Smashmouth Football League Articles

1.1 - QB Phillip Rivers // QB Tom Brady
The top of the draft isn't the best way to start this article, as quarterbacks change drastically with progression and then kind of muddle together once they develop, but for quarterbacks I will look for similar physical traits while doing my best to factor in developmental considerations. Rivers has a cannon of an arm with 96 THP and is one of the more sizeable QBs in the league measuring in at 6'5", 225 lbs. He also enters the league with tremendous accuracy, already at 91 THA, and his 69 AWR is a really nice jumping off point. Who checked all those boxes, but still had a little bit of developing to do when the league kicked off? The Patriots Tom Brady. With 95 THP/6'4"/225 lbs he is nearly a Rivers clone, and his 92 THA is just one point better than Rivers is currently. Brady had a huge head start with 84 AWR, but Rivers should have no problems getting there in due time.



1.2 - QB Ben Roethlisberger // QB Donovan McNabb
One of the most obvious things to look for when finding a comparable player for Roethlisberger is his scrambler status. While most scramblers were granted a free reversal from the league, we can still go off of their initial status which will be fitting considering that the same fate is likely in store for Big Ben. With all that in mind, Donovan McNabb comes up as the closest approximation of the Miami (OH) product I could find. They both were pretty terrible scramblers with poor athletic ability, and both clock in at roughly 240 lbs. McNabb was +6 AWR, +2 THP, and +1 AWR starting off his career which makes him slightly better, but not by a whole lot. Will probably hates this comparison to a division rival QB, which is fine by me, but most of all he just has to be hoping that Big Ben's career gets off to a better start than McNabb's, as the Eagles' signal caller has just a 77.9 QB rating through two seasons.



1.3 - OT Tyson Clabo // OT Brett Williams
Who better to compare an OT taken top 5 this year than to an offensive tackle taken top five last year? I was actually surprised to find just how similar these players are across the board - Clabo has 70 SPD to Williams' 69, 95 STR to his 96, 74 AGI versus 76, and 84 ACC compared to 83 ACC. Williams has the slight edge in weight, while Tyson stands a foot taller. Both players also entered the league fairly raw, although Clabo more so than Williams. They both bear striking resemblance to hall of fame OT Orlando Pace as well. This comparison might not exactly hold up, as Clabo is expected to skew down in SPD/ACC, but it still may be the best one out there. Also while Clabo may finish below Williams in athleticism, he should get up to 98 STR between rookie/sophomore boosts which will make him the stronger player.



1.4 - WR Drew Carter // WR Randy Moss
Some will balk at this comparison, especially since it is being made by the guy who made the pick, but there's really no other option. There isn't even another WR with 90 SPD/AGI/ACC at 6'4" or taller. So I will start off this blurb by fully acknowledging that Moss is the far more complete player, with 60 STR, 90+ AWR and CTH, and 96 JMP. Moss is the best WR in the league, hands down, and Carter will never be able to take that title from him. However, purely speaking from athleticism and height, they will be very similar players. Carter's workout showed 96 SPD/95 AGI/95 ACC, which will put him at 97 SPD/97 AGI/97 ACC after rookie and sophomore boosts (which there is absolutely no question he will receive). Compare that to the 97 SPD/96 AGI/98 ACC of Moss, and you have almost the same physical profile as far as height and athleticism is concerned. There has already been plenty of criticism regarding this pick, which is understandable given just how raw (and weak) Carter matters. I have little doubt he won't live up to this comparison, but it will be fun to see just how close he can get.


1.5 - QB Eli Manning // QB Matt Hasselbeck
This was probably the hardest player of all to compare given the 90 THP, but I think I've found the closest guy in Hasselbeck. Both players will have started their SFL career with above average AWR, 90 THP, and decent THA. Add in the fact that Eli is 6'4", 221 lbs while Hasselbeck is 6'4", 223 lbs and you have a pretty similar player. Other options included QBs Tim Couch and Jake Delhomme, but ultimately the size factor with Hasselbeck sealed it. Regardless, Manning is probably going to have a better career than all of them since he is starting out with 73 AWR. But his arm strength is always going to be pedestrian, albeit more than workable.



