Smashmouth Football League Articles

1.01 QB Philip Rivers
Rivers was clearly the superior QB and the frontrunner to go #1 overall. In a QB needy league, the signs were all over the wall when Tennessee traded Drew Brees away.
Grade: A

1.02 QB Ben Roethlisberger
After drafting WR Andre Johnson last year and bypassing a QB, the Cowboys were obviously looking for a QB here. The debate was if it would be Eli Manning or Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger has the highest potential, but is going to take a bit of work (points) to lose that scrambler status. I think he was the smarter choice.
Grade: A

1.03 LT Tyson Clabo
What. A. Stud. At 6'6", 315lbs, 70 SPD, 95 STR, 74 AGI, 84 ACC, he is next to nobody at the OL position. I typically advocate for impactful position players in the early 1st, but how do you say no to this guy? Love the pick.
Grade: A+

1.04 WR Drew Carter
A 6'4", 95 SPD, 95 ACC WR is Moss-like, and how do you say no to a playmaker like that? The 27 STR surely has to be concerning, but it will definitely provide some evidence as to whether STR matters or not. In real life it would likely help with creating separation, breaking tackles and hanging on to those tough catches. But it's Madden. The pairing of Carter & Olinger has to put the NFC West on notice.
Grade: A

1.05 QB Eli Manning
The Jaguars were QB needy so this obviously makes sense. He has the high profile name thanks to his brother Peyton. He's not nearly the talent that Peyton is. And what makes matters worse, he's in the same division and will continue to live in his shadow. But it was still the right move.
Grade: A

1.06 ROLB Teddy Lehman
OLB at the 6 spot is usually something I would cringe at. But he's super talented in a position group that is not overly athletic league wide.
Grade: B+

1.07 CB Chris Gamble
Gamble was clearly one of the top CBs. I just don't know if he was worth this high of a selection. Obviously a private workout could change all that. He has the size, so if he is > 90 SPD/AGI/ACC, it's a good pick, but I have to go with the info I have.
Grade: B+

1.08 LOLB Karlos Dansby
Does he skew down? I like him better than Lehman. He has crazy athleticism AND the size. If the only knock on him compared to Lehman is the AGI, then this is great value, thanks to a division rival. I just put it together that the last 3 picks were NFC North teams.
Grade: A+

1.09 CB Joey Thomas
From the outside looking in, Thomas is better than Gamble. The workouts may alter that, but he's the same height and more athletic than Gamble.
Grade: A

1.10 WR Roy Williams
6'1", 91 SPD, 92 ACC is nice. But is it top 10 nice? I don't think so. He's a good player, but I don't feel he is the game breaker type that you would like to see this high.
Grade: B-

1.11 CB Nathan Jones
He doesn't have the ideal height that everybody wants, but he definitely makes up for that with his extreme athleticism. There are 180 CBs in the league (including those drafted so far), only 2 are faster.
Grade: A

1.12 MLB Jonathan Vilma
A lot of people are high on Vilma; I am to a degree. I don't think he's a top 16 pick. I would be in on him in the later 1st. He's definitely pro ready at 77 AWR & 90 TAK, but that 76 SPD isn't much better than a lot of the vets you could get for much less than an early 1st.
Grade: C+

1.13 RG Shawn Andrews
I thought Andrews would fall to the mid-to-late 20s. He has great blocking skills already to go with his great size. He doesn't have elite strength or athleticism though which limits his potential.
Grade: B

1.14 HB Steven Jackson
I won't weigh in on the trade to get them here. There are a lot of trades that were made pre-draft and during the draft that it would take forever to analyze. With the amount of maneuvering for RBs this off-season by various teams, it should be a surprise for Jackson to fall this late. He is a steal this late.
Grade: A+

1.15 HB Cedric Cobbs
Brent said that Jackson wasn't his guy. I have to imagine that is b.s. as he followed Leo's pick with another RB. I don't see how he could take Cobbs before SJax. I think Cobbs can be a good RB, but I have to agree with the consensus that this was far too early for him. IMO he could have traded back several spots and still got him.
Grade: C-

1.16 QB Matt Schaub
I'm not a fan of Schaub in the mid 1st. He has ideal size and his AWR isn't all that bad for a rookie. His THA is definitely going to take some work, on top of the AWR development that he needs. He also doesn't have great arm strength. AND he's going to be on the bench, wasting that rookie progression. By the time he plays (unless Ro changes course), the Giants will need to draft another franchise QB.
Grade: C

1.17 TE Benjamin Watson
Watson is a stud of a TE. There were a lot of groans when he was taken, and for very good reason. The only reason this isn't an A is because of his position. TEs typically aren't game changers. They can make plays and play a role, but it's hard to emphasize them in Madden without putting them high on the WR depth chart.
Grade: B+

1.18 RT Robert Gallery
Gallery was clearly the next best OL in a draft class that didn't really have a ton of top tier talent here. He is excellent value at this juncture and I think this is the point in the draft where the talent takes a dip.
Grade: A

