2012 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: EDSFootball.com Contributors, 1.0
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Scoring: This mock draft is based on leagues that use standard scoring -- i.e., not point-per-reception (PPR)
scoring. Passing touchdowns are worth four points while rushing and receiving touchdowns are worth six
points. In addition, one point is earned per 25 passing yards, 10 rushing yards and 10 receiving yards.
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With Super Bowl XLVI coming up this weekend, we have started our first mock draft of the (fantasy) offseason,
which will be documented below. Please note that this is a slow draft that will be completed over the course
of a week or two and we started the mock on Sunday, January 29th.
All six of us will draft two teams and we will exclude rookies in this mock.
Of course, where these players will be drafted this summer could change dramatically depending on injuries,
trades, free-agent signings, draft choices by team, etc.
For each round, I will select a "best" pick and a "worst" pick of the round and include some general
commentary about my (Kevin Hanson's) choices.
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The other contributors: Brendan Donahue - Dan Yanotchko - Sean Beazley - Steve Woodhull - John Trifone
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Round 1
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Pick (Overall)
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Team
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Player, Pos., Team
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1 (1).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team I
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Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore Ravens
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2 (2).
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Kevin Hanson - Team II
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Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans
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3 (3).
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John Trifone - Team II
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LeSean McCoy, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
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4 (4).
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Steve Woodhull - Team II
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Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers
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5 (5).
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Steve Woodhull - Team II
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Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
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6 (6).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team II
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Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
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7 (7).
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Sean Beazley - Team I
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Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions
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8 (8).
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John Trifone - Team I
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Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seattle Seahawks
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9 (9).
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Brendan Donahue - Team II
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Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans
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10 (10).
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Kevin Hanson - Team I
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Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears
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11 (11).
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Sean Beazley - Team II
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Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots
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12 (12).
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Brendan Donahue - Team I
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Andre Johnson, WR, Houston Texans
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Best Pick - N/A: If you win your league, it's not because your first-round pick delivered for you. In other words, it's typically your later-round selections and waiver-wire additions that deliver you the championship. For that reason alone, I will leave the "best pick" in Round 1 as "N/A."
Pick I Like the Least - Chris Johnson: I don't hate any of the first-round picks and I think Johnson bounces back in 2012. But I would have taken Forte, Mathews, and probably McFadden before CJ2K.
My Picks: In many leagues, Foster will be the No. 1 overall pick so I obviously have no complaints getting him at No. 2. Counting the playoffs, Foster had nine 100-yard rushing games and three 100-yard receiving games despite playing only 15 games.
One of the most versatile backs in the league, Forte, who ended 2011 on injured reserve, should be at full strength to start the 2012 season. Based on his first 11 games before suffering a season-ending injury, Forte was on pace for more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage (YFS). Ray Rice led the NFL in YFS with 2,068.
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Round 2
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Pick (Overall)
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Team
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Player, Pos., Team
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1 (13).
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Brendan Donahue - Team I
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Ryan Mathews, RB, San Diego Chargers
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2 (14).
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Sean Beazley - Team II
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Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots
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3 (15).
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Kevin Hanson - Team I
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Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland Raiders
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4 (16).
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Brendan Donahue - Team II
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Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers
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5 (17).
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John Trifone - Team I
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Michael Turner, RB, Atlanta Falcons
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6 (18).
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Sean Beazley - Team I
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Jimmy Graham, TE, New Orleans Saints
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7 (19).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team II
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Fred Jackson, RB, Buffalo Bills
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8 (20).
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Steve Woodhull - Team I
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Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals
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9 (21).
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Steve Woodhull - Team II
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Brandon Marshall, WR, Miami Dolphins
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10 (22).
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John Trifone - Team II
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Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
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11 (23).
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Kevin Hanson - Team II
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Hakeem Nicks, WR, New York Giants
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12 (24).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team I
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Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions
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Best Pick - Ryan Mathews: I considered taking Mathews with the 10th overall pick. With a season of good health, no guarantee with Mathews, he could be in store for a huge season. He averaged nearly five yards per carry and finished with 50 receptions in 14 games last year.
