This Mock Draft I had a pick 9 in a 12 team league. I knew I wasn't going to get an elite 5 RB, but I wanted a WR at the start of round 2 and was already targeting Cooks in round 3. I decided very soon into the draft I was going to implement a "0-RB" Draft strategy, and had planned on picking up a QB sooner than I did. You may want to refer back to my personal Top 150 PPR Draft Rankings while reading through this.
The Resulting Draft and Roster
| Round 1 | Robert Gronkowski (TE) NE | QB: | Ryan Tannehill (QB) MIA |
| Round 2 | Randall Cobb (WR) GB | WR1: | Randall Cobb (WR) GB |
| Round 3 | Brandin Cooks (WR) NO | WR2: | Brandin Cooks (WR) NO |
| Round 4 | Emmanuel Sanders (WR) DEN | RB1: | C.J. Spiller (RB) NO |
| Round 5 | Kennan Allen (WR) SD | RB2: | Chris Ivory (RB) NYJ |
| Round 6 | C.J. Spiller (RB) NO | TE: | Robert Gronkowski (TE) NE |
| Round 7 | Chris Ivory (RB) NYJ | FLEX: | Emmanuel Sanders (WR) DEN |
| Round 8 | Arian Foster (RB) HOU | K: | Dustin Hopkins (K) NO |
| Round 9 | Ryan Tannehill (QB) MIA | DEF: | Miami (DEF) MIA |
| Round 10 | Joique Bell (RB) DET | BN: | Arian Foster (RB) HOU |
| Round 11 | Kendall Wright (WR) TEN | BN: | Joique Bell (RB) DET |
| Round 12 | Darren Sproles (RB) PHI | BN: | Kennan Allen (WR) SD |
| Round 13 | David Johnson (RB) ARI | BN: | Kendall Wright (WR) TEN |
| Round 14 | Miami (DEF) MIA | BN: | Darren Sproles (RB) PHI |
| Round 15 | Dustin Hopkins (K) NO | BN: | David Johnson (RB) ARI |
Round 1: So when I noticed my draft position I realized I would be missing out on the Elite RBs and since I subscribe to the bucking the trend philosphy, I knew I was going a different route at the end of the 1st. I was targeting either Julio Jones or Gronkowski, and as it turns out Julio was drafted the pick before me, with Brown and D. Thomas already off the board with my top 4 backs + Bell. So Gronkowski was a clear choice for me here. I thought I could probably land Anderson, Forsett or Hill on the back swing of this bend.
Round 2: So I had initially been targeting an RB, however all 3 of the ones I was looking at went around the bend and instead I was left with Cobb still being available at pick 16. Great value and I was happy to select him here. Trusting that I could find some RBs I'd be happy playing in later rounds.
Round 3: I was targeting Cooks with this pick from the moment I saw my place in the draft. By this point the run on RBs had taken McCoy, Murray, and Miller off the board, but left Cooks and Hilton available. I like Cooks a lot this year especially in PPR and was all over this pick.
Round 4: On the back swing I was going to consider Luck or Rodgers but the two of them went back to back, so instead I went for Emmanuel Sanders another great PPR option. The run on RBs was inflating their draft position and I was firmly against the grain at this point.
Round 5: While Justin Stewart was available here who I'm high on, Kennan Allen is my 31st rated player, and here he was at pick 57. He's really going too late. Despite having 3 WRs already, I went with the value of Allen at this pick. Giving me a great bye week option and furthering my positional advantage and strength.
Round 6: I probably should have gone RB-RB around the 5-6 bend at pick 57 and 64 and was initially planning to, Kennan's value lured me away. However at 64 C.J. Spiller was still available so I made that selection, a pick I'm very happy with in a PPR league.
Round 7: Now we're waiting, watching Gio, Gurley, and Agholor come off the board however Ivory is there when I'm drafting and I'm on board with the recent hype surrounding him. He's been running well and gaining coach confidence. He's also seen some passing down work so his value may not sink too badly in PPR formats. Regardless I could do worse than finding a 20 carry back in the 7th round. Ivory would be a second round pick if this was the Fantasy of last decade. He's the Bell Cow back for a run first and run dependent offense. I'm confident in this pick.
Round 8: Arian Foster. This is a pick that you probably feel better about if you've drafted a running back in the first three rounds and then found your RB2 and 3 before here. However I like the upside of drafting Foster here. I've secured 2 running backs I'm comfortable starting, and 4 receivers to maneuver. Foster gives my team a second half boost, hopefully returning first round RB numbers once healthy. If your league has an IR spot this is a free bench spot, and makes this pick a no-brainer.
Round 9: So I missed out on a few of the QBs I'm bullish on earlier, while also needed to focus on RBs if Big Ben had been available round 5 I may have drafted him there, Eli in round 8 could have been a choice. However I'm happy with the selection of Ryan Tannehil in round 9, I believe he'll continue to progress if for no other reason than he's playing with second year Landry.
Round 10: I'd like to add a third RB (that's not going a chunk of opening games) to my roster and was targeting the pair of Woodhead and Bell. Woodhead went a couple picks before but Bell lasted. and we're comfortable with the pick. Ameer projects to see significant action but Bell has produced while in a committee backfield before and he's a solid catcher so he'll have some added value in PPR formats. His value in round 10 is enough that I can make this selection.
Round 11: I settled on Kendall Wright. Adding a fifth option at WR and hoping Mariota improves that TEN offense. This the pick I'm least pleased with, but you won't get everyone you want. I had been looking at Tevin Coleman but he went a couple picks before this pick
Round 12: Headed towards my pick here I was looking at the pair of Matthews and Sproles, Matthews went before and I landed Sproles. I should probably like Sproles better in PPR leagues, but I have a sneaky feeling Matthews is going to have a much greater opportunity than we're all thinking.
Round 13: Out of all the young backs who are buried on their depth charts that act like late draft lottery tickets, David Johnson was the one who was available here. He's also got perhaps the most promising situation. Ellington hasn't looked good, doesn't have the frame for the bell cow role, and has been dealing with lingering injuries. I'm happy with landing Johnson here, and if the opportunity never develops there's no harm done.
Round 14: So I'm always practicing "0-DEF"/"0-K", yet I do still draft them. I'm looking to set myself up to stream the positions week 1 onward. I selected Miami's defense here due to their week 1 match-up against the Redkins which have looked lethargic with their "starter" RGIII on the field.
Round 15: Similar to the defense, I'm looking for a good week 1 K in the draft, however I did the opposite here as I was the last manager to nab a kicker (2 of the last 3 managers had drafted them late, another drafted one round 14) I went with NO's Hopkins. I have faith that NO will move the ball, however Arizona's defense is good and may cause NO to bog down towards the redzone resulting in a number or FG attempts for Hopkins.
So here's the first mock draft. I would have been happy with this team in my leagues, there are a lot of targets on this roster and guys I have faith to produce week to week. Going forward I'll look to share Mock Drafts where I utilized other strategies, or had the drafts end up taking a different route. Please, please, please, leave me some feedback. Let me know what I could be doing better, or what you'd like to see on future mock drafts. Thanks for reading,
GG
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