by Anthony Fernandez, January 9th, 2014
[1.1] 
WR Mike Evans, Texas A&M | B
Is this a controversial take? Maybe. I, like everyone else, loved Mike during the pre-draft process. Him going 1.1 was one of the worst kept secrets in league history. On paper, it's a great move. They were the WORST team in football last year because of the Booty injury, so why not make sure his return is as smooth as possible? And what's not to like about a 6'5" target with 99 speed and 99 acceleration... who also has great hands? Truly a dream player that you could create in a lab. You don't see many guys like this... but you DO see guys who are close. And you also see plenty of guys who will match his production in a Madden engine. So then... my question is this? Could the Rams have done more to help their team here?
[1.2] 
QB Derek Carr, Fresno State | B+
Derek Carr is an exceptional prospect, with amazing awareness, throw power, and throw accuracy. The fact he went 2nd is understandable, so the slight knock on the grade is not because of that - someone would have paid it. But it's impossible to overlook the crazy amount of resources the Patriots gave up to assure a smooth transition out of the Brady-era. One has to wonder if they would have been better off simply signing one of the bevy of Free Agent QBs they were in on (they had like $50 million in cap space), and then just drafting a guy later in the round to slowly groom. Carr looked ok in limited action, but suffered an injury that will cost him most of his rookie campaign. This is truly a tough one to grade, as the player is fantastic and WILL be a stud. But in most of these blockbuster trades I'd rather be the guy stockpiling resources than pushing his chips to the center of the table for one guy.
[1.3] 
LE Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina | A-
Clowney is the trumped up version of Lawrence, as he has the size plus better initial speed. I think you can say whatever you want about the "name" value of the pick, but if you're judging just the attributes, I think you have a guy worthy of a Top 3 pick. Apolo, who I think leads the league in Activity Points (or close to it) has the ability to make this guy 89 speed and 85 acceleration, and frankly I'm surprised he hasn't already. I think that probably is a lock to happen if Apolo gets off the hotseat this year, but it's smart to wait and see. The points WOULD travel with him to San Diego, Tampa, or wherever he ends up next year. But I have my money on him staying in Tennessee! And Clowney will be a stud. That said - I wonder how hard they tried to move up to 1.1 to nab Carr, as one of the few teams with the assets that could have competed with the Patriots? Maybe after the Sanchez experience they were ready to just start a veteran and get 6 wins?
[1.4] 
WR Kelvin Benjamin, Florida State | B
This is the portion of the article where I give the Panthers a bunch of bulletin board material for our game this week and say that I think Kelvin Benjamin is a fine player, but a bit of a reach at #4 overall. I totally get that you can't teach height, as he's 6'5", and is a wonderful consolation prize to missing out on Mike Evans... but at 93SPD, 95AGI, and 94ACC... he's not ever going to be Evans. Could he be as productive as him? Probably? There are a ton of other factors that will have to go into that, but yes, I think when all is said and done, the 21 year old Benjamin will be a fine wide receiver in this league. He's even off to a nice rookie start. But I'd hit him with +2SPD/+2ACC as soon as possible to push him to 95SPD and 96ACC to really begin to see some mismatches in coverage. I mean no corners in the league are going to be able to match him in size, so the hope then is to put a guy on him as close to 99SPD/99ACC so that they can at least chase him down. But the closer Benjamin is to that himself, the more he becomes a cheat code. He doesn't quite have the ceiling that Evans does, but his floor is pretty high, too. And there's probably a whole conversation to be had about how these two WRs went too high in the first place, as this class was LOADED with Wide Receiver talent.
[1.5] 
CB Kyle Fuller, Virginia | A+
Everybody loves this pick of Fuller, and rightfully so, he was the most READY corner in the draft. He MAY even end up being the 2nd best corner to ever come out of Virginia... right after Ronde Barber. But I do think they gave up an absolute stud in AJ Green to get this pick. Green was only 26, was basically maxed out and 6'4". The data suggest that they could have added a tiny bit to that and had just about any other pick in the Top 5? The Panthers would have been silly not to take that. But if the endgame was them taking Fuller anyway, it probably didn't matter. I think he'll be a great prospect when complete. He's a homerun at the position, but I do wonder if the cost should knock the pick at least the +? Ultimately though, I just think it's a decent 1:1 trade that will be totally justified when Fuller is 26 years old and locking down the best receiver on any SFL team.
