We're in Vegas with some of our writers over the All-Star break - our annual trip, and this morning we had our 14-team football draft. The format is 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 D, standard scoring. I picked sixth. Here's my squad:
6. Randy Moss
23. Pierre Thomas
34. Drew Brees
51. Larry Johnson
62. Santonio Holmes
79. Mark Clayton
90. Greg Olsen
107. Ted Ginn, Jr.
118. Miles Austin
135. Jeremy Maclin
146. Hakeem Nicks
163. Vikings Defense
174. Garrett Hartley
191. Sammy Morris
By Position:
QB Drew Brees
RB Pierre Thomas
RB Larry Johnson
WR Randy Moss
WR Santonio Holmes
WR Mark Clayton
TE Greg Olsen
K Garrett Hartley
D Vikings
B Ted Ginn, Jr.
B Miles Austin
B Jeremy Maclin
B Hakeem Nicks
B Sammy Morris
A couple notes: Receivers were at a premium in a 14-team league with three of them - hence Moss over Steve Slaton and other top RBs (Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson were already gone at No. 6). I normally wait on QBs, but Brees in Round 3 was too good a value to pass up, and in a 14-team league, not everyone is assured a good one. My running backs have a lot of upside, but tenuous holds on their jobs/roles. Mark Clayton should be the Ravens' No. 1 now that Derrick Mason has retired and has more downfield skills than Mason.
This is always the hardest draft for me because all of our own writers are in it, and everyone uses our magazine, i.e., my rankings, as their cheat sheet (We do the draft over brunch at the Paris, and no one has internet access). In other words, all the players I'd normally target in industry drafts are high on the list that everyone's using, so they don't often fall to me.
Still, I like this odd-ball team with a WR and QB in the first three rounds, and seven WRs overall. Obviously, I'm thin at RB though.