2018 DRAFT RECAPS - 5TH OVERALL - THE COMMISH
Number 5: The West Canaan Coyotes owned by John Cannellos
First Five:
The fifth pick was a weird pick to have this year. Was Antonio Brown going to fall to me? How about Zeke? I waffled with that thought process all week, but ultimately I knew Ken would take Brown at 4 overall. I probably would have done the same thing and I was certainly going to take AB at 5 if he was there. Unfortunately AB was gone and I had a tough decision to make. I decided to go with Saquon Barkley over Zeke/Hopkins for a few reasons. First because Barkley is a freak. I think everyone saw that graphic from the combine:
According to that, he’s quicker than DeSean Jackson, faster than Devin Hester, stronger than Hall of Fame Left Tackle Joe Thomas and can jump higher than Julio Jones. Second, I already have Zeke on one other team and Hopkins on two others. Diversify the portfolio. That’s the shitty part of having 5 leagues, but I digress. While this pick will probably blow up in my face, I had to take the chance there.
I then took Christian McCaffrey in the 2nd round and Travis Kelce in the 3rd. I’ve seen McCaffrey going in the late first/early second of mock drafts, so I don’t think it was a reach. That said he’s not a true workhorse back due to his size and skillset. If he finishes as a top 15-18 RB I’ll be happy with that. Travis Kelce in the 3rd round is where my draft got really interesting. I promised myself I would wait on a TE, but when my pick came up he was the best player available. BPA is generally a safe strategy, but I’m regretting this one a bit. A WR woulda been a better choice.
To round out the top 5 I took Stefon Diggs and Lamar Miller. By all accounts Diggs and Kirk Cousins have really connected this pre-season. If healthy I think he can be a top 15 WR, but the health has been an issue – he’s missed 8 games the past two years combined. Lamar Miller in the 5th was a boring but decent pick. Believe it or not, he was actually RB15 last year. A rising tide lifts all ships and I’m hoping the Deshaun Watson effect will help Miller’s production.
Next Five:
Things got interesting in the middle rounds as I had been drinking for 9 hours at that point.
My WRs were weak, so I took 3 in the next 5 rounds to go along with an RB and a QB. Corey Miles Davis in the 6th was a risky, but high upside pick. He was disappointing during the regular season last year, but came on strong in the playoffs and had two TDs. Michael Crabtree’s Gold Chain was my 7th round pick and like Lamar Miller, this was a boring but solid pick. By all accounts he’s the #1 WR in Baltimore and he should come close to repeating the 8 TDs he scored last year.
Last but not least was my worst pick of the draft – Chris My GodwhatareyouthinkingCommish-win. That’s Chris Godwin for those of you keeping score at home. He was one of my sleepers this year, but I took him way too early. Mea culpa, terrible pick.
My other mid round picks were Drew New England Fall Brees and Yo Adrian Peterson in the 8th and 9th rounds, respectively. Brees in the 8th round was a value pick IMO. He was QB7 last year despite a career low touchdown total. The Saints offense should be productive again this year. Adrian Peterson in the 9th is bleh. He looked awesome in the one preseason game he played and I’m hoping he can be a solid bye week fill in.
Last Five:
After suspect picks in the middle rounds I picked it up a bit to close things out. I took Jamaal Williams (11th), Robby Anderson (12th), the Ravens D (13th), Matt Bryant (14th) and Lamar Jackson (15th). Jackson was a wasted pick which I’ve since turned into the Patriots D. That’ll be my swing spot on the roster this year and I’m hoping I can use the Pats in a good matchup.
The Ravens D and Matt Bryant were good picks I’d say. While the Jags got all the credit as the #1 D last year, the Ravens quietly finished #2 overall. They brought back the same crew less the Jimmy Smith suspension. Matt Bryant is the Falcons kicker, who kicks in a dome and should be on a better offense this year. No issues there.
I think the Jamaal Williams pick might be sneaky – he’s the Packers starter to begin the year and it’s never bad to have an RB on an Aaron Rodgers-led offense. If he can hang on to that job he might supplant Miller as my FLEX. Robby Anderson was a better pick though – he’s falling like crazy in drafts. The #17 WR from last year in the 12th round? Sign me up.
Grade:
I like some parts of my team, but really dislike others. As a result I give myself a C+. Taking Barkley over Zeke and McCaffrey over one of the elite WRs is something I’ll probably come to regret. My WRs are pretty weak and I’m gonna have to wait and see which ones emerge – the start em sit em decisions could be a disaster if I pick wrong.
Prediction:
I predict I’ll finish 5-8 and be in the running for the Gabe. Fat drunk and stupid is no way to go through a draft son.