1.6 - OLB Teddy Lehman // OLB Derrick Brooks
Now that we are through the quarterbacks the real fun can begin, and it doesn't get much easier than this one with Teddy Lehman coming in almost as a clone to the Buccs OLB Derrick Brooks. They are the only two OLBs in the league with 87 SPD/AGI/ACC, and both are a little undersized. Lehman comes in at 6'1", 237 lbs while Brooks is 6'0" 235 lbs. A whole 1 inch and 2 lbs difference. As will probably be pretty common with these comparisons Brooks is the far better player currently with 99 AWR and 99 TAK, but Lehman starts off with 72 AWR/81 TAK so he has a chance to get there, eventually. And with 87 tackles, 19 TFL, and 5 sacks for Brooks last season, the Lions are certainly hoping Lehman can live up to his production.



1.7 - CB Chris Gamble // CB Charles Tillman
Gamble was a tough player to find a good comparable for as he's got a couple of extremes going for him - his AGI is a bit low while his CTH is off the charts. There's also not a ton of athletic 6'1" CBs in this league. With that said, I'm going with the 9th overall pick from last year CB Charles Tillman here. The SPD (post-workout), ACC, STR, and height is all similar. Gamble has better AWR and CTH while Tillman has a lot better agility. You could ask 10 different GMs which they prefer there and you could get half on each side. It's most likely that Gamble is going to be his own player however - a play maker who can also give up some plays due to his lack of change of direction skills. He will be a player worth following, and perhaps in a draft or two he will be a comparison for a new player.


1.8 - OLB Karlos Dansby // OLB Alonzo Jackson
This was was between Peter Boulware and Alonzo Jackson, and in the end I ended up going with the somewhat surprising Alonzo Jackson here, who fell to 1.18 last year believe it or not. I factored in Dansby's reported -4 SPD from his private workout here, but even if I didn't it wouldn't have mattered as Jackson is the highest SPD 80+ STR OLB in the league. Dansby should be the better player in the end, as he is far superior in TAK ability entering the league and should have better athleticism overall by the time all is said and done. But I was still a bit shocked to find someone who can match his physical talents who almost made it into the 20's in last year's draft.



1.9 - CB Joey Thomas // CB Charles Tillman
Once again, Charles Tillman shows up on this list as the most comparable player. As mentioned with Gamble the comparison wasn't the best fit, but for Thomas it's actually almost perfect. Both will be one of just 3 CBs to have 93 SPD/AGI/ACC after Thomas receives his rookie boosts. Chris McAlister is the other, and is also very similar to both players. The STR is more of a direct match for Tillman however, and the CTH is close enough. Perhaps the best similarity between the two players? They were both taken 9th overall.


1.10 - WR Roy Williams // WR Eric Moulds
While there have been some mild surprises in the top 10, perhaps most shocking is that the best comparison for 10th overall pick WR Roy Williams is a free agent! That's right, the Buffalo Bills recently release Moulds, probably as a cap casualty, but that doesn't mean he's not talented. In fact he's one of just 6 6'2" plays with 93 SPD/ACC, and while Williams isn't there yet, he is rumored to have skewed up so his rookie boost should get him there. And with 70+ STR and great hands for both players, the comparison works on just about every level. I was a bit skeptical about Williams as a top ten talent for a while, but I think this could be a pretty decent pick, especially if the skew goes as well as it has been rumored to.



