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This past weekend, the experts at Rant Sports had their second fantasy football mock draft. It was another 10-team mock draft, and like most drafts, it was filled with surprises. I owned the fourth pick overall and couldn’t believe what just fell into my lap.
Here is a breakdown of my picks from the draft:
Draft Picks:
Round 1 (4): RB Arian Foster, Houston Texans – This may be the only draft in which Foster falls all the way to the fourth pick. However, I will gladly settle with his 1,424 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns from last season.
Round 2: (17) RB Steven Jackson, Atlanta Falcons – Jackson has never had the privilege of being featured in a respectable offense before and I think the move to Atlanta will do wonders for his career. S-Jax should easily finish with 1,000 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in his first season in Hot-lanta.
Round 3 (24): WR Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons – In his first two seasons in the NFL, Jones has amassed 2,157 yards and 18 touchdowns. It is scary to think that he hasn’t really had a true breakout season though. If this is the year, Jones will have amazing value as a third round pick.
Round 4 (37): WR Victor Cruz, New York Giants – Cruz has emerged as an outstanding fantasy wideout. He has grabbed 19 touchdowns over the last two seasons and has not missed a single game. He is an ideal second fantasy wideout.
Round 5 (44): QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons – After throwing a career-high 4,719 passing yards and 32 touchdowns in 2012, Ryan has officially arrived as an elite fantasy quarterback. People can talk about how amazing Cam Newton and Matthew Stafford are all day, but I still find it insane to rank them ahead of Matty Ice coming off the season he had in 2012.
Round 6 (57): RB Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers – Lacy is getting a ton of attention for his weight in training camp this season. However, even if he does come into camp somewhat overweight, it will only help him cement his role as Green Bay’s goal-line back. Lacy is an amazing down-hill runner and he has the potential the score over 10 touchdowns in team’s high-powered offense.
Round 7 (64): RB Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers – At 64 overall, I thought it was time to take a chance on Mr. Glass. Mathews may have broken his collarbone twice and been nothing but a disappointment up to this point in his career, but he still has some potential left in his legs.
Round 8 (77): RB DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers – D-Will is still the number one back in Carolina and all indications are that the team will be much better this season. Williams ended the season with 210 rushing yards and two touchdowns as well, so he may not be as much of a sleeper as people think.
Round 9: WR Anquan Boldin, San Francisco 49ers – The loss of Michael Crabtree makes Boldin the absolute number one wideout in San Fran. Boldin hauled in 380 yards and four touchdowns in the playoffs last season and the 32-year-old can be a more than capable third wideout in fantasy.
Round 10 (97): RB Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints – Ingram has looked strong in camp and this could be the year he breaks out as the primary back in New Orleans. I think the former first round pick is worth taking a shot on late in the draft, because he could end up surprising you as a full-time starter down the stretch.
Round 11 (104): TE Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers – Despite all his injuries, Gates has caught at least seven touchdowns in each of the past nine seasons. He may not be the elite option he was a couple years ago, but he is easily worth an 11th round selection.
Round 12: (117): RB Joseph Randle, Dallas Cowboys – Randle is one of the hottest sleepers this off-season and I did not expect to see him fall to the 117th pick. Considering the extensive injury history of starting running back, DeMarco Murray, Randle has potential to be a atop the depth chart by the time the playoffs come rolling around.
Round 13 (124): RB Michael Bush, Chicago Bears – This was the pick that maxed me out at running backs. Bush is the guaranteed goal-line back in Chicago, especially since starter Matt Forte has proven that he cannot score within the red-zone. Forte has also missed five games over the last two seasons and it is only a matter of time until he has yet another high ankle sprain. Bush will once again get more carries than people expect this season.
Round 14 (137): WR Rueben Randle, New York Giants – Randle has looked amazing in training camp this summer. He is catching everything, shielding defenders well, and is not afraid to go over the middle. Considering the recent injury history of WR Hakeem Nicks, Randle will likely be starting at some point this season.
Round 15 (144): Pittsburgh Steelers Defense – The unit may be getting older by the day, but they still are one of the smartest defensive systems in the game.
Round 16: K Phil Dawson, San Francisco 49ers – Dawson will see a major increase in his fantasy value with the move to San Fran.
Depth Chart:
QB: Matt Ryan
RB: Arian Foster, Steven Jackson, Eddie Lacy, Ryan Mathews, DeAngelo Williams, Mark Ingram, Joseph Randle, Michael Bush
WR: Julio Jones, Victor Cruz, Anquan Boldin, Rueben Randle
TE: Antonio Gates
K: Phil Dawson
DEF/ST: Pittsburgh Steelers
Conclusion:
It is not too often that I get to load up on running backs like this, but I took full advantage of the cards that I was dealt. Out of the 16 players on my roster, eight of them are running backs. On top of my stable of backs, I also have studs at all of my major skilled positions. Matt Ryan is an obvious top-five quarterback, while Julio Jones and Victor Cruz are top-notch receivers. This is a team that could easily make the playoffs and challenge for a title this fantasy season.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
