Post by Jacksonville Jaguars (Jordan) on Jun 15, 2021 10:41:34 GMT -5
Arizona Cardinals (Jeremy)
Grade: B
In his first draft as part of the CDFL, Jeremy made a few solid moves as he starts to rebuild the Cardinals. First and foremost, find a QB. At 1.09 he did just that, taking the #2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, Zach Wilson. The Jets parted ways with Sam Darnold, so Wilson should be the starter from day one, perhaps joining Trevor Lawrence as the only Week 1 starters among the rookie QBs. With a solid receiving corps and additions to the Jets’ O-Line, Wilson has a chance to have some early success fantasy-wise. In the 2nd, Jeremy took Christian McCaffrey’s understudy, Chuba Hubbard, and in the 3rd it was another RB in Javian Hawkins, but of course that wasn’t allowed… He may never get much from these RBs, but the future of the Arizona Cardinals lies in the success of Zach Wilson.
Los Angeles Rams (Trey)
Grade: F
LAR came into the 2021 Draft with no picks, and he should’ve stayed that way. It’s not necessarily that the nine (9) players he selected between Rounds 2 and 3 are bad (though many of them are late round picks unlikely to ever provide much value), but it’s HOW he acquired the picks that is, for lack of a better term, nonsensical. If Trey wanted to trade Dak Prescott for picks, he should’ve done so prior to the draft or during the 1st Round, but instead he traded a top 5 dynasty QB for two 2nds and a 3rd. Those picks became Kenneth Gainwell, Kellen Mond, and Kylen Granson, and while the may pan out, Kellen Mond will need to be the next Patrick Mahomes to justify this deal, and at this point, it’s uncertain whether he will even develop into a starter. He made a plethora of other trades during the remainder of the draft, seeing value that others could not on his way to accruing six (6) additional 3rd Round picks. Those were a mix of pass rushers, slot corners, and a couple of late round offensive players from the Chicago Bears. He certainly has plenty of darts, and maybe a few of them will land, but what did it cost? In the infamous words of Thanos, “Everything.”
San Francisco 49ers (Nate)
Grade: B-
To start thinking about Nate’s first potential playoff berth, there were a couple needs to be addressed: 1. DEFENSE, particularly at LB, where his current best options are all edge rushers, and 2. A legitimate WR1 or RB to pair with CEH. Once Chase and Pitts were off board, it left Najee Harris ripe for the picking at 1.03, and most GMs that I spoke with at that time assumed that to be the selection. What’s that old saying about assuming? Something about ass, idk, but anyway, we were all wrong. Instead of sticking with the GOAT for another season, Tom Brady will now be on the move, as SF made Trevor Lawrence the third pick in the draft. Nate saw the chance to add the best QB prospect since Gardner Minshew, and he took it. It’s yet to be determined what the return will be for Tom Brady, but it appears SF is still another year away, so perhaps future picks will be in the cards. In the 2nd Round, he took the first EDGE off the board in Jaelan Phillips, but early reports show him listed as a LB for the Dolphins (if you’re new to our scoring, that’s not ideal). I believe he will be an instant contributor, but that DL/LB designation is something to keep an eye on, and will really determine how useful of a player he will be for fantasy this season. Finally, SF selected WFT TE John Bates out of Boise State. It’s worth checking out some highlights of him, just for the chance to get a glimpse of that blue field. Otherwise, he’s another Day 3 TE looking to find a role in a fairly deep Tight End room, including Logan Thomas, Ricky Seals-Jones, and Jeremy Sprinkle.
Seattle Seahawks (Cecil)
Grade: C+
Death, taxes, and a great draft from Cecil. That’s what we’ve become accustomed to. He typically holds multiple 1st Round picks, all while being a constant threat to go undefeated and lead the league in points scored. That was not the case this year, however, as Cecil had but one (1) 1st Round pick, which he used on WAS 1st Round LB Jamin Davis. The LB out of Kentucky should be a Day 1 starter, and could potentially score the most fantasy points of any defender in this rookie class in 2021. In any other year this is where I would talk about his three other 1st Rounders, and him somehow still getting a top RB in the 2nd Round, but the 2021 is simply not to that level. He added four (4) more picks in Rounds 2 and 3, but all four were Day 3 selections in the NFL Draft: Jabril Cox, 4th Round LB heading into a crowded room in Dallas, WR Jaelon Darden, who will be the primary returner for the Bucs, as they have one of the best WR groups in the league, and couple RBs in Elijah Mitchell and Gerrid Doaks, who I highly doubt are the next Jonathan Taylor/Antonio Gibson combo (and yes, we did allow him to draft both last year…). This draft looked, dare I say, human(?) relative to what we’re used to seeing from Cecil, so maybe, just maybe, there’s hope for us poor bastards yet.