1.11 - CB Nathan Jones // CB Sam Madison
I wasn't sure there was going to be a good comparison for a 97 SPD/99 ACC CB in this league, so I was pretty surprised when two legitimate players popped up in CBs Sam Madison and Champ Bailey. While both are a little above Jones' skill-set, Madison is the best comparison between the two at 5'11" tall. Both are also stronger, Madison less so, and with far better agility and catch ratings, making them much more complete players. Still, when you can type in the SPD/ACC for your draft pick and only those two names come up, then you've found a pretty good player. Jones, although not the most well-rounded player, has off the charts athleticism for this league and should be able to run with just about anyone.



1.12 - MLB Jonathan Vilma // MLB Jamie Sharper
There were two ways I could have gone with this comparison - either MLB Larry Foote or MLB Jamie Sharper. I chose Sharper because his athletic profile pretty much matches that of Vilma's to a T, despite Sharper being the much larger of the two players. Foote is very similar in size, but has better agility than Vilma does. Anyways, both Sharper and Vilma have great STR and ACC coupled with sub-par SPD and AGI. Sharper also has top notch AWR/TAK, and Vilma is no doubt set to live up to that billing already at 77 AWR/90 TAK himself. It should be noted that Vilma has far superior hands than Sharper, which could make him a better player in pass coverage, although his lack of athleticism and height might be a challenge for him there. It will also be interesting to see how his 6'0", 233 lb measurables impact his ability to stuff the run.



1.13 - OG Shawn Andrews // OG Derrick Dockery
The first thing you notice when looking for an Andrews doppelganger is that there are simply no 360+ lb offensive guards who can move like him. I found three total and they all hovered around 50 SPD. When I dropped the weight requirement down to 340, I stumbled upon OG Derrick Dockery, pick 3.14 in last year's draft. While Dockery isn't quite as athletic or as big as Andrews, he's the only player who can reasonably compare to the behemoth, and the comparison isn't too far off. They both have 89 STR, 65-ish AGI, and 70-ish ACC. Andrews is the much faster player, which is crazy considering his size, and also shows better blocking technique. While Andrews is the better player, it is crazy to think that Dockery lasted until the 3rd round last year. With how deep this years OL class was it's easy to forget that last year's was even better!



1.14 - HB Steven Jackson // HB Jamal Lewis
At pick 14 the Eagles drafted HB Steven Jackson, and this was a very easy to find a doppelganger for. A quick search of 88 SPD/80 STR/240 lbs popped up exactly one result - HB Jamal Lewis. Both players are structured very similarly athletically - ACC is their best attribute, followed by good SPD and below average AGI. Right now Lewis is the faster player with 88 SPD to Jackson's 86, but it is thought that will change after the skew. Jackson will probably end up being the faster player, while Lewis should remain the stronger one. Both clock in right around 240 lbs, but Jackson is two inches taller at 6'1" compared to 5'11". Jackson was thought to be a top ten pick and you can see why when you look at Lewis' stats so far. Last season he almost hit 2,000 yards while averaging over 5 YPC. If Jackson lives up to this billing at all the Eagles could have found the steal of the draft.



1.15 - HB Cedric Cobbs // HB DeShaun Foster
There were a number of players to choose from for this comparison, but I decided on HB Foster as he seemed to be the the most similar all-around. Like Cobbs he is a player that does everything OK, but nothing spectacular, hovering around the 90/90/90 mark athletically with 70 STR and good size. Right now Foster is a bit better athletically, by about +1 everywhere, but Cobbs will make up that ground from his rookie boost. Foster had a pretty decent season last year with almost 1500 yards and 4.63 YPC, but I have to think the Bears are pretty bummed they missed out on Jackson by just one pick.



1.16 - QB Matt Schaub // QB Kerry Collins
The best comparison for the new Giants QB Matt Schaub is ironically their old QB Kerry Collins, who they traded to Chicago. Both are imposing figures who are tough to bring down at 6'5" and 240+ lbs and possess a slightly above average arm (92 THP for both most likely when all is said and done). Schaub has a ways to go until he gets to the level that Collins is on, but in time he should prove to be a franchise quarterback.