Pick I Like the Least - Rashard Mendenhall: Not only is Mendenhall is coming off an ACL injury, but it happened in the final regular-season game (Jan. 1st). While John is a former professional poker player, this is not a gamble that I would recommend.
My Picks: When healthy, McFadden is as productive as any running back on a per-game basis. However, his inability to stay healthy pushes him into the second round and I'm assuming that Michael Bush, who will be a free agent, will be gone this offseason.
Nicks is one of the league's elite receivers and he was overshadowed by Victor Cruz during the regular season. Although Nicks saw a drop in touchdowns, he set a career high in yards (1,192) and has had a big postseason.
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Round 3
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Pick (Overall)
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Team
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Player, Pos., Team
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1 (25).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team I
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Wes Welker, WR, New England Patriots
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2 (26).
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Kevin Hanson - Team II
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Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
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3 (27).
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John Trifone - Team II
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Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants
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4 (28).
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Steve Woodhull - Team II
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Frank Gore, RB, San Francisco 49ers
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5 (29).
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Steve Woodhull - Team I
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Willis McGahee, RB, Denver Broncos
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6 (30).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team II
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Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons
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7 (31).
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Sean Beazley - Team I
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DeMarco Murray, RB, Dallas Cowboys
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8 (32).
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John Trifone - Team I
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Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys
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9 (33).
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Brendan Donahue - Team II
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Greg Jennings, WR, Green Bay Packers
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10 (34).
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Kevin Hanson - Team I
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Mike Wallace, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
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11 (35).
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Sean Beazley - Team II
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Steven Jackson, RB, St. Louis Rams
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12 (36).
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Brendan Donahue - Team I
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Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants
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Best Pick - Wes Welker: I like several of the picks in this round and debated between this pick and DeMarco Murray. Although Welker has more value in a PPR, Welker has 110-plus receptions in four of the past five years with the post-ACL season being the exception. In those four seasons, Welker is averaging 1,314 receiving yards per year. Since 2007, Welker has four 110-reception seasons. The rest of the NFL combined has the other four.
Pick I Like the Least - Willis McGahee: In hindsight, I probably should have taken DeMarco Murray instead of Jamaal Charles (see below). That said, I feel the same way about the McGahee pick. Murray provides more upside than McGahee, who turns 31 this season.
My Picks: If there's a positive about Charles' ACL injury, it was that it happened early in the year (Week 2). Even if the Chiefs end up drafting Trent Richardson, as Brendan projects in his mock, Charles flourished as part of a timeshare with Thomas Jones in 2010 (1,467 rushing yards on only 230 carries). With a stud (Arian Foster) already on this roster, I feel there is good upside here.
A big-time vertical threat, Wallace slowed down with the emergence of Antonio Brown. But he hasn't missed an NFL game and has 2,450 yards and 18 touchdowns over the past two seasons. Debated taking Jordy Nelson over Wallace. ...
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Round 4
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Pick (Overall)
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Team
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Player, Pos., Team
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1 (37).
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Brendan Donahue - Team I
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Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings
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2 (38).
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Sean Beazley - Team II
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Jordy Nelson, WR, Green Bay Packers
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3 (39).
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Kevin Hanson - Team I
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A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
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4 (40).
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Brendan Donahue - Team II
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Miles Austin, WR, Dallas Cowboys
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5 (41).
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John Trifone - Team I
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Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys
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6 (42).
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Sean Beazley - Team I
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Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers
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7 (43).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team II
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Dwayne Bowe, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
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8 (44).
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Steve Woodhull - Team I
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Beanie Wells, RB, Arizona Cardinals
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9 (45).
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Steve Woodhull - Team II
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Ben Tate, RB, Houston Texans
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10 (46).
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John Trifone - Team II
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Reggie Bush, RB, Miami Dolphins
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11 (47).
