How was your draft? '38 Ed.

[Guest]

Impressive writeups. Probably the best set of writeups I've seen in any league, actually. That's participation!

[Guest]

Damn, quite an ambitious expectation of longevity for Shea eh?

Or perhaps a somewhat less than ringing endorsement of Roberson's career potential.

Also, I think someone might have overheard my comments on the passing game in Camden (which does not exist) and is feeling a bit under appreciated.

Late FA Stage 1 - Oliver Balgaroo, Camden Cutters QB, has begun a contract holdout.

[Aston]

I was surprised FS Vines lasted to this late in the draft. Zone Defense is the most important bar for safeties and my scouting staff shows the range of 66-92. His high zone rating is backed up by a blue 45 score on his position drill. His punishing hitter bar also shows 74-100 by my staff.

Yeah, that might be a good get. I think what kind of limited him in my eyes was his agility (7.46) is poor, and he was both very lowly ranked (a 3.80 grade) and reasonably developed (32%) -- so he's a guy with a combine question mark and no easy reason to write off his low grade (reasons would be if he had been no combine, or very low developed).

However, his combines are mostly reasonable otherwise, and his position drill is blue. And he does start with the bars. So he does have the look of a low 30s rated player perhaps, with solid specific skills in zone/INT -- at least, enough to be pretty happy with in the 6th. Or he may be better than that! Let's see.

I think that Memphis had a really strong draft. Since you are in my division, I wish I didn't help you buy trading extra picks to you.

CB Ackerman was a guy that I was hope to get in the later rounds. He looks like a good returner both on punts and kickoffs. Also my staff came back with a "Very Underrated" impression after interviewing him.

VU is quite hard to see for me. First, he has two killer combine scores (40 time, which covers Man and Zone) and Position Drill (which covers zone and interceptions). Those are quite important, and in any case, I would assume a guy with such lackluster combines doesn't pulling off 'Very Underrated.'

Second, he has a lot of high bars here. The M2M/Zone bars are low, which is understandable. The INT bar looks like it will probably come down. RD, BnR, PD, PR, KR, and ST -- they all have a lot of room to decline, it's just a matter of how much. At least to me, there's little reason to suspect they'll jump up, outside of volatility.

I think he does offer the KR/PR/ST potential though, so it makes sense to go for guys like that late in the draft. That can solve a lot of problems at once while using up only one roster spot. It's just so hard to draft ST guys off of bars. It's hard to get a read on KR/PR and in this case, his broad jump (the relevant combine) is solid, but not especially high. So hopefully the bars hold.

And ST is a total wildcard. For example, of the two LBs I took, I took the second one for his ST bar but the first one looks better at ST (it came out 52/52), while the second looks close to useless (17/58). In Ackerman's case, his ST bar came out 37/59 by my scout. However, the upside is if he hangs on to get to at least solid in that area, I've always felt that your returners are a little bit better if they have some ST bars to go with (at least for kick returners). I'm not sure how valid that feeling is, but I do notice that if you lack returners totally (or don't have them ST activated) the game recommends guys with high ST bars.

Anyway, I didn't mean to get so detailed here, just my thoughts on a couple of guys I think we looked at differently.

[sawblade300]

Impressive writeups. Probably the best set of writeups I've seen in any league, actually. That's participation!

Well, shit. Way to guilt me into doing one.

Alright, here's the Phils draft:

1.22 WR Conner Meadows: Initial Rating: 27/67. Very pleased to have gotten Meadows late in the 1st. After seeing his ratings, even more happy. He's raw. Only 5% developed. He has a ton of room to grow. If he does, he's going to be the #1 WR this team has been looking for. He'll start out behind Bernie Springer and Zander Ogden for now until he develops more. But the #1 hob will be his before too long.

2.21 T Brady Newhart: 16/50 A need we had as out offensive line wasn't very strong on the outside. Newhart is another underdeveloped (11%) guy with super potential. He will be strictly a RT. He's very strong and should develop into a great run blocker. He won't be much at pass protection, so hopefully blitzes don't come from the right.

3.23 DE Shawn Davis: 24/36 We were looking for depth at the DE position and Davis looked like he would have decent run stopping and very good pass rush. Right now, he looks like he may only be used in nickle or dime for his pass rush, and that's only if it develops more. Rather disappointed in this pick

4.22 WR Brandon Stevenson: 17/35 Stevenson looked like a good possession receiver. He's not a speed guy, but should turn into a good route running and get open. Bonus, He's going to be a great punt returner. With Fulton retiring, we needed someone to step into those return shoes.

5.29 C Deion Hughes: 14/56 Another underdeveloped player with great upside. With only one center on the roster, we needed a backup. Hughes could turn into a decent run blocker and an amazing pass blocker. If that happens, he may move to guard. Another pick I'm very pleased with. Especially if he develops.

