When it comes to fantasy football drafts, it always amuses me when people start producing mock drafts long before Labor Day weekend. There are too many unknowns due to injuries, positional battles, and stupidity to be worth it. I guess if you’re in a league that requires you to write weeks before the season starts, it makes sense, but even that makes me laugh. If it’s a league for fun, go crazy. However, most of us have a personal financial interest in how our team is doing and I’m sure I don’t want any of my best teams to lose time due to an off-field injury or an off-field injury. It’s quite interesting to see the change in average draft position in the weeks leading up to the season. Players like Steven Ridley and Cam Newton have crashed and players like James White and Emmanuel Sanders have exploded.
Mock drafts can vary greatly depending on the scoring system, especially when using receiving points, and whether or not the league is a Rework League or Dynasty League. For our purposes, this is a standard fantasy football league scoring system for a newly drafted league.
This assumes an initial roster of 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, and 1 D / ST. Points would be awarded for the following actions:
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Passing: 1 point for every 25 yards, 4 points for every touchdown and -2 for every interception.
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Running: 1 point for every 10 yards, 6 points for every Touchdown and -2 for every loose ball
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Receiving: 1 point for every 10 yards, 6 points for every Touchdown
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Kicking: 3 points for each field goal made and 1 point for each successful extra point
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Defense: 2 points for each fumble recovered, 2 points for each interception, 1 point for each sack, 2 points for a shutout and 2 points for a safety
Round 1
1 Jamaal Charles, KC
2 LeSean McCoy, PHI
3 Adrian Peterson, MIN
4 Eddie Lacy, GB
5 Matt Forte, CHI
6 Jimmy Graham, NO
7 Marshawn Lynch, MAR
8 Calvin Johnson, DET
9 Demaryius Thomas, DEN
10 Montee Ball, DEN
11 AJ Green, CIN
12 Peyton Manning, DEN
Assessment: Having a top 5 pick is easy as you could defend any of those running backs. After that, it’s a bit sketchy as there’s great depth at tight end and quarterback this year. It’s good to think of a team with Jimmy Graham or Peyton Manning, but I’d rather have a running back to start my team and build around.
Round 2
13 DeMarco Murray, DAL
14 Brandon Marshall, CHI
15 Dez Bryant, DAL
16 Andre Ellington, ARI
17 Zac Stacy, STL
18 Drew Brees, NO
19 Giovani Bernard, CIN
20 Alshon Jeffery, CHI
21 Doug Martin, Executive Vice President
22 Le’Veon Bell, PIT
23 Aaron Rodgers, GB
24 Ryan Mathews, SD
Assessment: The decision time in round 2. Should I go traditional and get a second RB or is it better to get a good RB and a good WR? I think there is a lot of depth to WR this year and I recommend that you get 2 solid RBs.
Round 3
July 25 Jones, ATL
26 Jordy Nelson, GB
27 Antonio Brown, PIT
28 Randall Cobb, GB
29 Alfred Morris, FUE
30 Arian Foster, HOU
31 Julius Thomas, DEN
32 Andrew Luck, IND
33 Rashad Jennings, New York
34 Toby Gerhart, JAC
35 Victor Cruz, New York
36 Reggie Bush, DET
Assessment: If you’ve already grabbed two RBs, you definitely need to grab a WR in round 3. If you split them, I recommend taking that second RB. If you grabbed Peyton, Brees, or Rodgers, you have to balance your team in this round as the levels start to drop from here.
Round 4
37 Vincent Jackson, VG
38 Rob Gronkowski, NE
39 Andre Johnson, HOU
40 Matthew Stafford, DET
41 Keenan Allen, SD
42 Frank Gore, SF
43 DeSean Jackson, FUE
44 Michael Floyd, ARI
45 Pierre Garcon, FUE
46 Roddy White, ATL
47 Chris Johnson, New York
48 TY Hilton, IND
Assessment: Questions abound in round 4 due to direct or indirect health concerns. Stafford should have a great year, but I really like Kennan Allen in this place.