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Kevin Hanson - Team II
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Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons
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12 (48).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team I
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Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers
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Best Pick - Jordy Nelson: I like all four of the receivers that went from picks 38 to 41, but I was hoping Nelson would last one more pick. Although Nelson had a few games with less than 30 yards and no touchdowns, which will continue to happen due to the number of talented weapons in the Packers' offense, Nelson was a touchdown machine. He scored in 10 of the team's 16 games, had five TDs in the last two weeks with Greg Jennings out and set career highs across the board: 68 receptions, 1,263 yards and 15 TDs.
Pick I Like the Least - Ben Tate: If Arian Foster were out of the picture, Tate would be a first-round pick. That said, the Texans love to feed the ball to Foster, who has 656 carries over the past two seasons in 31 games counting the playoffs. If Tate lasts to a spot (much) later in the draft, he could be a good value, but this is way too early to take him in my opinion.
My Picks: Rookie receivers don't often finish with 1,000-plus yards. Both of my picks this round were rookie receivers who either finished with 1,000-plus yards or were on pace to reach that milestone. In Green's case, it is absolutely amazing that a rookie receiver with a rookie quarterback and rookie offensive coordinator with a lockout could do what they did. The sky is the limit for Green, the fourth overall pick in last year's draft.
Jones, who was the sixth overall pick, played well, when healthy, but he really finished strong. In the final four games of the regular season, Jones finished with 20 receptions for 393 yards and six TDs. With the Falcons expected to transition to more of a passing (and less of a ground) attack in 2012, Jones should be even better in 2012 than he was in 2011.
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Round 5
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Pick (Overall)
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Team
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Player, Pos., Team
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1 (49).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team I
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Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
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2 (50).
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Kevin Hanson - Team II
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Michael Vick, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
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3 (51).
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John Trifone - Team II
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Percy Harvin, WR, Minnesota Vikings
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4 (52).
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Steve Woodhull - Team II
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Jason Witten, TE, Dallas Cowboys
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5 (53).
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Steve Woodhull - Team I
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Aaron Hernandez, TE, New England Patriots
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6 (54).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team II
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Vincent Jackson, WR, San Diego Chargers
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7 (55).
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Sean Beazley - Team I
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Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, New York Giants
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8 (56).
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John Trifone - Team I
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Darren Sproles, RB, New Orleans Saints
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9 (57).
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Brendan Donahue - Team II
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Roy Helu, RB, Washington Redskins
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10 (58).
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Kevin Hanson - Team I
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Marques Colston, WR, New Orleans Saints
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11 (59).
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Sean Beazley - Team II
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Shonn Greene, RB, New York Jets
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12 (60).
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Brendan Donahue - Team I
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Steve Smith, WR, Carolina Panthers
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Best Pick - Vincent Jackson: VJax had a solid (overall) year in 2011: 60 receptions for 1,106 yards and nine touchdowns. But he was terribly inconsistent. His four best games: 27-586-7. The other 12 games: 33-520-2. Jackson has a ton of talent and Philip Rivers had an off year. Rivers will bounce back and Jackson will be more consistent in 2012.
Pick I Like the Least - Antonio Brown: In general, I like Brown. I feel like I was often higher on him than others (in my weekly rankings) last year. There were five other receivers drafted in this round, and I think I would prefer all of them over Brown. While he broke out with 1,100-plus yards last year, he only had two touchdowns.
My Picks: While I plan to get a quality backup quarterback, Vick has as much upside as any quarterback and I love the much lower price (compared to 2011 drafts) as the ninth QB taken. Over the past two seasons combined, he has scored 7.46 fantasy points per game from his rushing stats alone and averaged more than 250 passing yards per game.
My hope was that Jackson would fall to me at No. 58. While there is some game-to-game inconsistency, Colston has been remarkably consistent on a season basis. With the exception of his injury-shortened 2008 season, Colston has 1,000-plus yards in all five of his other seasons in the NFL. Plus, he has scored 48 touchdowns in 86 games, which is an average of 8.93 TDs per every 16 games.
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Round 6
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Pick (Overall)
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Team
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Player, Pos., Team
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1 (61).
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Brendan Donahue - Team I
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Michael Bush, RB, Oakland Raiders
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2 (62).
