2016 Draft Grades Pt. 2
Draft Slots 8–14
These draft grades were determined solely by online rankings and comparing where you drafted your players with the ADP (average draft position) data for dynasty start-up drafts. ADP data was pulled from the Dynasty League Football website. Rankings were taken from Dynasty Nerds. Roster Grade compares how your players rank, and Draft Savvy compares how you drafted vs ADP. Drafting players above their ADP is a “savvy” pick, because you got extra value.
Kickers and Defense have no ADP or rankings data so they were not factored in the grade. Obviously, these are just for fun, and if you didn’t get an A, it just means you’re smarter than those websites!
Michael
Roster Grade: B
Draft Savvy: C+
Avg Age: 25.75
Yahoo might hate Mikey’s draft for a lack of competitiveness Year 1, but he scored solid according to Dynasty rankings. His biggest knock was consistently drafting players under their ADP. Regardless, his young WR talent should be dangerous in a couple years if Kevin White and DGB fulfill their potential, he’s set at QB for the future (Bortles), and he has young RB’s that could step into starting roles (Coleman, Booker). Chances are he wants to fast forward to next season though.
Biggest Steal: Devontae Booker, Pick 133 (ADP: 107)
Biggest Reach: Martellus Bennett, Pick 105 (ADP: 154)
My Favorite Pick: Tevin Coleman, Pick 120
I admit I have a grudge against Freeman for fantasy reasons, but I’m not sold on him being “the guy” for Atlanta. Enter Tevin Coleman, a better athlete and all-around talent, and who the Falcons named as starter last year before he got injured and Freeman stole the show. Atlanta has indicated this offseason they want to get both RBs involved, and if final-8-games Freeman (3.1 YPC, 4 TD) returns instead of first-8-games Freeman (4.7 YPC, 10 TD), Coleman might take his starting gig back.
Anton
Roster Grade: A-
Draft Savvy: A-
Avg Age: 24.47
Note: What did you expect…the player rankings are what I used for our draft! And I didn’t even score higher than Marlo and Josh…anyways, back to the grade.
I approached the draft with a heavy focus on targeting young, dynamic receivers, evidenced by my first 3 selections of Evans, Parker, and Moncrief, and adding offseason hype-machines Funchess and Boyd later. Ideally, Parker and Moncrief break out and do it sooner rather than later, giving me some juice to compete this year with my selections of Rivers and McCoy. If not, with the youngest average age of 24.47, I have time to be patient.
Biggest Steal: Ryan Tannehill, Pick 188 (ADP 150)
Biggest Reach: Travis Kelce, Pick 48 (ADP 66)
My Favorite Pick: Donte Moncrief, Pick 37
I was agonizing over the decision between Moncrief and Parker at Pick 20, and was ecstatic when he made his way back to me at Pick 37. Small sample size alert, but Moncrief averaged more catches and TDs than TY Hilton in the 7 games Luck played last year. The dude is 6'2", 222 pounds, and runs a (self-proclaimed) 4.35. And he’s 23 years old? Sign me up.
Jason
Roster Grade: B
Draft Savvy: B-
Avg Age: 27.29
Jason could easily argue he has the best RB duo over Binh with Zeke and Lamar Miller. The rookie and newly-signed Texan just need to prove it first. Either way, with both RBs under 25, Jason is set for a long time. Add a balanced QB pairing of Carr and Romo, and young productive receivers in Cobb and Hurns, Jason should be able to compete for a title both now and later.
Biggest Steal: Isaiah Crowell, Pick 206 (ADP: 130)
Biggest Reach: Brandon LaFell, Pick 178 (ADP: 239/Undrafted)
My Favorite Pick: Allen Hurns, Pick 66
The “other Allen” doesn’t have the hype that Robinson does (understandably), but he also costs a fraction of the price. Hurns had 1000 yards and 10 TDs last year, and even if the TDs regress, Round 5 for WR2 upside is great value. Hurns should continue to put up similar numbers for as long as he’s playing across from Robinson. Oh, and he’s only 24. Cha-ching!