Round 5
49 Larry Fitzgerald, ARI
50 Ben Tate, CLE
51 Torrey Smith, BAL
52 Steven Jackson, ATL
53 CJ Spiller, BUF
54 Jordan Cameron, CLE
55 Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN
56 Reggie Wayne, IND
57 Fred Jackson, BUF
58 Shane Vereen, NE
59 Marques Colston, NO
60 Percy Harvin, MAR
Assessment: If you thought round 4 was difficult, round 5 is even more so. There are a handful of very high potential players here, like Cordarrelle and CJ, but I really like Cameron as Cleveland has the worst WRs ever lined up in professional football.
Round 6
61 Julian Edelman, NE
62 Jeremy Maclin, PHI
63 Eric Decker, New York
64 Colin Kaepernick, SF
65 Vernon Davis, SF
66 Wes Welker, DEN
67 Emmanuel Sanders, DEN
68 Trent Richardson, IND
69 Tom Brady, NE
70 Joique Bell, DET
71 Golden Tate, DET
72 Bishop Sankey, TEN
Assessment: Tom Brady in round 6? It’s been a long time since we’ve seen anything like this. I still think what would happen and catch Ryan, Rivers or Cutler in one of the next 3 rounds. I like Sanders if I want a WR here or Bell if I want a RB. He had big numbers last year, even in a split role. That role should continue this year with him making the red zone work. Also, Reggie is not Mr. Durability.
Round 7
73 Matt Ryan, ATL
74 Jason Witten, DAL
75 Mike Wallace, MIA
76 Kendall Wright, TEN
77 Terrance Williams, DAL
78 Michael Crabtree, SF
79 Ray Rice, BAL
80 Maurice Jones-Drew, OAK
81 Knowshon Moreno, MIA
82 Riley Cooper, PHI
83 Darren McFadden, OAK
84 Nick Foles, PHI
Assessment: There is a lot of value in this round. I like that Mike Wallace has a solid year with Tannehill growing in his position. Matty Ice has her weapons back. Moreno should take over RB’s number one spot in a few weeks. Cooper, Williams and Wright will have solid numbers. Enjoy this round as it won’t be that easy for a few rounds.
Round 8
85 Sammy Watkins, BUF
86 Russell Wilson, SEA
87 Stevan Ridley, NE
88 Pierre Thomas, NO
89 Tony Romo, DAL
90 Lamar Miller, MIA
91 Cam Newton, CAR
92 Brandin Cooks, NO
93 Cecil Shorts, JAC
94 Philip Rivers, SD
95 Dwayne Bowe, KC
96 Terrance West, CLE
Assessment: LOADS of questionable selections here. If you need a quarterback, Rivers is a must now. I trust Cooks and West as rookies more than Watkins, but I would leave Cam and Ridley alone here. Bowe could be a valuable pick here, as KC has no receivers beyond him.
Round 9
97 Dennis Pitta, BAL
98 Carlos Hyde, SF
99 DeAndre Hopkins, HOU
100 Kyle Rudolph, MIN
101 Jay Cutler, CHI
102 Robert Griffin III, FUE
103 Shonn Greene, TEN
104 Bernard Pierce, BAL
105 Kelvin Benjamin, CAR
106 Greg Olsen, CAR
107 Darren Sproles, PHI
108 Anquan Boldin, SF
Assessment: This round is a mix of the good and the bad. Cutler’s limit is through the roof this season, but the threat of injury is always very high for him. Kyle Rudolph should be a solid pick now, as should Olsen. Many advantages with Benjamin, Pitta and Hopkins.
Round 10
109 Jordan Reed, FUE
110 Jeremy Hill, CIN
111 DeAngelo Williams, CAR
112 Danny Woodhead, SD
113 Hakeem Nicks, IND
114 Justin Hunter, TEN
115 James White, NE
116 Martellus Bennett, CHI
117 Mark Ingram, NO
118 Danny Amendola, NE
119 James Jones, OAK
120 Jonathan Stewart, CAR
Assessment: Stewart, Amendola, and Nicks have tricked me enough to keep me out of all my fantasy football leagues. Hunter, White, Jones and Ingram have a lot of value in this round. Hill should see a nice split of action with Bernard, as do Reed and Bennett on teams with plenty of other options.
