BATAVIA, IL
Colliders’ management knew full well the importance of drafting well, after suffering through a restricted free agency period in which the Colliders had nobody to offer. That poor drafting from three years ago probably contributed to the Colliders’ first losing season ever in 2017. With the tenth pick, the Colliders were hoping a running back would fall to them.
“Every year someone shoots themselves in the face on draft day,” said Josh Hammond wryly. “Whether it’s drafting a quarterback too soon, or falling for the hype around a defensive end, the draft never goes the way it’s supposed to go and some talent usually slips to the end of the first round.”
Last year linebacker Reuben Foster went sixth overall, and Alvin Kamara slipped to tenth. In 2015, Marcus Mariota went fourth overall, and David Johnson fell to twelfth. And who can forget 2014 when rush linebacker Jadeveon Clowney went third? THIRD!
But this year it wasn’t to be. The 2018 draft started with eight running backs going off the board in a row.
“I thought for sure we’d wind up with Kerryon My Wayward Johnson,” said Hammond. “We considered trading up to get him, but he’s just another Detroit running back, so we didn’t want to overextend ourselves for him.”
When the first receiver came off the board at number 9, (D.J. Moore) the Colliders’ thought they’d use the prospect of drafting Calvin Ridley to entice a trade. Nobody had a good enough offer, but Hammond was not about to take a conventional pick he wasn’t excited about. He decided to draft linebacker Roquan Smith. The name had been transferred over to the draft box when Hammond received a trade offer at the last possible second. Cleveland Battery owner Ben Pershey offered 2019 and 2020 firsts for the 10th pick overall.
“I had to read it over a couple of times, rub my eyes, and read it again,” said Hammond. “After getting nowhere in trades, a miracle offer falls right in my lap.”
It turns out the Cleveland Battery had the same idea as Hammond – they ultimately swiped Roquan Smith with the pick. When we reached Ben for comment on the trade, he replied thusly:
Well, thank you for asking for my thoughts. I can’t say I recall making that trade. Are you sure that happened?
It happened indeed, and at that point Hammond felt he had “won the draft.” With three picks in the second round coming up, Hammond said he was “playing with house money.”
And now to the picks:
Christian Kirk had a first round grade, and Hammond didn’t see him as much of a step down from Ridley (who went 11th, incidentally.) There is added value in the return game, and Kirk is pressing for the starting WR position opposite Larry Fitzgerald.
“If Sam Rosen becomes a thing, then maybe Christian Kirk will become a thing, and then this will be a very good draft pick,” said Hammond.
With Roquan Smith and Tremaine Edmunds off the board, the Colliders scored a nominally starting inside linebacker in Evans. “This may turn out to be a pretty good pick,” said Hammond. “We picked him up in the same exact spot as Jarrad Davis last year. These two have the potential to be an affordable linebacking corps for this franchise.”
Hammond is correct about them being affordable. With linebacker prices on the rise, even drafting one in the first round make sense (unless it’s a college DE-turned-rush-linebacker who’s going to get 40 tackles in a season and 10 sacks. You know, like Jadeveon Clowney if he could get to 10 sacks.)
“Okay, this one is iffy,” admitted Hammond. “He’s not a starter, even though he was drafted in the 1st round by the Saints. And $7 is a lot to pay a defensive end who hasn’t proved himself yet. Still, we had him on our draft board and were afraid he wouldn’t make it to the third round.”
Davenport was highly touted by many IDP experts (who admittedly are self-proclaimed experts,) so Hammond was sold. Davenport will play behind Trey Flowers, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Robert Quinn. “Defensive end wasn’t a position of need,” said Hammond. “But if you look closer, two of those guys are getting up there in age, and between them they only have five and a half hands. Time to bring in some new blood for the future.”
“I like rookies that are day-1 starters,” said Hammond. “Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch fits the bill.”
Well, it depends on what depth chart you’re looking at. Prior to pulling the trigger on Vander Esch, Hammond saw him listed as the starting middle linebacker. Done and done. However, after drafting him, a different depth chart has him listed as the starting strong side linebacker. That’s a difference of about 40 tackles. Here’s to hoping he ends up starting in the middle and becoming a giant beast in the way that Sean Lee, Fragile Man, never could be.
At draft time, Chase Edmonds had been “lighting it up” in training camp. Edmonds has established himself as the backup to David Johnson, and we’ve already seen that Johnson can be ouchy. Certainly the Cards will take some of the pressure off Johnson with Edmonds performing ably, and should Johnson go down, it’s game on for the Colliders.
“We’ve drafted running backs in the third round before,” said Hammond. “They’re always ‘pushing for playing time’ and have ‘special skill sets.’ Look, I get it. Edmonds could turn out to be nothing, like that bum Denver running back we took a couple years ago. On the other hand, he’s only five bucks and I got him at the end of the third round.”
The last time the Colliders took an Indy wideout it was Phillip Dorsett in the first round. Ouch. Deon Cain doesn’t have to overcome much to become a starting wideout in Talent Desert Indianapolis, and he has been one of those training camp wonders up until this point. Those usually go one of two ways:
- Player is actually talented, but snaps his Achilles.
- Player is not actually talented and never plays.
Cain will fight for a roster spot on a crowded Colliders team. With an aging receiving group that lacks depth, he could make a splash if he shows Hammond anything. Any little thing. Seriously, their next best wide receiver after the big 2 is Robby Anderson.
Another backup runner to a talented starter. “If Melvin Gordon goes down this year, I will gain so much satisfaction from the thought of everyone rushing to the waiver wire to get this guy, only to see he’s already rostered by the Colliders,” said Hammond dreamily. “That will be so awesome.”
At Three Dollars American, Jackson may be worth a roster spot so long as he holds on to the backup position.
Batavia didn’t wind up with any of the top-name rookies in this draft, but they did find some guys who might be able to contribute in the near term. The biggest win, however, was the acquisition of two more first round picks. Of course, if Roquan Smith is the second coming of Brian Urlacher, then perhaps the trade will look bad in retrospect. But Colliders fans should rest easy knowing that they have a team that can compete for a title this year, and some good players in place for the future.
© 2018, Josh Hammond. All rights reserved.
I hope I made the right decision regarding Vander Esch and Leonard …
Yeah, although they are third round picks so it’s not the end of the world if we missed on them. I’m just grateful I didn’t take Chubb in the 2nd round like some kind of maniac (to be fair, if Chubb is ever reclassified as a DE that pick will look good.)
Update: your decision to draft Leonard was amazing! Defensive player of the year!