As always I think every single solitaire team wins on draft day as they fill needs, plug holes and add young playmakers onto their rosters but here are some picks that I thought were steals where they were drafted. This is all pre skew since I don't have everyone's skew. Feel free to list some of yours if you see some.
ROUND 1 STEALS1.17- SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS- WR TODD WATKINSTo get a playmaker like this at 1.17 is pretty impressive. Someone put up his private workout on discord SPD 92 AGI 96 ACC 93 CTH 81 JMP 82. That's a hell of a pickup past mid 1st round and really should have been a top 10 pick. Great job by GM Peter Fenger to identify Watkins and hold tight as he fell without trading up.
1.19- CINCINNATI BENGALS- DE DARRYL TAPPWow.... I was thinking this guy would be a top 10 pick for sure. It's not a sexy position but it is a position that can make a difference and Tapp should be one of the best at getting to the QB most likely as a LE which i think he'd excel at.
1.22- DENVER BRONCOS- DE MARIO WILLIAMSKnown as Super Mario by his teammates he's another one of those players that i didn't think would fall. I get the position is filled on most teams but sometimes the talent is too good to pass up and although he doesn't have even good AWR at 37 I know for a fact you can get production out of a LE even with low AWR which my own James hall struggled with early on and has turned out just fine.
1.31- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS- CB JONATHAN JOSEPHJoseph reminds me alot of Justin Miller who fell in last years draft due to his small stature. The avaerage CB in this league appears to be more around the 5'10" range and only a select few of the very big corners like Browner, Cromartie, Asomugha, Jimmy Williams etc.Joseph gives the Pats a solid all around Ty Law type of CB when Ty Law retires he can plug and play.
ROUND 2 STEALS2.2- MIAMI DOLPHINS- OLB MANNY LAWSONIt didn't take long to find a steal in the 2nd round. I really liked the Manny Lawson pick here, He was a very big , fast, he'll need to work on some things like just abnout every rookie but i have no doubt Daren will get the best out of him.
2.6- NEW YORK JETS- OC NICK MANGOLDMangold could have easily been a 1st rounder if the position demanded it but he was by far the best of the best at the position and I don't don't think it's a position that gets enough attention, he could probably start right away as he's clearly athletic enough but I'm not sure if the blocking is there yet to be elite but it will be shortly.
2.18- NEW ORLEANS SAINTS- RB DEANGELO WILLIAMSTo me there was 1 and only 1 good back in this draft and it was Deangelo Williams. He's a small scat back but if his STR skews up you could have a smaller power back. I'm a fan of Williams and not only can he be a nice change of pace but provides in the return game as well.
2.30- MIAMI DOLPHINS- DT KYLE WILLIAMSWhat a great pick this was to close out the 2nd round, he's an undersized DT but can be a 3-4 DE or a small penetrating DT in the 4-3 and if you are someone who messes with the playbook he can be a nightmare for offensive coordinators with his SPD, AGI and ACC but if he loses his STR it could be a concern at DT.
ROUND 3 STEALS3.2- ARIZONA CARDINALS- SS ANTOINE BETHEAThe cards get an absolute steal here in Bethea, SPD 89 AGI 90 ACC 87 JMP 85 should be a top notch player in no time with the SB Champs. Can they build a dynasty with all these draft picks? We shall see.
3.8- ATLANTA FALCONS- DE VICTOR ADEYANJUThis was a pretty solid draft class for DE and although Victor is super raw in a bunch of areas, he has the athletic ability to outweigh the attributes that are raw.
3.19- CINCINNATI BENGALS- WR GREG JENNINGSJennings is an undersized WR but if his attributes stay the same or skew upwards then they get a real good player here in Jennings. Of course I'd like all WR to be 6'4" but that's not always the case. He has the intangibles to be a very good WR.