No 6th

7.22 Greg Winslett: 35/49 Our kicking situation isn't what we would like, so we took a chance in the 7th. Winslett was one of two kickers we looked at and he looked like he would have the better upside. Upon seeing his initial bars and ratings, I'm a little disappointed. Nothing close to what his combines showed us. He may or may not make the team. He'll really have to improve to keep a roster spot.


Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way things turned out. If the young players reach their potential, we could have a pretty good team going forward.

[Aston]

I was hot after a WR in the 1st -- I think that was Meadows. And then I wanted Louis Lewis, and after that, the guy that Brooklyn took. It didn't seem to be such a bad WR class in the end! ... though maybe lacking in huge starpower at the top.

Our draft's top 4 looks solid -- and the next 4 look bubble quality.

[Guest]

Here in Gainesville we are quite satisfied with the new rookie class coming to our club, initially, on paper we feel that most of them will have a role to play in the squad.

1.8 Edward Mitchel DE 34/77, he looks like a good overall player with mid endurance. I will probably have to carousel my DLine a bit in order to have him fit like a starter, still he will have a good roll to play. IF he develops himself quickly, we are bound to have a fearsome front 7.

2.10 Joe Burton FS 17/58, he comes to TC as an underdeveloped player with good potential, if he got good work ethic and progress well, he could become starter along with Patter. Might not become a playmaker but surely could be an anchor at defense.

3.17 Antonio Chart G 26/40, the first pick we got for the 9 of the same round that we traded with Colombus. We feel that even 8 picks behind Chart isnt that far off from Walters. We'd like him to have a bit higher run block, but with our main team strenght being the pass, we feel he will be useful.

4.8 Dennis Kaplan MLB 24/37, somes times you hit, sometimes you miss, we gambled a bit on him and this feels like a miss, he is an oki player with oki bars. High volatility might save him but that feels even a bit more of a gamble

5.10 Haiden Joyner WR 25/33, an other Joyner joins the receiving core of the Gaels. We are not sure how he will turn out to be, he could play as a specialist if his BPR doesnt save him on the field.

6.9 Austin Tucker QB 8/58, this player looks like a big project. If he lives up to his potentiel, he might become the steal of this draft at his position. he got nice passing bar but lack the ability to see the blitz closing on him. He might need a good OLine to succeed at this level.

6.14 Curtis Gray OLB 17/43, this is the second pick we got from Colombus for our third. This player could be use here and there next year and eventually become an interesting backup or a poor man's starter. He will probably play more as a run stuffer.

7.8 Todd Poloski FB 33/46, this Polish descent player will have the opportunity to show case his skill to challenge Blackwell to the fullback spot. He looks quite fit for our team, nice pass blocking, able to play the ball. We will enter pre season with two Fullbacks, i dont think we'll keep them both

7.19 Sawyer Pearson CB 15/47, this is an other pick we got from Colombus. Pearson comes to camp underdeveloped but with a nice potential on his hands. Might be a nice play maker, coming up with big plays but also a liability as his coverage skills seems to be lacking.

[Guest]

1.13 - Timothy Alfaro OLB - 43/70

About as close as it comes to "can't miss" in the new FOF. I generally avoid linebackers early on but this one was too good to pass up. He'll be the Amos Irwin when Irwin declines/retires.

2.12 - Jordan Supple FB - 37/62

I should have drafted Noah Ingram, but I talked myself into this one. I was hoping I might make him a RB like Yuma did with Gornitsky but it looks like Supple would keep about 72% of his ratings. I might do it anyway.

3.11 - Burt O'Neill QB - 6/36

I didn't interview him but later found out through others that he has very high intelligence, so his avoid interceptions is probably fairly poor. That said he should still be a pretty good backup. Nemesis still likes him, which is a good sign. :)

4.13 - Donald Burroughs OT - 19/50

I was thrilled to get Burroughs here as I would have even considered him for my third round pick. He seems a bit highly rated right now so I expect him to drop in TC. I was woefully thin at T last year and when Yonkovit got injured the garbage I trotted out was not pretty.

5.12 - Caden Gardner WR - 18/37

The dart throwing begins. He is a no combine WR and I'm a cap-strapped GM who needs bodies at WR.

6.11 - Nathaniel Britten RB - 23/33

Dart #2: a no combine RB. My RBs are so shoddy he might stick. My projected starter is an undrafted free agent with no endurance that I picked up last year and led our team with under 600 yards rushing. He'll probably start again because Britten doesn't look too promising.

7.13 - Cedric Abolofia WR - 16/33

More cheap receiver depth. I don't expect much from Abolofia either!

[Nemesis]

3.11 - Burt O'Neill QB - 6/36

I didn't interview him but later found out through others that he has very high intelligence, so his avoid interceptions is probably fairly poor. That said he should still be a pretty good backup. Nemesis still likes him, which is a good sign. :)

I also like my FB, so....

[Guest]

I also like my FB, so....

It's OK I'll take all the good news I can get.

