2015 Draft and Training Camp
We hold a top ten pick, and since the draft is jam paclked with defensive linemen, I assume that's where we will go, as it's a good fit for our needs.
Code:
Pick Pos Name Adj DSSABP Dev Notes AP PreTC PostC
1.09 DE Brenden McKinney 7.3 !!++! 40% Looks like serious impact player 4 53/62
2.08 RB Walter Bundren 5.7 ++!+++ 23% Brkwy, power, and blitz bars 4 34/48
3.09 C Luke Robertson 5.0 ?? ??? 39% Big bars, max Run B, hoping 1 45/76
4.08 QB Ernie George 5.9 + + + 35% Big SR and short pass bars 0 13/37
5.09 DT KC Aufedenkampe 5.0 + 53% PR bars, affinity, need pos'n 0 27/34
6.10 CB Colin Writer 4.1 - 51% Return man, with bars for coverage 0 18/47
6.16 K Rob Moloney 3.4 +++ 62% Strong accuracy and power kickoffs 0 33/54
7.09 S Mitchell Gonzalez 3.9 ++-+- 22% Run D, Zone, Int bars + affinity 0 14/48
7.15 WLB Ernest Hanson 2.9 +- 32% Dual bars in PRStr and PH, hmm... 0 11/18
I am hopeful that RB Bundredn can be the complementary back to Spiller that we have lacked since we let Fred walk and he has the bars that suggest he can be that guy. Nothing else too exciting here LB Hanson at 11/18 won't get playing time as long as I let the staff do my depth charts, but we'll see what happens to him. I'm guessing he's one of those +4 creeper types who jumps to 16/22 or so, and then it's tough to know what to do, since he seems to be creeping toward a pretty unimpressive rating of maybe 28 or 32 or so.
As we approach training camp, I check out our need for renegotiations. One ends up being basically free:
2 Sign current player to his requested renegotiation (S Byrd)
This drops him from being a 5% player for the next couple of years, so the AP cost of the reneg is a wash.
2 Sign current player to his requested renegotiation (TE Nelson)
By my count, I now have 11 AP remaining. But that assumes I remain 25% under the salcap... using AP to go after one of the handful of strong free agents here (and it's expensive to do so 5 AP for the recent cap casualties) would cost me now and beyond, likely. There's a 7th yr LB (Cushing) who would be an impact player... but I'm not sure that's what this team needs overall. I think the play here is to bank some AP for next season, and hopefully clear off a couple salaries then to make things work. Thinking longer term, I might want to assume control of the depth chart for 3 AP a year not this season, but maybe next season.
0 Sign a FA rookie player to 1yr contract (RB Brett Monroe)
0 Sign a FA rookie player to 1yr contract (DE Johnnie Schwartzhaupt)
0 Sign a FA rookie player to 1yr contract (C Walter Bishop)
1 Carry up to 60 players into training camp (57)
At this point, we have 10 AP left in the tank, and have basically done the renegotiations I had in mind for this season. We ought to be able to bank quite a bit here, and maybe have the flexibility to make a significant splash next season.
Code:
Top Ten Most Likely Busts:
Name Team Pos Change
Nelson, Shawn Buffalo TE -9
Porter, Tracy Buffalo LCB -8
Hargrove, Anthony Buffalo LDT -7
Prior, Gene Buffalo LCB -7
Bishop, Walter Buffalo C -7
Monroe, Brett Buffalo RB -6
Kelly, George Buffalo TE -5
Maloney, Rob Buffalo K -5
Writer, Colin Buffalo LCB -4
Yanda, Marshal Buffalo LG -4
Top Ten Most Likely Breakouts:
Name Team Pos Change
Hanson, Ernest Buffalo WLB 8
George, Ernie Buffalo QB 4
McKinney, Brenden Buffalo LDE 3
Schwarzhaupt, Johnny Buffalo LDE 2
Bundren, Walter Buffalo RB 2
Ruth, Leroy Buffalo RT 1
Perez, Randal Buffalo SS 1
Gray, Leon Buffalo FB 1
Petit, Brandon Buffalo P 1
Barreto, Jerome Buffalo LCB 1
TE Nelson's drop seems more like a volatility hit than aging. The rest of the negatives were within expectations the losses at CB make that position suddenly a more urgent worry than I had considered. LB Hanson's big jump is more than I had guessed, and now I think we might really want to get him onto the field. QB George probably has a future also, at the very least as a backup but hopefully more promising as trade bait. Our rookie class appears to be easily our best with this franchise so far.
Okay, we get through pre-season, no major injuries, and we are ready to cut loose into the full 16. Down to 53, and ready to see what Van Brady and company can put together for us.