I’ve already looked back at the first six rounds of this expert mock I participated in back in June. Bang it here for Part 1 and then bang it here for Part 2.
In Part 3, we’ll look at the sleepers selected as owners fill out their starting lineups.
ROUND 7
7.1 Brandon Pettigrew
7.2 Shonn Greene
7.3 Eric Decker
7.4 C.J. Spiller
7.5 Jahvid Best
7.6 Donald Brown
7.7 Pierre Garcon
7.8 James Starks
7.9 Denarius Moore
7.10 Jacob Tamme
7.11 Isaac Redman
7.12 Ronnie Hillman
I wouldn’t touch Shonn Greene with a 10-foot pole — even this late. He’s not good at football, his offensive line is in trouble, Tim Tebow is the goal-line back and this Jets team projects to be bad. Eric Decker isn’t just a possession receiver. If I missed out on Demaryius Thomas, I wouldn’t hesitate to grab Peyton Manning’s other new toy. If Jahvid Best can avoid another concussion, he’ll be a stud. High risk, high reward. James Starks and Denarius Moore are two of my favorite undervalued guys. Starks is in the best shape of his life and Ryan Grant is gone. Moore is a freakish talent and the Raiders project to be in plenty of shootouts.
ROUND 8
8.1 Reggie Wayne
8.2 BenJarvus Green-Ellis
8.3 Michael Bush
8.4 Mark Ingram
8.5 Matt Ryan
8.6 Willis McGahee
8.7 Sidney Rice
8.8 Santonio Holmes
8.9 Greg Little
8.10 Lance Moore
8.11 Malcom Floyd
8.12 DeAngelo Williams
I took Matt Ryan here, well after the quarterback run. With the Falcons changing their philosophy and Julio Jones set to emerge, there’s a lot of upside. Taking RBs and WRs early then targeting Ryan is a strong play. I do not like the Green-Ellis or McGahee picks. BJGE is going to struggle for TD opportunities in Cincy and McGahee doesn’t fit with Peyton Manning’s pass-happy offenses. Malcom Floyd is an interesting value play as a vertical receiver for Philip Rivers.
ROUND 9
9.1 Titus Young
9.2 Stevan Ridley
9.3 Rashard Mendenhall
9.4 Justin Blackmon
9.5 Toby Gerhart
9.6 Jared Cook
9.7 Ben Tate
9.8 Darrius Heyward-Bey
9.9 Michael Crabtree
9.10 Pierre Thomas
9.11 Brian Quick
9.12 Daniel Thomas
Titus Young had a huge offseason and is set to press Nate Burleson for snaps in two-wide sets. Even if he doesn’t, the Lions run as many three-wide sets as anyone. Jared Cook is in a contract year and broke out late last year. Tons of upside. Stevan Ridley is currently the favorite for early-down work in New England, but he’ll be a committee back regardless. I took DHB. He’s a risk, but he’s locked into the starting lineup and can still get open with ease.
