Mocking a Mock Draft: Analyzing the Hazean's Mock Draft

Jacob SloanJun 10, 2008

Last month, fellow fantasy-football blogger The Hazean ran a two-round fantasy mock draft. (Round One and Round Two)

I’m not sure if some divine power of good—or most likely evil—took over after he posted it, but through some supernatural intervention, he was inspired to ask me for some analysis.

A request for a critique? My tiny inner child jumped in pure excitement...before returning to the fetal position...and the crying.

TOP NEWS

Karma must be on our side, and I must immediately do something to correct that.

Rather than bust out the entire draft by teams to grade, I decided instead to take specific picks that I felt were reaches or steals to highlight.

Of course, these reaches/steals are based on my esteemed opinion, and the fools here that we all are entitled to one. Until we can demand licenses for them, I’m being kind, and also taking into consideration that we are looking at things one month later here. I’m sure I’ll still screw up my karma somehow.

Starting in Round One

Pick 4—Tom Brady (Reach)

While I figure Brady is going to be the first QB off the board this year, there are a few more stud RBs that I would try and grab before taking him with the fourth overall pick. Joseph Addai and Brian Westbrook are both still on the board here, so I think this pick qualifies as a bit of a reach. I don’t see Brady going until at least the fifth or sixth pick, since Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, and even Drew Brees could be comparable in stats this year.

Pick 6—Jamal Lewis (Reach)

Yes, Lewis was great last year, but he is also old. Old bones don’t hold up, and I don’t like him at sixth overall. I’d rather snag a Marion Barber over Lewis because he’s a RB in a potent offense who has less miles on the tires, and Barber is not a sixth-overall talent either.

Pick 7—Brian Westbrook (Steal)

The real value in this year’s draft is for the picks in the middle of the pack. RB studs will fall to them if people are too high on QBs. If Brian Westbrook was available at seventh overall, I would jump all over him. I see Westbrook as a top-three talent—even with all of his injuries. I’d take him over Steven Jackson. Pick seven, you just lucked out.

Pick 8—Randy Moss (Questionable)

I know. I used a hidden option C here to call Moss “questionable,” but I can’t really say he’s not worth the eighth overall pick. I can say that I don’t want to touch him this year.

Moss is the primary target in one of the best offenses in football, but after the Giants showed how to break the system, will Moss get the same number of touches? I have to put my money on his age and improved defenses cutting into his production this year, so I like him only outside of the first round.

Clearly, that’s only my take though. Others might chance him in the first round.

Moving to Round Two

Pick 14—Frank Gore (Steal)

Gore is supposed to be the focal point of this new offense Mike Martz is putting together. With all the steam coming out of Martz’s head, and pent up aggression from the way he left Detroit, I think he’s going to build some kind of mean monster there in San Francisco.

Gore should burst out of the gates in his 2006 form, and I see him as a stud for this year. He’s a top-10 pick in my opinion, so I have to disagree with The Hazean bumping him to the second round.

P.S. In a snake draft, this team would now have Frank Gore and Peyton Manning. Not too bad a combo if you asked me.

Pick 15—Larry Fitzgerald (Reach)

Fitzgerald just got paid recently—and paid WELL. Now he enters into a season where his QB situation is on shaky ground. Matt Leinart still has a learning curve to overcome as the future of the team. Kurt Warner could definitely put up the numbers with Fitz, but who knows what could happen this year. I wouldn’t touch him as the second-overall receiver, but maybe I’m just scared.

Pick 18—Marshawn Lynch (Steal)

I must just be higher on RBs than The Hazean, despite liking QBs this year, but I like Lynch in the first round this year. He’s an early second-rounder at worst—hit-and-run incident aside. He’s got top-10 RB talent and an offense that will feed him the ball this year. I see him doing some big things. I might put him around the 10th overall range myself. How this accident of his shakes down could change that though.

Pick 19—Ryan Grant (Reach)

I loved Ryan Grant last year. Hey, I even like him a lot this year, but I think you take a high-powered receiver over him in the second round. Grant’s role in the offense is a little out there right now.

Remember how many running backs Green Bay had last year? Well, now they are all back and healthy. He will be a good RB for your team, but I am not sure if he is dependable enough to be my No. 2 back.

Jamal Lewis and Ryan Grant in two rounds? That ’s two questionable choices to carry your team this year. With the talent available, I don’t like these picks.

Pick 22—Reggie Wayne (Steal)

There’s a lot of receivers flying around in this round. I am not sure I agree with Larry Fitzgerald as the second receiver taken, since the QB situation could be shaky with beer-bonging Matt Leinart this year, but Reggie Wayne as the fourth receiver taken is a pretty nice snag.

Wayne should be the clear No. 1 for Manning, now that Marvin Harrison’s old knees and Bavarian pistols are catching up with him. I think Wayne and Braylon Edwards probably deserve standing ahead of Fitz.

Pick 23—Tony Romo (Steal)

Peyton Manning and Tom Brady both go in the first, but Tony Romo falls to almost the end of the second round? What a steal!

Romo was the second-highest scoring QB last season in some scoring systems. With T.O. returning and a more potent running game, he should have an even better offensive powerhouse this season. I would take him in front of Manning this year, so being able to snag him after having the second-overall pick is not too shabby.

How would you like your team to be Tony Romo and Adrian Peterson after two rounds? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Nice to mock with you

Overall, I have to say that I like The Hazean’s draft. While there are a few questionable characters in there, the majority of the teams should be the start to something I might be willing to take home to introduce to the parents. The majority of my steals/reaches were only slight adjustments.

I look forward to checking out the next updated mock, and until then, I’ll be trying to figure out how a man can be a haze.