

Middle rounds added some big bodied receivers and some safety nets in Palmer and Buck Allen.  Personally like Sammie Coates as a late round flier but I probably shouldn’t mention that for when Kyle cuts him before the season gets going. 

Forsett, Watkins, Hyde and Rivers bolstered some weak spots via trade and it appears that OSX is serious about a title run now.  If only he can stop tinkering long enough to let his draft skills play out.