Grade: B
In his first draft as part of the CDFL, Jeremy made a few solid moves as he starts to rebuild the Cardinals. First and foremost, find a QB. At 1.09 he did just that, taking the #2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, Zach Wilson. The Jets parted ways with Sam Darnold, so Wilson should be the starter from day one, perhaps joining Trevor Lawrence as the only Week 1 starters among the rookie QBs. With a solid receiving corps and additions to the Jets’ O-Line, Wilson has a chance to have some early success fantasy-wise. In the 2nd, Jeremy took Christian McCaffrey’s understudy, Chuba Hubbard, and in the 3rd it was another RB in Javian Hawkins, but of course that wasn’t allowed… He may never get much from these RBs, but the future of the Arizona Cardinals lies in the success of Zach Wilson.
Los Angeles Rams (Trey)
Grade: F
LAR came into the 2021 Draft with no picks, and he should’ve stayed that way. It’s not necessarily that the nine (9) players he selected between Rounds 2 and 3 are bad (though many of them are late round picks unlikely to ever provide much value), but it’s HOW he acquired the picks that is, for lack of a better term, nonsensical. If Trey wanted to trade Dak Prescott for picks, he should’ve done so prior to the draft or during the 1st Round, but instead he traded a top 5 dynasty QB for two 2nds and a 3rd. Those picks became Kenneth Gainwell, Kellen Mond, and Kylen Granson, and while the may pan out, Kellen Mond will need to be the next Patrick Mahomes to justify this deal, and at this point, it’s uncertain whether he will even develop into a starter. He made a plethora of other trades during the remainder of the draft, seeing value that others could not on his way to accruing six (6) additional 3rd Round picks. Those were a mix of pass rushers, slot corners, and a couple of late round offensive players from the Chicago Bears. He certainly has plenty of darts, and maybe a few of them will land, but what did it cost? In the infamous words of Thanos, “Everything.”
San Francisco 49ers (Nate)
Grade: B-
To start thinking about Nate’s first potential playoff berth, there were a couple needs to be addressed: 1. DEFENSE, particularly at LB, where his current best options are all edge rushers, and 2. A legitimate WR1 or RB to pair with CEH. Once Chase and Pitts were off board, it left Najee Harris ripe for the picking at 1.03, and most GMs that I spoke with at that time assumed that to be the selection. What’s that old saying about assuming? Something about ass, idk, but anyway, we were all wrong. Instead of sticking with the GOAT for another season, Tom Brady will now be on the move, as SF made Trevor Lawrence the third pick in the draft. Nate saw the chance to add the best QB prospect since Gardner Minshew, and he took it. It’s yet to be determined what the return will be for Tom Brady, but it appears SF is still another year away, so perhaps future picks will be in the cards. In the 2nd Round, he took the first EDGE off the board in Jaelan Phillips, but early reports show him listed as a LB for the Dolphins (if you’re new to our scoring, that’s not ideal). I believe he will be an instant contributor, but that DL/LB designation is something to keep an eye on, and will really determine how useful of a player he will be for fantasy this season. Finally, SF selected WFT TE John Bates out of Boise State. It’s worth checking out some highlights of him, just for the chance to get a glimpse of that blue field. Otherwise, he’s another Day 3 TE looking to find a role in a fairly deep Tight End room, including Logan Thomas, Ricky Seals-Jones, and Jeremy Sprinkle.
Seattle Seahawks (Cecil)
Grade: C+
Death, taxes, and a great draft from Cecil. That’s what we’ve become accustomed to. He typically holds multiple 1st Round picks, all while being a constant threat to go undefeated and lead the league in points scored. That was not the case this year, however, as Cecil had but one (1) 1st Round pick, which he used on WAS 1st Round LB Jamin Davis. The LB out of Kentucky should be a Day 1 starter, and could potentially score the most fantasy points of any defender in this rookie class in 2021. In any other year this is where I would talk about his three other 1st Rounders, and him somehow still getting a top RB in the 2nd Round, but the 2021 is simply not to that level. He added four (4) more picks in Rounds 2 and 3, but all four were Day 3 selections in the NFL Draft: Jabril Cox, 4th Round LB heading into a crowded room in Dallas, WR Jaelon Darden, who will be the primary returner for the Bucs, as they have one of the best WR groups in the league, and couple RBs in Elijah Mitchell and Gerrid Doaks, who I highly doubt are the next Jonathan Taylor/Antonio Gibson combo (and yes, we did allow him to draft both last year…). This draft looked, dare I say, human(?) relative to what we’re used to seeing from Cecil, so maybe, just maybe, there’s hope for us poor bastards yet.