Moving right along…part 6 of my 11-part series about last year’s draft.
But Hammond, why are you doing an 11-part series if there are 12 teams in the league?
Good question, reader. I’m not going to bother doing an article about the Detroit Doctors’ draft, since Adarsh Pandit has gone away.
Oh, that makes sense. You’re fucking awesome, dude.
Thanks. Let’s get on with the program.
Sweet Home Gridiron Gang
| Sweet Home Gridiron Gang’s 2011 Draft | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round/Pick | Player | Pos | Points | With Team? |
| 1.12 | Tim Hightower | RB | 39.95 | Yes |
| 2.12 | Antrel Rolle | S | 133.01 | Yes |
| 3.12 | Marion Barber | RB | 61.10 | No |
| 4.04 | Remi Ayodele | DT | 23.25 | Yes |
| 4.12 | Tamba Hali | LB | 111.00 | No |
| 5.12 | Aaron Curry | LB | 85.25 | Yes |
| 6.12 | Rex Grossman | QB | 99.53 | No |
Studs
Sorry, none here to speak of. The closest thing you have from this group is Antrel Rolle. The problem is, he was only the 17th best safety. Each of the top three safeties earned $1.10…and Rolle earned $9.45 in 2011.
Misses
It sucks when you miss on your first round pick. Given the circumstances of the draft last season, I can’t really blame the Gang for taking Tim Hightower. He was supposed to be the starter in Mike Shanahan’s always-productive rushing offense. The problem is, Hightower kept getting hurt, and Shanahan predictably cycled through four or five running backs over the course of the season.
Garcia drafted Bears’ backup running back Marion Barber in hopes that Forte would get hurt. Forte did get hurt, but Barber still sucked.
One of the biggest misses is defensive tackle Remi Ayodele. That fucker is still with the team. It’s hard to make a fantasy impact when you can’t make it on to the field. And thanks to his draft position, he’s making more than Haloti Ngata.
I’m not sure how I feel about drafting Rex Grossman at all. I guess the 6th round isn’t a terrible spot to get your backup QB to play in one game. But the Gridiron Gang didn’t even sign him. I can see spending a late round draft pick on a future QB, but not on some scrub like Grossman.
Too Soon to Tell
Tamba Hali is a pass rushing specialist that finished with 12 sacks. He ranked 39th among linebackers. And that’s the problem. He’s listed as a LB but plays more like a defensive end (he rarely drops into coverage.) But if the new regime in Kansas City moves him back to defensive end, and he puts up similar numbers, then he could be really good.
Aaron Curry was drafted 4th overall by Seattle, only to suck. He ended up in Oakland, where he did a bit better (at least he got on the field.) 48 tackles isn’t going to cut it as a fantasy LB, but sometimes a new regime can help re-invent a player. Perhaps Curry will have some value in the future. Probably not, but I’m not ready to completely write him off just yet.
The Grade
The Gridiron Gang came in as an expansion team and had the last pick in the draft. Still, with the deck stacked against them, they finished with a winning record. Overall, I’ll give them a C for their draft.
When should we implement 4th year option?
- Immediately. Guys who would have been RFAs next year will just have 4th year options. (89%, 8 Votes)
- With the upcoming draft class. We'll continue RFA as we have done in the past until 2022, when this year's class becomes the first to have the 4th year option. (11%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 9
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That Hightower pick actually looked really solid after he racked up 33 points in the first 3 games. At least he had all 3 Redskin RBs…