[Guest]

My draft looks interesting but I will defer judgement until PS 3.

[Guest]

What the hell, these were my picks:

1 - 9 Jonathan Oates OLB - there were about 5-6 players I would have taken at 1.2 so I moved down and got the 2.8 and NOS 2nd next year plus this pick. I think the safety/corner taken at 1.2 is a stud but grabbing the two extra 2nd rounders was gravy. Scout had Oates at VU and right now he sits at 37/61.
(+3/+7)

1 - 28 Alex Herrington DE - sent the 2.8 from the NOS trade and some change to get this pick from Bomber. I took Herrington without an interview but he seemed like starter quality at the time. He comes out at 29/54... He needs to hold or gain a bit to make this a worth while selection. I am a bit nervous about this pick but I needed help on defense.
(+2/-2)

1 - 31 Johnnie Logan TE - made a safe pick here as I was pretty confident he will hold his ratings. Moved up from the 2.1 for a couple of 7ths. Rated 26/52 with a nice run blocking bar - not flashy but what I expected.
(+3/+1)

2 - 29 Harris Holz S - From this point on I am just taking stabs at guys, all my interviews were used up. Holz stood out for me because of the zone bar... Then I looked at his combines. 45 sol score means his play diagnosis bar should be high but it is not currently showing that way. Couple that with decent 40, bdjmp and pos drill scores. His bench was on the lower end, so I was not as concerned with the lower punishing bar. Rated 7/26 so obviously we're hoping for big gains.
(+3/+6)

3 - 2 William Harper DT - 27/60, very nice rating for a 3rd round pick if that holds up. No idea if it will but I liked his combine/bar mix so I am hopeful.
(+7/-1)

4 - 24 Kevin Gelbaugh QB - 8/34. This was a real shot in the dark. Stelmack's tool said not to bother, I am guessing because of the bench score. I hate drafting QBs but it was the 4th round.
(+3/-2)

6 - 1 Artie Shire DT - 20/39, which is interesting given he is only 35% developed. I would like to try and get him to lose weight and move to DE. We'll see if that works.
(+3/-4)

6 - 5 Rico Nevett WR - 18/32. His 40 time was below 4.51 and that is usually bad but it was the 6th round. Again, his rating is interesting in that he is only 36% developed. We'll see.
(+2/0)

This draft was all about defense, since that was our weak spot last season. Well, I guess our offensive line was pretty weak, too . The only move I made on the o-line was signing free agent Dustin Talley at RT. We started three rookies on the o-line last season so I am hopeful with Talley the group will be much improved.

I am guessing it is still 1-2 more full seasons before we are competitive but it depends how these guys pan out.

[Sgran]

What the hell, these were my picks:


4 - 24 Kevin Gelbaugh QB - 8/34. This was a real shot in the dark. Stelmack's tool said not to bother, I am guessing because of the bench score. I hate drafting QBs but it was the 4th round.

I was very close to taking him at 4-11, and definitely would have taken him at 5-13 (or wherever i drafted). My thinking is often that you might as well take a scrambler for a career back-up since his passing ratings will never develop anyways. At least he can leg out a few yards.

[Matt]

My draft was horrible. I moved during the draft and was only able to select my 1st round pick...then the rest just went off my priority list which no matter how hard I try and edit weights I get players I hate. I wish there was an option to zero out a player who has a zero bar at certain skill sets (ex. LB and run defense). Also we didn't have a 2nd or 3rd due to trades.

1.27 - WR Chance Sullivan - We actually liked him more than Meadows and had him as the highest ranked WR, but we don't interview anyone anymore...we just hope they aren't Johnny Football. When Chance walked across the stage and didn't flash the money sign we were happy.

4.27 - FB Zach Strickland - A 6'0, 250 lb battering ram. Fullback for us is just another lineman and this kid has some decent run block potential. Unfortunately we have 2036 7th round pick Francisco Riley who has progressed greatly and unseating him will be hard to do.

5.19 - LB Dameon Loendorf - Zero run stopping ability. Not going to play for us.

6.27 - RB Marco Zimmeran - Zero breakaway speed. Not going to play for us.

7.17 - DE Deandre Mathis - Zero run stopping ability. Not going to play for us.

7.27 - LB Gilbert Anderson - Zero run stopping ability and zero play diagnosis. Seriously the only two traits I care about! Not going to play for us.

Those last four picks are killer. With a chance to grab some cheap talent to plug a hole or two we got nothing. Very frustrated with DA after seeing the results. Once again I wish I could zero those guys out.

[Aston]

How does that work, Matt (importing a list from DA)?

Would it be possible to manually mark all players you don't like as drafted, and then import the list? -- I mean, would that stop these players you dislike from appearing?

[Guest]

Would it be possible to manually mark all players you don't like as drafted, and then import the list? -- I mean, would that stop these players you dislike from appearing?

Yes, it is. You can mark them Drafted and they won't show up on an export.