[1.6] CB Pierre Desir, Lambuth | A+
I am typically against taking CBs THIS high, unless they are ready to perform, and the 79OVR would scare me a bit. BUT, and this is a big but, the guy is 99 speed, 99 agility, 99 acceleration!! That's insane. He's also 6'1", so he's not a midget and will be able to cover anyone. He's also 21 years old, so you have his full window to develop him before regression at 30. This guy is going to be a total stud. Apolo has like a gillion Activity Points, and can easily boost this guy TO THE MOON. I think it's an amazing pick, and despite my disdain for taking CBs who can't start this early, I think he's a guy who would have even been justified at #3 overall. Great pick here by the Titans in a hot seat year.
[1.7] 
CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Nebraska | C+
The run on corners continues! This was the guy I private workout-ed (that's a word, right?) before the draft and didn't love him. Well let me rephrase that, I loved him as potential target if he fell to the mid-teens... but I hated him a the Top 10 pick he was being hyped in all the pre-draft mocks. He's 22... so you have a decent window to groom him, he's also 6'2", which helped him stand out a bit from the rest of the class of corners, but he will need some work. He has the potential to be really good, but looking at the Packers roster I do wonder if grooming a corner that probably shouldn't be playing for a couple years is the smartest move. I might have looked at trading down and grabbing MLB/SS/OLB trio in the first 60 picks? I think there was a wealth of talent at those positions, and there were corners in Free Agency. But I'd be lying if I said I knew their cap situation around free agency time. I think the player will be fine, and Gary will get the most out of him.
[1.8] 
WR Kevin Norwood, Alabama | A+
Is Kevin Norwood the 2nd best wide receiver in this class? I think so. You've got a guy with great size, that you really don't have to put much AP in at all, because he's already basically maxed. I had a pipe dream that he'd fall to 15, but realistically, he kind of fell to 8. The allure of 6'5" got Benjamin drafted first, but Norwood is another insane weapon added inside the NFC South. I hope GMs in that division are stocking up on CBs now. If these guys stay put, that's going to be a tough division to cover in five years. Great pickup by Garth.
[1.9] RG Taylor Lewan, Michigan | C+
I might get some hate mail for this one, especially with how many trade offers I've turned down for RG Russell Okung (drafted 1.3 by the previous admin) - but ultimately I just don't think you spend Top 10 picks on guards. There is absolutely no denying his talent, but definitely feels like a luxury for a team that traded their best WR to get an additional Top 10 pick. Also, I didn't have to spend the Top 3 pick on Okung, and frankly would have never done it, but I agree that his value is that now. What a conundrum! Ultimately the Seahawks are a team that is CLOSE, with a veteran-ish QB under center, and they probably could have been just as well served by signing a high overall guy in Free Agency to plug and play on the Offensive Line. That said, Lewan is about as close to "plug and play" as you'll get from a rookie offensive lineman, but there were even guys in the 2nd round this year that aren't THAT far off from starting. The Seahawks were praised in this draft cycle, rightfully so, as they got the best CB and best OL, which should be considered a win. But I just wonder how much worse off they'd be if they kept their best WR and instead just drafted the 2nd or 3rd best CB (or traded this pick for a developed CB on draft day)?
[1.10] 
CB Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma State | B+
My good buddy Tom. He can draft good, that much has been made clear in my two years here. Time and time again he nabs a guy that I had high on my board, or trades for a guy I was trying to get, or pisses me off because he gets a guy I didn't even know was available in trade. And then he makes fun of me on discord, but it's all ok because he makes me laugh. Oh how this dynamic has changed since the RZL/GZL days. Gilbert is a fine player. I liked him more than SJB, and he's probably the guy I'd have mocked to the Seahawks before the Broncos stole AJ Green (in a hypothetical where the Seahawks only have one Top 10 pick and just sign an OL). Gilbert is not quite ready to play, but he's close. With some TLC, this 21 year old is gonna be a hot commodity when he's on his 2nd contract. It'll probably be a 7 year restructure, so don't get your hopes up, eager GMs who like to sign corners in Free Agency (there are more out there... right)?
[1.11] 
LE Demarcus Lawrence, Boise State | A+
There was a lot of predraft discussion on this player, and while it was pretty clear on draft day that this was NOT the target the Chargers had in mind... I have nothing bad to say about the player, or the value at 11. He's a little light in the ass, but I'd give him +2SPD and +2ACC and just let him ride. One perk of not being punctual is with half the season gone, you can already see that he has 7 sacks. That's insane production from a rookie DE. I think the Chargers have a real stud on their hands, and looking back there will be some teams who are sorry they didn't take him in the top 10. While lacking elite quickness, he has elite strength for the position and is going to continue to abuse right tackles who aren't ready for a battle on every snap.