Joe
Roster Grade: B-
Draft Savvy: B-
Avg Age: 28.93
When I do Power Rankings, Joe will be the clear-cut favorite for the next two years. His team is stacked top to bottom, and Brandon Marshall is a steal in the 4th round regardless of format. Unfortunately, he has the oldest average age at 28.93, and the Dynasty rankings weren’t big fans of his win-now approach. Even so, his first two picks Keenan Allen and David Johnson are only 24, and they’ll provide a solid base for a rebuild following a likely Year 1 championship.
Biggest Steal: Charles Sims, Pick 130 (ADP: 96)
Biggest Reach: Jason Witten, Pick 151 (ADP: 203)
My Favorite Pick: Phillip Dorsett, Pick 102
Dorsett provides some much needed young talent for Joe’s squad, and reports say the Colts go-to lineup will move towards a 3-WR set this year following Fleener’s departure. Luck could very well support three fantasy relevant WRs, and the Colts didn’t draft Dorsett in the first round for no reason. If they’re unwilling to pay both Moncrief and Hilton down the road, Dorsett will move into a big-time role.
Chris
Roster Grade: B+
Draft Savvy: B
Avg Age: 25.93
Bunger killed it in the top half of the draft, getting value on 7 of his top 8 picks. With only one rookie but 12 of his players 27 and under, he has plenty of young, already-productive players like Brandin Cooks, Jordan Matthews, and Kirk Cousins. With Sefarian-Jenkins and Duke Johnson waiting in the wings behind Gronk and Stewart, Bunger is in prime position to compete both in Year 1 and moving forward.
Biggest Steal: Kirk Cousins, Pick 213 (ADP: 132)
Biggest Reach: Terrance Williams, Pick 129 (ADP: 193)
My Favorite Pick: Kirk Cousins, Pick 213
Yes I do, Kirk. I’m a huge fan of waiting on the QB position, and snagging Kirk 80 picks below ADP is larceny. 27 years old, he put up these stats his first full season as a starter: 4100 yards, 70% completion rate, 29 TDs. Haters will say it’s fake, but there is zero risk, maximum reward picking him up in Round 16 to see if he can keep it up.
Josh
Roster Grade: A
Draft Savvy: A-
Avg Age: 25.5
Josh edged out Marlo for the best draft according to these rankings, with his worst-ranked player all the way up at 151. Part of that is because he was the only team to not draft an offensive player in rounds 16 and 17, and defenses/kickers have no ranking. Even so, he hit on all the players he did draft, having the second highest Savvy Grade behind Marlo. With a deep, young WR core (Watkins, Coleman, Jeffery) and 3 RBs under 25 (Lewis, Bernard, Perkins), Josh is locked and loaded to compete for a while.
Biggest Steal: Paul Perkins, Pick 184 (ADP: 127)
Biggest Reach: Teddy Bridgewater, Pick 153 (ADP:196)
Note: I hate you so much for drafting him and dangling him in front of me as trade bait.
My Favorite Pick: Paul Perkins, Pick 184
His ADP of 127 is too high for my taste, but at Pick 184, Josh could have a steal here. Even if he doesn’t see the field this year, Rashad Jennings is 31, Vereen is a pass-catching back only, and Andre Williams is…mediocre at best (career 3.2 YPC). Perkins could find himself in a big role as early as next year. Even if his ceiling is an RB2, that’s a great pick in Round 14.
Tani
Roster Grade: B
Draft Savvy: B
Avg Age: 27.4
Tani had one of best grades for the top half of the draft, but cooled off in the later rounds according to the rankings. Snagging a dynamic RB-WR duo in Bell and Bryant at the turn of Rounds 1–2, both should provide elite production for another 3–4 years. Tani should challenge Joe for Year 1 dominance with Palmer, Charles, Gore, and Olsen, but he also has plenty of young talent to step in down the road with Lockett, Doctson, and Tyrod Taylor.
Biggest Steal: Josh Doctson, Pick 71 (ADP: 42)
Biggest Reach: Danny Amendola, Pick 154 (ADP: 239/Undrafted)
My Favorite Pick: Dez Bryant, Pick 15
It’s hard to classify any Pick 1–20 as a steal as nobody falls very far, but I think Tani is pretty stoked to get Dez at 15. The foot injury is scary, but it’s not like he’s a 7 foot center. Entering his prime at 27, I expect him to regain his pre-injury form. If you need a reminder what that was, that’s 3900 yards and 41 TDs from 2012–2014. Fin.
