[Ben E Lou]

THE DRAFT

I got the 27th pick in the first round. While I was hoping for higher to get a marquee QB, the benefit of having two of the league's bets 40 players is certainly a nice one to have. My preference settings, which would take effect once the draft was over, were to favor offense and veterans, which was my overall strategy. For those who are familiar with my style of play, you'll know that my primary goal was to institute the Run-N-Stun offense, which basically consists of running more than I pass, but stretching the field when I do pass, using very few short passes. It's the anti-West Coast. My theory was/is that with offensive production being down in the early years of fictional league starts, I'd be able to have a decent defense filled mainly with veteran guys drafted by the AI and rated 40-50 or so. Here's how I drafted:

1(27): RDT Matt Caldwell

As it happened, when my pick came up there just wasn't an offensive player who I could get excited about taking in the first round. Caldwell, though, looks like he can be the anchor of my defensive line, so I grabbed him first.

2(6): SE Darnell Chamberlain

In order to properly execute my offense, I need at least one speed merchant, and Chamberlain fits the bill. He's tied for the sixth-fastest 40 time in the league (4.31), and I love that big-play receiving rating. I'm also excited to see what he can do for our field position returning punts and kickoffs.

3(27): FL Dusty Ford

I didn't expect to take a rookie this high, but with him being as well-developed as he is, this was a near no-brainer of a pick. Having a second guy who can stretch the field is a big plus for my offense, and he's also no slouch at PR/KR.

4(6): QB Burt Sigsbee

This was definitely a stretch pick, but the problem was that Sigsbee was the best current-rated QB on the board at the time, and the only one with the medium, long, third-down and sense rush skills that I value. I felt that I couldn't risk waiting over 50 more picks to take him in the 5th. If Sigsbee can perform the way I think he can, I won't get laughed out of the league for picking him this early. I like the fact that Sigsbee is a mentor, so perhaps I can grab a 2nd or 3rd round QB in a year or two and get him ready to be his successor

5(27): RT Pat Buchanan

With my first three offensive picks, I drafted the "stun," but now it's time to get the "run" in place, and Buchanan is the first piece of that puzzle. He's also no slouch at pass blocking either, which makes him very valuable to me.

6(6): RG Mike Sheldon

With Sheldon and Buchanan next to one another, we certainly won't be afraid to run to the right side of the line. His pass protection and mentor status also are certainly valuable commodities.

7(27): TE Jonathan Roderick

There's not much not to like about this guy: a studly run-blocking TE who can make the big third-down catches to move the chains, and who also might just burn a strong safety or two on some deep routes, too. I also picked him here because I feel like I'll be able to use him as WR3 in some sets.

8(6): RB Irving Donovan

Me likey this guy! A north-and-south runner with power and speed and the endurance to shoulder a heavy load.

9(27): C Clifton Carpenter

There were a number of quality centers in the draft, so I was able to wait until this round to grab a very good one who is also a mentor.

10(6): LT Bucky Caldwell

The better left tackles were gone before I picked in the first round, but somehow this rookie with pretty good development fell this far. I'll make it a priority to get him mentored/starting/summer league. Given the quality of the rest of the offensive line, if Caldwell can give up less than 10 sacks this year, I think I'll be ok.

11(27): LG Ryan Bratzke

At this juncture in the draft, his age really doesn't concern me. I already had a mentor guard to help groom Bratzke's eventual replacement, so I figured grabbing this guy to finish out the o-line was a good move at this point.

12(6): RB Jamal Stinnett

At this point, it came time to think through how the AI would draft the rest of my team. There were several aging FBs who were good run blockers left. Knowing that more people in the league had favored youth than experience, and knowing that my sliders heavily favored offense, and slightly favored experience, I figured there was a pretty good chance that the AI would pick a FB for me pretty early, so I didn't go that route. I also saw that there wasn't a whole lot of difference beween the 358th most talented player and the 768th, so I decided to grab a player that I knew the AI would NOT take for me, at a position that is greatly helped by having a quality backup. I believe having Stinnett on the roster to spell Irving Donovan is going to pay off for me.