DRAFT RECAPS - 6TH PICK

6TH PICK: HOW’S HOOTERS? KiTTLES? – LAMONE:

Rounds 1-5:

Lamone had the 6th pick on draft day and decided that Le’Veon Bell was just too good to pass up. Bell is ridiculously talented and was one of, if not the best RBs in football from 2013-2017. During that span he averaged 1,500 yards and 9 TDs per year on 245 carries and 62 catches. He was a monster, especially in his last full season when he had 321 carries and 85 catches for 1,850 yards and 11 TDs. The only problem? He hasn’t played a meaningful football game since January 14, 2018. That’s nearly 600 calendar days, or the length of time since Kenny last showered. He’s also on the Jets which is just scary. There’s no telling what Bell will do, but it was worth the risk at this price.

Lamone mixed things up and went WR and TE with his next two picks. Odell Beckham was his 2nd round pick and it’s basically the exact same story as LeVeon Bell. “Exceptionally talented player who is playing for a new team after being a malcontent on his old team.” Odell missed 4 games last year, but accumulated 77 catches, over 1,000 yards and 6 TDs in limited time and with a bumass QB. There are high hopes for him this year, but I’ve heard he’s already dealing with a hip injury.

George Kittles was his 3rd round pick and there has never been a more telegraphed pick in the history of our league…… except when Ken took Eddie Lacy 1st overall that one year (2 shots at Ken in 1 recap, I’m done for the day). Kittles broke the single season TE record last year for receiving yards (1,377) and gets Jimmy G back as his QB. He’s never been a big TD guy (just 5 last year), but I bet that number will come closer to 7-8 this season. It better because it’s unlikely he puts up that many yards again.

Lamone played homer with his next two picks by taking Julian Edelman and James White. If this isn’t counter-productive then I don’t know what is. I like both players individually, but on the same team? Not something I would do, ESPECIALLY when Sony Michel was sitting right there for the taking. Don’t get me wrong, they’re both good players – the problem is they’re more suited for PPR leagues and take work away from one another. By my count there were only 3 times last season where they both scored a TD in the same game.

Rounds 6-10:

Lamone filled out his starting lineup with his next 3 picks by taking Chris Godwin, Austin Ekeler and Allen Robinson. I love the Chris Godwin pick and I’m kicking myself for taking Josh Gordon over him. In hindsight idk wtf I was thinking but Lamone was happy to draft him. Godwin should easily top 1,000 yards and 8-10 TDs this year (842 and 7 last year). Allen Robinson in the 8th is an interesting pick. He’s really talented and a physical freak, but he was a disappointment in his first season as a Bear. He missed some time with injury and ultimately put up just 4 TDs on 750 yards receiving. He had fewer than 10 points in all but 5 games last year.

The Ekeler pick is going to be interesting to watch, but the 7th round was a good time to take him. He’s supposed to be the #1 back with Gordon holding out, but he’s not the typical phenotype for a starting RB in the NFL. While he’s been productive for stretches, he may be better suited as a change of pace/3rd down back. He only had 106 carries all of last year and I’d bet his ceiling is 150 – and that’s only if Gordon continues his holdout. Still I like the value and the upside for where he was drafted.

Luma took Drew Brees as his QB in the 9th and grabbed Jamison Crowder for some WR depth in the 10th. Brees is a familiar face and has been a fantasy stud for many years now. Unfortunately the Saints have changed their identity recently and Brees’ fantasy production has dipped as a result. Over the past 3 seasons his yards have dropped from 5,200 to 4,334 to 3,992 while his attempts have dropped from 673 to 536 to 489. If those trends continue Lamone may have closer to a mid-tier QB than the stud we’re used to. Crowder is a nice upside pick and could develop as one of Sam Darnold’s favorite targets. The problem is Lamone once again counter-produced himself. (not sure if that’s a word). Every catch that goes to Crowder comes away from Leveon Bell and vice versa.

Rounds 11-15:

Kittles grabbed the Vikings D and Mike Badgley as his D/ST kicker towards the end of the draft. The Vikings have had a top 10 defense 4 years in a row and should be hungry after a disappointing 2018 (missed playoffs). Harrison Smith is a boss and that unit should pile up ints/sacks. The Chargers kicker was fine, always nice to have a kicker on a good offense.

The rest of his picks were bench players: Lesean McCoy (11th), Ben Roethlisberger (13th) and Greg Olsen (14th). McCoy could provide some nice value, but he was a huge bust last year and the Bills stink. Still not a bad gamble in the late rounds. Roethlisberger is just a backup QB and I’ll be surprised if he starts over Brees in this lineup. No AB, no thanks for me. Greg Olsen provides some good TE depth, but hopefully Lamone won’t have to use him. He’s old and injury prone, but Lamone’s been a huge fan of him ever since that rap he came out with circa 2008 at THE U. Nothing overly exciting here.

Grade:

I give Lamone a B- for this draft. I think it’s comparable to Frader’s team and they’re very close in terms of talent. I’m interested to see how their matchup goes in Week 2, getchya popcorn ready.

I like Leveon Bell and if he’s anything like he used to be, the 6th pick is a steal. Odell in the 2nd is the same – he’s capable of being the #1 receiver. That said, the inherent risk in both is concerning.

Lamone has flashy pass-catching backs in James White/Ekeler, but like I said – format matters here. There are also some serious conflicts of interest on this team – first with Edelman-White and also with Bell-Crowder. There’s a lot to like and a lot to dislike here.

Prediction:

Like with Frader I say Lamone goes 6-7 and misses the playoffs. There are just too many question marks for me to be comfortable with. Bell and Odell are on new teams while Kittle is playing with his 7th QB in the last 2 seasons. Ekeler could lose his job in a few weeks and James White likely won’t repeat his production from last year (especially with TDs). Barring some big FA pickup I’m just not sure I see this team making much noise.