[1.12] 
CB Dontae Johnson, North Carolina State | A-
Johnson has everything you need physically, but he's VERY raw. So raw, in fact, that at 22 years old I'd be worried that by the time I trusted him enough to throw him out there and start, his window of PEAK performance would be like 25-29 years old. That's just not enough of a return on investment for ME personally, as can clearly be seen by how much money I pour into (more developed) CBs in Free Agency. But the Madden engine is cruel, and even legit corners get torched for no reason. I'd be so worried about Johnson being a turnstile, especially in the (usually) competitive AFC West. That said, I trust Brad and am sure he'll turn the talent of this player into a guy I want to trade for and get rejected in a few seasons. He's just not ready enough for me right now, but he's an A- on talent alone. I might have went B+, but how can you question a GM who might have drafted the OROTY last year with that brilliant FB to TE move?
[1.13] 
SS Jonathan Dowling, Western Kentucky | A+
Loved what the Browns did on draft day. Dowling is an absolute stud. I didn't appreciate a year ago how rare safeties are in SFL who are 90+/90+/90+ and decently tall (like his 6'3"). The tackle is a bit low, but at 22 years old they've got plenty of time to passively work on that. The 75 overall means there will be some growing pains, but also means he'll likely be Training Camp eligible at least twice. If it were me, I'd pump as many activity points into him as possible, and he should develop into a truly lockdown safety in this league. Great value at the 13th pick.
[1.14] 
MLB Prince Shembo, Notre Dame | A++
I absolutely loved Shembo on draft day. He wasn't really on my radar prior, as I really didn't think he'd be there at 15 (yes even as a MLB in a league stacked with them), but once the pick was close I was SO set on taking him. The Saints had been heavily linked to WR Landry, so I had almost just assumed that once the Browns turned in the card for SS Jonathan Dowling (who I also wanted) that Shembo would be the guy we take. We got tossed for a loop a bit, but were happy to land on Latimer. Shembo hasn't seen nearly the playing time I'd expect, but he is someone who will be very, very good once developed. Great pick here by the 'aints!
[1.15] 
WR Cody Latimer, Indiana | A
Oh look, it's AF riding his own dick again. AND talking about himself in the 3rd person! AND ABOUT THE PLAYER THAT HAS CAUGHT MULTIPLE HAIL MARY TDS TO WIN GAMES WE WERE SUPPOSED TO LOSE! Awful! All of that might be true... but I DO love this pick. I did the thing I said I wasn't going to do... and for the 2nd year in a row I used damn near all my private workouts on wide receivers... WELL before the draft even got started. I even used one on Mike Evans, who I know I had no chance of getting. I'm dumb, what can I say. But Latimer was in the group we liked a lot. We ALMOST took Martavis Bryant with this pick instead, as you just can't coach HEIGHT... but ultimately we went with the safer pick. Latimer is 6'3" with 96 speed, 96 agility, and 98 acceleration already. His catch rating is also an 80. When we finish these articles we plan on bumping his speed and acceleration to 97/99. That's pretty intense for a 21 year old who is 6'3". For comparison, that is basically Kevin Norwood, who went [1.8] and kinda fell a little based off of draft predictions. Latimer is also a year younger, and will for sure have these activity points spent before the start of next year, age 22. So essentially with a few articles, we were able to get Top 10 (really Top 5) WR value out of the 15th pick. That's a win. Both players, Norwood and Latimer, are raw with low awareness, but there is a reason they are both ripping off 24+ yards a catch. They WILL get past defenders in this league and have long careers. I'm excited to see what fun Latimer will get into for his next contract. A great compliment to WR Adam Thielen and TE Dion Sims, who we nabbed at the end of the 1st round last year.
[1.16] 
QB Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville | A-
We could Monday Morning Quarterback this all we want, but the value is impenetrable. Bridgewater, with already damn near perfect throwing accuracy and higher awareness than all the rookies from last year already? That's great value. The arm strength is very low, but it will be passable (get it). Now, you never want to be at (0-7) like they are, and I'm sure that wasn't the vision Washington had of starting him... but starting a rookie at QB is HARD. Speaking from experience! I think the ONLY thing that makes this an A- instead of an A+ is the fact that the team doesn't have their own 1st round pick next year to benefit from this losing season. If you start the rookie QB and suck, it's nice to pair the Top 10 pick with him the following year. That won't be happening for Washington, and to compound that, they essentially have wasted a year Carson Palmer is still good enough to WIN in this league. It's too bad his contract is SO tough to move, as I'm sure he could have netted them quite a bit, and perhaps a lesser quality mentor that you don't mind riding the pine. Other than that though, Bridgewater is going to be someone they can build around for years to come. I love the pick, and wish he was outside the NFC East.
Thanks for reading! Hopefully picks 17-32 will post later this week.
