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Fantasy Football: Expert Mock Draft (Standard Scoring)

Fantasy Football: Expert Mock Draft (Standard Scoring)

Throughout this off-season, us here at FantasyPros have tried to continue to bring in the best analysts in the business to our podcast, as well as getting them to participate in mock drafts. We got some titans of the industry to do a rookie mock draft back at the end of March (read here), and again after the NFL Draft in May (read here). The support on the podcast and those articles was amazing, so we went out and gathered some of the best in the industry for a standard redraft mock draft.

It was a 12-man cast that went a total of 15 rounds, leaving out the 16th round that would’ve gone to kickers in a traditional league. This will be a good measuring stick of where a player’s ADP might be in a month, because analysts are typically out in front of the curve, influencing the public’s perception of what a player’s value actually is. The starting requirements were pretty typical: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 W/R/T, 1 D/ST. If you’d like to find any of the analysts that took part in this mock draft, I’ll include their Twitter handles at the bottom of this article.

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Rounds 1-4

PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION
1.01 Patrick RB David Johnson 2.01 Tagliere WR T.Y. Hilton
1.02 Cummins RB Le’Veon Bell 2.02 Thorman RB Jay Ajayi
1.03 Waziak RB Ezekiel Elliott 2.03 Summerlin RB Jordan Howard
1.04 Ciely WR Antonio Brown 2.04 Harris WR Jordy Nelson
1.05 Hamilton WR Odell Beckham Jr. 2.05 Bloom RB Demarco Murray
1.06 Pianowski WR Julio Jones 2.06 Evans WR Amari Cooper
1.07 Evans WR Mike Evans 2.07 Pianowski RB Leonard Fournette
1.08 Bloom RB Melvin Gordon 2.08 Hamilton RB Todd Gurley
1.09 Harris RB LeSean McCoy 2.09 Ciely RB Marshawn Lynch
1.10 Summerlin WR Michael Thomas 2.10 Waziak WR Dez Bryant
1.11 Thorman WR A.J. Green 2.11 Cummins TE Rob Gronkowski
1.12 Tagliere RB Devonta Freeman 2.12 Patrick WR Demaryius Thomas

 

It’s to the point where we pretty much know who’ll be selected in the first two rounds, though you may be torn at the end of the second round when deciding between players like Rob Gronkowski and Doug Baldwin. I’ll attempt to give my best pick from each round, as well as the one that I believe may have been too early.

From the first round, my favorite pick was Michael Thomas going to Ray Summerlin. While some say that he’s yet to prove worthy of a first round pick, I’d disagree and say that Thomas didn’t even start until Week 3, missed Week 14, yet still finished as the No. 9 wide receiver with Brandin Cooks on the roster. It’s picks like Summerlin’s that show why he’s among the best in the business. You need to be bold when in drafts such as this one. My least favorite pick from the first round would probably be my own of Devonta Freeman, as he feels more like a second-rounder to me.

More expected picks come off the board in the second round, but there were two that I felt came way too early. Jake Ciely taking Marshawn Lynch at the end of the second, over guys like Baldwin, Dez Bryant, and Gronkowski took some stones. I’m not concerned with Lynch’s role, but rather his ability to handle a large workload at his advanced age. Curtis Patrick’s pick of Demaryius Thomas at 2.12 was also a bit early for my taste, as he’s still working with either Trevor Siemian or first-year-starter Paxton Lynch. My favorite pick of the round went to Rob Waziak, who stole Bryant at 2.10. His schedule is concerning (as I pointed out here), but that’s baked into his ADP.

PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION
3.01 Patrick WR Doug Baldwin 4.01 Tagliere WR Davante Adams
3.02 Cummins WR DeAndre Hopkins 4.02 Thorman TE Jordan Reed
3.03 Waziak RB Lamar Miller 4.03 Summerlin RB Eddie Lacy
3.04 Ciely RB Joe Mixon 4.04 Harris RB Dalvin Cook
3.05 Hamilton RB Isaiah Crowell 4.05 Bloom RB Doug Martin
3.06 Pianowski WR Allen Robinson 4.06 Evans RB Christian McCaffrey
3.07 Evans QB Aaron Rodgers 4.07 Pianowski WR Michael Crabtree
3.08 Bloom QB Tom Brady 4.08 Hamilton QB Andrew Luck
3.09 Harris WR Sammy Watkins 4.09 Ciely WR Alshon Jeffery
3.10 Summerlin TE Travis Kelce 4.10 Waziak WR Terrelle Pryor
3.11 Thorman RB Carlos Hyde 4.11 Cummins RB Mike Gillislee
3.12 Tagliere WR Brandin Cooks 4.12 Patrick RB C.J. Anderson

 

There were a few picks that were stolen from me in the third round, as Dan Harris took Sammy Watkins at 3.09 and Pat Thorman took Carlos Hyde one pick in front of me at 3.12. Seeing that I consider them second-round talents, those were my favorite picks of the round. Meanwhile, Summerlin made what was my least favorite pick of the round. Despite the fact that Kelce has room to grow on his 2016 campaign, he actually needs to in order to live up to a third-round draft pick. I’d prefer him in the mid-to-late fourth round.

The fourth round seems to be the one where things get mixed up a tad, as there were a few polarizing players taken off the board, starting with Mike Gillislee. Ben Cummins is obviously sold on the fact that Gillislee will be taking over LeGarrette Blount’s role, but the weekly inconsistency of the Patriots running backs is tough to swallow with a fourth-round pick. Meanwhile, Patrick stole C.J. Anderson at the end of the fourth, my favorite pick of the round. He’s going much later than he should in early drafts, and I believe there’s a good chance he winds up as an early second-round pick next year.

Rounds 5-8

PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION
5.01 Patrick WR Jarvis Landry 6.01 Tagliere WR Donte Moncrief
5.02 Cummins WR Martavis Bryant 6.02 Thorman RB Paul Perkins
5.03 Waziak TE Greg Olsen 6.03 Summerlin WR Emmanuel Sanders
5.04 Ciely WR Keenan Allen 6.04 Harris WR Golden Tate
5.05 Hamilton RB Ty Montgomery 6.05 Bloom WR Jamison Crowder
5.06 Pianowski RB Tevin Coleman 6.06 Evans RB Mark Ingram
5.07 Evans WR Corey Davis 6.07 Pianowski WR Willie Snead
5.08 Bloom RB Frank Gore 6.08 Hamilton RB Derrick Henry
5.09 Harris RB Spencer Ware 6.09 Ciely RB Bilal Powell
5.10 Summerlin WR Tyreek Hill 6.10 Waziak WR Brandon Marshall
5.11 Thorman WR Stefon Diggs 6.11 Cummins QB Jameis Winston
5.12 Tagliere RB Ameer Abdullah 6.12 Patrick QB Drew Brees

 

The biggest surprise of these rounds was most definitely Cummins’ pick of Jameis Winston at 6.11 in front of Drew Brees. Not only is that going on a limb, but he snagged him much earlier than his ADP of 8.09 in public drafts. Traditionally, you’ll see writer/analyst leagues wait on quarterback longer than most public leagues, but this draft went in a different direction, with five quarterbacks coming off the board in the first six rounds. Not that Winston isn’t an up-and-coming stud that has been surrounded by great weapons, but looking at everything, he probably could’ve gotten him in the 10th round of this draft.

My favorite pick of these rounds went to Thorman, as he snagged Stefon Diggs as the 26th wide receiver off the board at the end of the fifth round. One year removed from an injury-plagued season in which he was the No. 14 wide receiver in PPR leagues and No. 23 in standard leagues, there is room to grow as he scored just three touchdowns in 2016. I also felt lucky to land Donte Moncrief as the 27th wide receiver off the board. He’s someone whose downside is built into his price, but has legitimate has top-12 upside.

PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION
7.01 Patrick RB LeGarrette Blount 8.01 Tagliere TE Martellus Bennett
7.02 Cummins RB Samaje Perine 8.02 Thorman WR DeSean Jackson
7.03 Waziak QB Russell Wilson 8.03 Summerlin WR Jeremy Maclin
7.04 Ciely WR Larry Fitzgerald 8.04 Harris TE Kyle Rudolph
7.05 Hamilton WR Julian Edelman 8.05 Bloom WR John Brown
7.06 Pianowski TE Jimmy Graham 8.06 Evans TE Hunter Henry
7.07 Evans RB Kareem Hunt 8.07 Pianowski WR DeVante Parker
7.08 Bloom TE Tyler Eifert 8.08 Hamilton WR Kelvin Benjamin
7.09 Harris WR Pierre Garcon 8.09 Ciely RB Jamaal Williams
7.10 Summerlin RB Danny Woodhead 8.10 Waziak WR Corey Coleman
7.11 Thorman RB Adrian Peterson 8.11 Cummins WR Randall Cobb
7.12 Tagliere RB Kenneth Dixon 8.12 Patrick WR Eric Decker

 

In the seventh and eighth rounds, we saw Cummins select Samaje Perine and Ciely select Jamaal Williams, two rookie running backs vying for starting jobs in high-scoring offenses. This is the kind of boldness that can win leagues, but it can also cost you, considering you’re still drafting starters at this point. Sigmund Bloom made my favorite pick of this area, taking John Brown at 8.05.

Round 9-15

PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION
9.01 Patrick TE Eric Ebron 10.01 Tagliere WR Jordan Matthews
9.02 Cummins WR Josh Doctson 10.02 Thorman WR Tyrell Williams
9.03 Waziak RB Matt Forte 10.03 Summerlin RB Theo Riddick
9.04 Ciely TE Delanie Walker 10.04 Harris RB Rob Kelley
9.05 Hamilton TE Zach Ertz 10.05 Bloom WR Ted Ginn
9.06 Pianowski RB C.J. Prosise 10.06 Evans WR Breshad Perriman
9.07 Evans WR Cameron Meredith 10.07 Pianowski WR Adam Thielen
9.08 Bloom WR Marvin Jones 10.08 Hamilton TE O.J. Howard
9.09 Harris RB Jonathan Stewart 10.09 Ciely RB D’Onta Foreman
9.10 Summerlin WR Kenny Britt 10.10 Waziak RB Jamaal Charles
9.11 Thorman WR Mike Wallace 10.11 Cummins TE Jack Doyle
9.12 Tagliere QB Matt Ryan 10.12 Patrick WR Quincy Enunwa

 

PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION
11.01 Patrick RB Alvin Kamara 12.01 Tagliere TB James White
11.02 Cummins RB Marlon Mack 12.02 Thorman QB Kirk Cousins
11.03 Waziak WR J.J. Nelson 12.03 Summerlin QB Matthew Stafford
11.04 Ciely WR Kevin White 12.04 Harris QB Cam Newton
11.05 Hamilton WR Mike Williams 12.05 Bloom QB Ben Roethlisberger
11.06 Pianowski QB Marcus Mariota 12.06 Evans RB Latavius Murray
11.07 Evans RB Duke Johnson 12.07 Pianowski QB Philip Rivers
11.08 Bloom WR Tyler Lockett 12.08 Hamilton WR John Ross
11.09 Harris WR Rishard Matthews 12.09 Ciely RB Jonathan Williams
11.10 Summerlin WR Robert Woods 12.10 Waziak RB Terrance West
11.11 Thorman WR Kenny Golladay 12.11 Cummins RB James Conner
11.12 Tagliere RB Thomas Rawls 12.12 Patrick TE David Njoku

 

PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION
13.01 Patrick D/ST Broncos 14.01 Tagliere TE Coby Fleener
13.02 Cummins RB Rex Burkhead 14.02 Thorman WR Chris Hogan
13.03 Waziak WR Kenny Stills 14.03 Summerlin RB Darren Sproles
13.04 Ciely QB Tyrod Taylor 14.04 Harris RB Joe Williams
13.05 Hamilton QB Derek Carr 14.05 Bloom WR Taylor Gabriel
13.06 Pianowski TE Austin Hooper 14.06 Evans TE Julius Thomas
13.07 Evans WR Curtis Samuel 14.07 Pianowski TE C.J. Fiedorowicz
13.08 Bloom RB Jacquizz Rodgers 14.08 Hamilton WR Zay Jones
13.09 Harris QB Dak Prescott 14.09 Ciely WR Mohamed Sanu
13.10 Summerlin WR Will Fuller 14.10 Waziak D/ST Texans
13.11 Thorman RB DeAndre Washington 14.11 Cummins WR Malcolm Mitchell
13.12 Tagliere WR Sterling Shepard 14.12 Patrick QB Carson Wentz

 

PICK FRANCHISE SELECTION
15.01 Patrick QB Andy Dalton
15.02 Cummins D/ST Chiefs
15.03 Waziak QB Eli Manning
15.04 Ciely D/ST Seahawks
15.05 Hamilton D/ST Patriots
15.06 Pianowski RB Jalen Richard
15.07 Evans D/ST Giants
15.08 Bloom D/ST Bills
15.09 Harris D/ST Cardinals
15.10 Summerlin D/ST Vikings
15.11 Thorman D/ST Jaguars
15.12 Tagliere D/ST Chargers

 

Throughout the remainder of the draft, there were a few head-scratching picks, but when you spend as much time as these guys do covering the NFL, you need to at least consider where they’re coming from. The one that stands out to me was Harris’ pick of Jonathan Stewart in the ninth round, as he’s someone who I probably wouldn’t draft at this point. Between Cam Newton, Christian McCaffrey, and Curtis Samuel stealing carries, it’s hard to find a role for him. My current projections have him at just over 600 total yards and five touchdowns, and I thought that was generous.

The biggest value over the final few rounds had to be Ciely’s pick of Kevin White. This is not me saying that White is going to be a steal, but rather that Ciely got the projected No. 1 wide receiver of an offense in the 11th round. White hasn’t shown much in the NFL yet, but he’s the former No. 7 pick from two years ago. The Bears are going to give him every opportunity to succeed, and it just so happens that he will not face any top-tier cornerbacks outside of (maybe) Xavier Rhodes this season. Small price to pay for the upside he could be getting. I was also a fan of Patrick’s pick of Quincy Enunwa in the 10th round and Thorman’s DeAndre Washington pick in the 13th round.

What We Learned

The biggest surprise from this draft was that there were 19 quarterbacks taken in the 15 rounds, which shows the pendulum swinging the opposite direction of previous years. Despite that being the case, there was still value to be had with Dak Prescott going in the 13th round to Harris, and Andy Dalton going to Patrick in the 15th round. I’m usually one of the writers to swing first on a quarterback, but in this one, I wish I’d waited longer, even though I got Matt Ryan in the ninth round.

Surprisingly, running backs and wide receivers were coming off the board at almost an even rate, which has a lot to do with this being a standard league, but it’s still noteworthy. I think it’s that way because of all the uncertainty in certain backfields. Once we know more about the depth charts and who is starting, you’ll likely see running backs start to tumble down draft boards. Now go and practice your own mock drafts for free, right here: Complete a mock draft in minutes with our free Draft Simulator partner-arrow

Things are going to change as the season approaches and we’ll have your covered throughout the entirety of the off-season, bringing in amazing analysts like the ones here in this draft. If you’d like to ask them any questions, follow any of them on Twitter by just clicking on their name below.

Curtis Patrick
Ben Cummins
Rob Waziak
Jake Ciely
Nate Hamilton
Scott Pianowski
Brad Evans
Sigmund Bloom
Dan Harris
Ray Summerlin
Pat Thorman
Mike Tagliere (Me)

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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.

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