Round 11
121 Greg Jennings, MIN
122 Christine Michael, SEA
123 Marqise Lee, JAC
124 Ben Roethlisberger, PIT
125 Zach Ertz, PHI
126 Tre Mason, STL
127 Jordan Matthews, PHI
128 Mike Evans, VG
129 Markus Wheaton, PIT
130 Donald Brown, SD
131 LeGarrette Blount, PIT
132 Steve Smith, BAL
Assessment: Just when you would expect to be dragging the bottom of the barrel, you will find happiness in many WR options here. This round epitomizes why I emphasized a career in RB at the beginning. Lee and Matthews could end up being the top receiving options on their respective teams. Wheaton, Smith, and Evans can get significant numbers too, as can Ertz at the TE position.
Round 12
133 Devonta Freeman, ATL
134 Ladarius Green, SD
135 Andy Dalton, CIN
136 Andre Williams, New York
137 James Starks, GB
138 Knile Davis, KC
139 Khiry Robinson, NO
140 Rueben Randle, New York
141 CJ Anderson, DEN
142 Carson Palmer, ARI
143 Tavon Austin, STL
144 Seattle Seahawks D / ST
Assessment: Hello wives! It’s always a good idea to back up your studs’ RBs if they have talented backers. That’s the majority of this round. There is always a team that considers itself smart in choosing the best defense before the inevitable late streak. I guess I can handle that with a backup QB.
Round 13
145 Brandon LaFell, NE
146 Josh McCown, TB
147 Ronnie Hillman, DEN
148 Doug Baldwin, SEA
149 Joe Flacco, BAL
150 Jerricho Cotchery, CAR
151 Charles Clay, MIA
152 Kenny Stills, NO
153 Mike James, VG
154 Mike Williams, BUF
164 San Francisco 49ers D / ST
155 Ahmad Bradshaw, IND
156 Ryan Tannehill, MIA
Assessment: As mentioned in Round 11, you can find solid receiving options in these final rounds. The Patriots don’t have an established No. 1 WR and LaFell could easily take on that role. Carolina is starting over at WR and Cotchery has the longest tenure. Seattle showed they believe in Baldwin by giving him a contract to win and Stills showed a decent relationship with Brees last season, but you can’t expect consistent production from him.
Round 14
157 Brian Hartline, MIA
158 Mohamed Sanu, CIN
159 Andrew Hawkins, CLE
160 Kenbrell Thompkins, NE
161 Carolina Panthers D / ST
162 Denver Broncos D / ST
163 Lance Dunbar, DAL
165 Antonio Gates, SD
166 Dwayne Allen, IND
167 Robert Woods, BUF
168 Michael Vick, New York
Assessment: Bottom of the barrel, we find you here. Hartline, Thompkins and Hawkins are well worth a flyer here if you have room for an additional WR. Other than that, take a backup or think about diving into the fender pool.
Round 15
169 Stephen Gostkowski, NE
170 New England Patriots D / ST
171 Houston Texans D / ST
172 Cincinnati Bengals D / ST
173 Arizona Cardinals D / ST
174 Dri Archer, PIT
175 Matt Bryant, ATL
176 Tampa Bay Buccaneers D / ST
177 Buffalo Bills D / ST
178 Kansas City D / ST Chiefs
179 Justin Tucker, BAL
180 St. Louis Rams D / ST
Assessment: Get a defense. They are pretty thin this year.
Round 16
181 Steven Hauschka, SEA
182 Chris Ivory, New York
183 Mason Crosby, GB
184 Phil Dawson, SF
185 Adam Vinatieri, IND
186 Baltimore Ravens D / ST
187 Nick Folk, New York
188 Robbie Gould, CHI
189 Dan Bailey, DAL
190 Shayne Graham, NO
191 Alex Henery, PHI
192 Nick Novak, SD
Assessment: Get a kicker. You need to start one.