1.19 DT Vince Wilfork
I'm trying to be as objective as possible here. I just gave Norbert an A, so don't let the D grade for a division rival fool you. Wilfork is not sexy to me at all. I didn't even target him in my top 45. He's shorter and doesn't have good athleticism or strength. It appears that the Steelers were drafting on high profile name here.
Grade: D

1.20 CB DeAngelo Hall
I was getting excited that Hall was going to fall to me at 1.24. I love big CBs like everybody else. In the absence of size, elite athleticism can sometimes make up for it. Hall doesn't have either. But 67 AWR & 74 CTH with 92 SPD, 94 ACC is enough to make him very appealing.
Grade: A-

1.21 C Nick Hardwick
Hardwick isn't a bad Center. He's just not a mid-to-late 1st Center in my eyes. He has good AWR and STR, but fails to impress in his athleticism. If you're going to take a Center this early, he has to be unique.
Grade: C+

1.22 HB Michael Turner
Turner has good size. He isn't overly athletic and isn't a bruising back. He also can't break a tackle, which is a huge key to success as a RB. I think he could succeed in the right situation, but not on an offense that is also going to be starting a rookie QB .
Grade: C-

1.23 CB Dunta Robinson
I can't remember the last time I saw a team take 2 first round CBs. QBs in the AFC North will be happy, at least in the short term. Dunta isn't sexy. He doesn't have the coveted size and doesn't have the athleticism. He is pretty pro ready though, so that should count for something.
Grade: B

1.24 MLB Courtney Watson
I won't be grading myself. When I made my board I didn't think Watson would last. I thought he and Landon Johnson would go early on and Vilma could potentially be gone later. I expected all 3 to be taken before this pick. Landon Johnson has the better AWR by a significant margin, but a 223 MLB scared me away..
Grade: N/A

1.25 QB B.J. Symons
QB was definitely a need for the Jets, but I think this is an example of when you shouldn't be drafting for need. He's pretty similar to Matt Schaub who surprisingly went 9 picks earlier. Symons sits at 6'1" with 67 SPD, 94 THP, 81 THA. He's got a lot of work to do. I was surprised to see Kevin take him as he is typically a strong drafter. I'm willing to bet there is something in the private workout that made him pull the trigger here.
Grade: C+

1.26 MLB Landon Johnson
It's like a dream. I liked two first round picks by Leo in the same draft? Crazy!! I strongly considered Johnson at 1.24, but as I mentioned above, his size of 223lbs really scared me off. That's SS type size, but perhaps that's an overrated trait that I'm overreacting too. This late in the game he is definitely good value and fills a need.
Grade: B+

1.27 WR Clarence Moore
I did not have Moore targeted this draft. I think that was a mistake. He's a 6'6", 85 SPD, 86 ACC WR. Assuming that he doesn't change in skew, he is an 86 SPD, 88 ACC WR with that size. That's a Benjamin Watson type player at WR. If he skews up though, he could be a hell of a threat.
Grade: B+

1.28 LT Bo Lacy
I'll admit if I overlooked someone, as I did above, but Lacy is another guy I didn't target that I don't see the appeal on. He is 6'4", 300lbs which is good but not great size. 67 SPD, 88 STR, 62 AWR, 66 AGI, 74 ACC, 77 PBK, 82 RBK is the rest of his skillset. I don't think he's 1st round talent. There were some other OL here I thought would go well before Lacy.
Grade: C

1.29 ROLB Demorrio Williams
I'm surprised Demorrio fell this far. He doesn't have elite athleticism like Dansby or Lehman, but he's a pretty solid LB in terms of size, athleticism and strength. His 57 AWR and 72 TAK had to have scared some people off, but this late in the 1st I think he was good value.
Grade: B

1.30 RT Jason Peters
After Robert Gallery went, Peters was a guy I was eyeing and considered taking at 1.24. I was hoping he made it to me, so for him to fall this far is a bit of a surprise. I think this is excellent value for the Titans.
Grade: A

1.31 WR Johnnie Morant
Morant probably was crossed off a lot of draft boards due to his 45 AWR and 68 CTH. I know I didn't consider him. But when he lines up opposite Randy Moss and has Daunte Culpepper throwing to him, he is in an ideal situation. 93 SPD with his 6'4" frame is definitely going to be tough to defend. He will be inconsistent, but will likely have some excellent streaks in him.
Grade: B+

1.32 RG Brian Rimpf
I'm on the same wavelength as Cohen this draft. After seeing his ridiculous trades, how scary is that? I was hoping Rimpf would continue falling into the 2nd, far enough for me to trade up and get him. He isn't an overly sexy player, but a rookie OL with 76 AWR, 88 PBK & 89 RBK is very enticing, reminding me of when I traded up into the end of round 1 in the NAFL to take a similar player in Jake Matthews.
Grade: A