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Sean Beazley - Team II
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Kenny Britt, WR, Tennessee Titans
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3 (63).
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Kevin Hanson - Team I
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Steve Johnson, WR, Buffalo Bills
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4 (64).
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Brendan Donahue - Team II
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DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
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5 (65).
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John Trifone - Team I
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Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco 49ers
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6 (66).
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Sean Beazley - Team I
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Jeremy Maclin, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
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7 (67).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team II
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Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers
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8 (68).
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Steve Woodhull - Team I
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Peyton Hillis, RB, Cleveland Browns
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9 (69).
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Steve Woodhull - Team II
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Cedric Benson, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
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10 (70).
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John Trifone - Team II
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Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Detroit Lions
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11 (71).
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Kevin Hanson - Team II
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Jermichael Finley, TE, Green Bay Packers
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12 (72).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team I
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Laurent Robinson, WR, Dallas Cowboys
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Best Pick - Vernon Davis: From Week 1 to 16, the typical fantasy season, Davis disappointed. In his final three games (Week 17 and playoffs), however, Davis had 100-plus yards in all three games and finished with 18 receptions for 410 yards and four TDs during that span. Davis is a physical freak and I wouldn't be surprised if Davis finishes 2012 in the top three in fantasy points among tight ends.
Pick I Like the Least - DeSean Jackson: I love Brendan's first pick of this round. Some rumors have suggested that the Raiders may re-sign Bush and trade McFadden. If that does happen, Bush could turn into the steal of the draft. I'm an anti-DeSean Jackson guy, and I would have preferred Maclin, who went two picks later. Jackson is too inconsistent for me, and I'm not sure he's going to be happy if he's franchised next year.
My Picks: I'm not crazy about taking Steve Johnson here, but he's a solid (if not spectacular) option at this point of the draft. He has back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and a total of 17 touchdowns (and his fair share of bonehead plays) over the past two seasons.
I was hoping Davis would fall to me here, and I would much rather have Davis than Finley. Finley has some upside at tight end and I'm pretty happy with my first five picks for this time: Foster, Nicks, Charles, Julio Jones and Vick.
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Round 7
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Pick (Overall)
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Team
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Player, Pos., Team
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1 (73).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team I
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DeAngelo Williams, RB, Carolina Panthers
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2 (74).
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Kevin Hanson - Team II
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C.J. Spiller, RB, Buffalo Bills
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3 (75).
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John Trifone - Team II
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Torrey Smith, WR, Baltimore Ravens
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4 (76).
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Steve Woodhull - Team II
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Mike Williams, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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5 (77).
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Steve Woodhull - Team I
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Pierre Garcon, WR, Indianapolis Colts
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6 (78).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team II
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Matt Schaub, QB, Houston Texans
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7 (79).
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Sean Beazley - Team I
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James Starks, RB, Green Bay Packers
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8 (80).
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John Trifone - Team I
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Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts
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9 (81).
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Brendan Donahue - Team II
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Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos
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10 (82).
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Kevin Hanson - Team I
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Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons
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11 (83).
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Sean Beazley - Team II
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LeGarrette Blount, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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12 (84).
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Brendan Donahue - Team I
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Tony Gonzalez, TE, Atlanta Falcons
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Round 8
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Pick (Overall)
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Team
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Player, Pos., Team
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1 (85).
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Brendan Donahue - Team I
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Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers
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2 (86).
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Sean Beazley - Team II
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Toby Gerhart, RB, Minnesota Vikings
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3 (87).
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Kevin Hanson - Team I
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Denarius Moore, WR, Oakland Raiders
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4 (88).
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Brendan Donahue - Team II
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Mikel LeShoure, RB, Detroit Lions
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5 (89).
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John Trifone - Team I
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Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears
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6 (90).
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Sean Beazley - Team I
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Malcom Floyd, WR, San Diego Chargers
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7 (91).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team II
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Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints
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8 (92).
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Steve Woodhull - Team I
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Brandon Lloyd, WR, St. Louis Rams
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9 (93).
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Steve Woodhull - Team II
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Daniel Thomas, RB, Miami Dolphins
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10 (94).
