As promised, this is my attempt at an overview of the English path 2014 draft. All potentials listed are for Balanced philosophy. Not every player is listed, but I'm confident that 90+% of the players you would want to draft are included. If you feel like editing & expanding on the inclusions, please be my guest & repost, giving credit where credit is due.
Note the column of Knucklehead: this denotes players whose personalities, when known, may make it difficult to reach agreements on contracts or may prove otherwise disruptive to team chemistry.
In addition, a new column debuts with this sheet - the Notes column. I've included some statistics that you can't get before the draft, as well as some like player height that matter for certain positions (like CB and WR) for easy reference. When a stat is included, that's the player's maximum level short of Motivator or Game Changer intervention: for example, super-athlete safety Brock Williams can't cover in zone worth squat, and awe-inspiring LT Adrian Grant will never awe you as a run blocker.
I will be returning to my earlier drafts to add this information as my new career progresses. If there are specific things you'd like to see for specific positions in Notes, post your requests here.
Review: I'm underwhelmed by some players, specifically Ace Garrison, Adrian Grant, and Reggie Kenton. Garrison's learning is awesome, but he's not tough and his arm strength is low-ish for an "elite" QB. Grant can't run-block at a high level and he's not fast. Kenton is only 5'9"; given this game's love of "tall ball", receivers like Jamelle Lucas will eat his lunch all day in man coverage.
For my draft money, the best QB of the bunch is the Drew Brees from Tennessee: good personality, durable, and capable. The premiere tackle is actually [RT Connecticut], IMO, and he's just as good at either guard position if you haven't set those yet. [RT UCLA] is built more like a center than tackle at 6'2", and is definitely starter material there or at LG: at RG, the top tackles are likely to kick his butt. In corners, the best are [Holy Cross] and [TCU], both 5'11" and late-round sleepers; and [UNLV] at 6'2". [Wash St] is also tall, but his learning caps at around 80, so if you have a huge playbook he may never learn it.
The trio of running backs are an odd batch, but much more balanced. Scooter Chapman's the speed back, Tank Lockwood is the bruiser, and Markus Brooks is the balanced one (with a screwed up voice-intro - safety? really?). If I had the opportunity to draft one, it would be Brooks outside the top 10.
Nick Fallon is a TE that you can nab around the end of round 1, but there are better tight ends in earlier years. The biggest thing going for him is his height at 6'8".
There's also a competition at LE in round one between Lawrence Cross and Dan Scott. Cross' learning is higher and he's got better pass-rush moves; Scott is easier to sign and a better athlete. Were I given the option, I'd pick Scott: my hunch is that he'll cost less in the long run and perform as well or better. The only athlete worth a damn at RE is [Oklahoma], and with his learning he's best as a backup.
The OGs are all slow, and other than the tackles I've noted few are fast enough and smart enough to start. It's not an awesome year if you're looking for highly athletic starters on the O-line. There are a couple of fast centers, and one is quite talented, though both are knuckleheads.
Both fullbacks are underwhelming athletes and make their grade almost purely by learning. It's not a particularly good draft for safeties, either; if you want a long-term starter, I'd look at other years. The one standout linebacker is Delmar White, though his personality is off-putting; the rest are forgettable in at least one way, if not many.
In wide receivers there are a variety of candidates, but none as striking as earlier years. My choice for the best is [Connecticut] - what is it about UConn this year? - like the RT, he's a solid pick in every way and will perform well in most conditions.
The draft is more even than 2013 - depending on your needs, there are good players available throughout Round 1, a few in Round 2, and then a good batch on Day 2.
Players with Balanced POT >=90: 28
Note the column of Knucklehead: this denotes players whose personalities, when known, may make it difficult to reach agreements on contracts or may prove otherwise disruptive to team chemistry.
In addition, a new column debuts with this sheet - the Notes column. I've included some statistics that you can't get before the draft, as well as some like player height that matter for certain positions (like CB and WR) for easy reference. When a stat is included, that's the player's maximum level short of Motivator or Game Changer intervention: for example, super-athlete safety Brock Williams can't cover in zone worth squat, and awe-inspiring LT Adrian Grant will never awe you as a run blocker.
I will be returning to my earlier drafts to add this information as my new career progresses. If there are specific things you'd like to see for specific positions in Notes, post your requests here.
Review: I'm underwhelmed by some players, specifically Ace Garrison, Adrian Grant, and Reggie Kenton. Garrison's learning is awesome, but he's not tough and his arm strength is low-ish for an "elite" QB. Grant can't run-block at a high level and he's not fast. Kenton is only 5'9"; given this game's love of "tall ball", receivers like Jamelle Lucas will eat his lunch all day in man coverage.
For my draft money, the best QB of the bunch is the Drew Brees from Tennessee: good personality, durable, and capable. The premiere tackle is actually [RT Connecticut], IMO, and he's just as good at either guard position if you haven't set those yet. [RT UCLA] is built more like a center than tackle at 6'2", and is definitely starter material there or at LG: at RG, the top tackles are likely to kick his butt. In corners, the best are [Holy Cross] and [TCU], both 5'11" and late-round sleepers; and [UNLV] at 6'2". [Wash St] is also tall, but his learning caps at around 80, so if you have a huge playbook he may never learn it.
The trio of running backs are an odd batch, but much more balanced. Scooter Chapman's the speed back, Tank Lockwood is the bruiser, and Markus Brooks is the balanced one (with a screwed up voice-intro - safety? really?). If I had the opportunity to draft one, it would be Brooks outside the top 10.
Nick Fallon is a TE that you can nab around the end of round 1, but there are better tight ends in earlier years. The biggest thing going for him is his height at 6'8".
There's also a competition at LE in round one between Lawrence Cross and Dan Scott. Cross' learning is higher and he's got better pass-rush moves; Scott is easier to sign and a better athlete. Were I given the option, I'd pick Scott: my hunch is that he'll cost less in the long run and perform as well or better. The only athlete worth a damn at RE is [Oklahoma], and with his learning he's best as a backup.
The OGs are all slow, and other than the tackles I've noted few are fast enough and smart enough to start. It's not an awesome year if you're looking for highly athletic starters on the O-line. There are a couple of fast centers, and one is quite talented, though both are knuckleheads.
Both fullbacks are underwhelming athletes and make their grade almost purely by learning. It's not a particularly good draft for safeties, either; if you want a long-term starter, I'd look at other years. The one standout linebacker is Delmar White, though his personality is off-putting; the rest are forgettable in at least one way, if not many.
In wide receivers there are a variety of candidates, but none as striking as earlier years. My choice for the best is [Connecticut] - what is it about UConn this year? - like the RT, he's a solid pick in every way and will perform well in most conditions.
The draft is more even than 2013 - depending on your needs, there are good players available throughout Round 1, a few in Round 2, and then a good batch on Day 2.
Players with Balanced POT >=90: 28
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