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John Trifone - Team II
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Kevin Smith, RB, Detroit Lions
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11 (95).
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Kevin Hanson - Team II
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Santana Moss, WR, Washington Redskins
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12 (96).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team I
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Ryan Grant, RB, Green Bay Packers
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Round 9
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Pick (Overall)
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Team
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Player, Pos., Team
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1 (97).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team I
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Lance Moore, WR, New Orleans Saints
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2 (98).
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Kevin Hanson - Team II
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Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
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3 (99).
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John Trifone - Team II
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Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Oakland Raiders
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4 (100).
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Steve Woodhull - Team II
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Greg Little, WR, Cleveland Browns
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5 (101).
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Steve Woodhull - Team I
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Stevan Ridley, RB, New England Patriots
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6 (102).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team II
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Nate Burleson, WR, Detroit Lions
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7 (103).
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Sean Beazley - Team I
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Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts
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8 (104).
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John Trifone - Team I
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Owen Daniels, TE, Houston Texans
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9 (105).
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Brendan Donahue - Team II
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Isaac Redman, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
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10 (106).
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Kevin Hanson - Team I
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Kahlil Bell, RB, Chicago Bears
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11 (107).
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Sean Beazley - Team II
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Santonio Holmes, WR, New York Jets
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12 (108).
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Brendan Donahue - Team I
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Carson Palmer, QB, Oakland Raiders
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Round 10
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Pick (Overall)
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Team
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Player, Pos., Team
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1 (109).
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Brendan Donahue - Team I
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Tim Tebow, QB, Denver Broncos
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2 (110).
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Sean Beazley - Team II
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Nate Washington, WR, Tennessee Titans
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3 (111).
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Kevin Hanson - Team I
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BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, New England Patriots
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4 (112).
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Brendan Donahue - Team II
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Matt Flynn, QB, Green Bay Packers
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5 (113).
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John Trifone - Team I
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Randy Moss, WR, Free agent
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6 (114).
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Sean Beazley - Team I
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Felix Jones, RB, Dallas Cowboys
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7 (115).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team II
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Anquan Boldin, WR, Baltimore Ravens
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8 (116).
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Steve Woodhull - Team I
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Alex Smith, QB, San Francisco 49ers
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9 (117).
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Steve Woodhull - Team II
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Josh Freeman, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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10 (118).
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John Trifone - Team II
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Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis Rams
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11 (119).
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Kevin Hanson - Team II
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Mario Manningham, WR, New York Giants
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12 (120).
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Dan Yanotchko - Team I
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Pierre Thomas, RB, New Orleans Saints
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Best Pick - Santonio Holmes: To be clear, I think Holmes is a punk and I wouldn't target him in drafts. However, I ranked him 35th in my WR rankings, which I consider to be relatively pessimistic on Sanchize's Valentine. Like him or not, he's a good value as the 45th receiver off the board and should have gone earlier than this.
Pick I Like the Least - James Starks: While Sean has had as many good picks as anyone in this 10-round mock, I'm not a big believer in Starks or any Green Bay running back even with the assumption that Ryan Grant will be gone this offseason. There are other running backs that were taken after Starks that I like a lot better for 2012.
My Picks
Team I (M. Ryan, D. Moore, K. Bell, Green-Ellis): Bell was selected as insurance for Forte, who will likely be franchise tagged. The Law Firm is a boring, inconsistent (from a yardage standpoint), TD-scoring machine to be a bye-week replacement. Moore is my WR5 and my top four are strong: Green, Wallace, Colston and Stevie Johnson. I would prefer to be stronger at QB, but Ryan and the Falcons should air it out a bit more in 2012 and they are loaded with targets in the passing game.
Team II (Spiller, S. Moss, Roethlisberger, Manningham):
With my starters set for this team (except for WR3), I added Big Ben as insurance for Vick, who has a ton of upside but nearly as much injury risk. With Spiller expected to get closer to a 50-50 split, I like his value this late. Both Moss and Manningham have the ability to be solid WR3's for this squad.
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