Mock Draft #3 is in the books

They're coming fast and furious now, folks.

Today's mock draft with the Sporting News experts was a 10-team standard (non-PPR) league.  Once again, I "randomly" ended up with the 8th overall pick.

Here's what I did with it:

Pick 1.8: Drew Brees, QB, Saints.  Last time, I selected Ryan Mathews with the same pick.  Today, he was taken #7.  Since the only WR worth a 1st rounder in my eyes (Megatron) was long gone, my choice was either Darren McFadden or my 2nd-ranked QB.  I went with Brees and, fortunately, found RunDMC waiting for me at the turn.

Pick 2.3: Darren McFadden, RB, Raiders.  The only problem with McFadden, as we all know, is his injury history.  So this is a roll of the dice, but one that could pay off handsomely.  He is clearly first-round caliber, when healthy.

Pick 3.8: Rob Gronkowski, TE, Patriots.  I was targeting an elite WR here, but when AJ Green and Mike Wallace were snagged right before my pick, I decided to claim last year's Fantasy MVP.  I won't have too long to wait for my WR1.

Pick 4.3: Julio Jones, WR, Falcons.  At the top of the 4th round, the electrifying sophomore could be a steal.  With his sure hands and explosiveness, there's no reason to think he can't out-pace Roddy White this season.  Not yet at elite status, he's not far off either.

Pick 5.8: Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Giants.  With Brandon Jacobs exiled to the West coast, Bradshaw will get the bulk of the carries in this high-scoring offense; at least until a viable backup emerges (David Wilson doesn't concern me one bit, at this point).  I love Bradshaw as a RB2, especially in the 5th round.

Pick 6.3: DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles.  Will he get his head out and return to near-elite status?  Good question.  I guess we're about to find out.  I was weighing D-Jax, Antonio Brown or Torrey Smith here; and guess what...

Pick 7.8: Torrey Smith, WR, Ravens.  I got two of the three!  Smith is one of my favorite sleepers of the 2012 season.  If he and Flacco can form a close bond, Smith could approach elite status.  No doubt, he'll be significantly more valuable than the aging Anquan Boldin, who was selected next.

Pick 8.3:  Jahvid Best, RB, Lions.  If either McFadden or Best remains healthy all year, I'll be just fine at RB.  If they both stay upright, I'm golden.

Pick 9.8: Pierre Garcon, WR, Redskins.  Never been a big fan, but he's in the best position to be RJ3's No. 1 receiving weapon.  That could make the former Colt a viable fantasy play many (but not all) weeks.

Pick 10.3: Denarius Moore, WR, Raiders.  Another of my sleeper selections, Moore should be Carson Palmer's favorite target in his sophomore campaign.  He'll be good for a spot start or three, assuming he can stay healthy.

Pick 11.8: Mikel LeShoure, RB, Lions.  Here's the deal.  I don't believe for one second that Jahvid Best will survive the entire season.  I would have taken LeShoure here whether or not Best was on the roster.  Between the two, I've got one potentially blue-chip rusher.

Pick 12.3: Nate Washington, WR, Titans.  Kenny Britt is a ding-dong, and Kendall Wright is an unseasoned rookie. That makes Washington the most reliable -- if least exciting -- receiver on the Titans.  Whatever that means.

Pick 13.8: Tim Hightower, RB, Redskins.  Not sure what possessed me to jump on Mike Shanahanigan's RB merry-go-round, but I did.  That's why they call it a mock draft.

Pick 14.3: Packers defense/special teams.  I'd been planning to pull the trigger on the Pack for the last two rounds, but nobody had selected a defense since the 49ers were taken in the middle of the 11th round.  My top-ranked unit came awfully cheap.

Pick 15.8: Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens.  Finally, the rest of the world has figured out that Flacco is over-rated as a fantasy QB.  (I've been saying it for years.)  Now, he's a steal.

Pick 16.3: Alex Green, RB, Packers.  I'm pretty convinced that he'll be the starting RB in Green Bay by mid-season.  James Starks has shown flashes, but he's also been terribly inconsistent.

Pick 17.8: John Kasay, K, Saints.  Honestly, I'm not sure if Kasay or Garrett Hartley will be New Orleans' kicker this season.  So if I chose wrong, I'll correct it in free agency.  If this were real...

There you have it.  I kinda like this team.

What do you think?

Time for another Sporting News Mock Draft

Greetings, Fools.  Can you feel it?  Fantasy season is rapidly approaching.

I know this because I just participated in my second experts draft with the good folks at Sporting News Fantasy Source.

I had the 8th overall pick (yuck) in a 12-team standard draft.  Here's what I did:

Pick 1.8 -- Ryan Mathews, RB, Chargers.  Rodgers, Megatron and five other RBs were taken.  I had Mathews rated higher than MJD and Chris Johnson, who were taken higher.  In my mind, only Rodgers and Megatron justify 1st-round picks at their position.

Pick 2.5 -- Mike Wallace, WR, Steelers.  It was either an elite WR or QB here.  Passed up my shot at Brady, Cam and Stafford to take Wallace.  Might regret that, if I was actually playing this league out.

Pick 3.8 -- Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers.  Gronk and Jimmy Graham were long gone, and Gates offered more value than any WR on the board.  At this point, I was pretty much resigned to going with two 2nd-tier QBs.

Pick 4.5 -- Jordy Nelson, WR, Packers.  I love Greg Jennings, but getting Jordy a round later is a nice consolation.  Definitely wanted one of Rodgers' targets.  But in hindsight, Frank Gore was still on the board.  Should have jumped on him.

Pick 5.8 -- Darren Sproles, RB, Saints.  If he has another year like 2011, I will have a great backfield.  That's a big if, though.  It was either Sproles or Bush at this point.

Pick 6.5 -- Eli Manning, QB, Giants.  I don't think I've EVER drafted Eli for one of my teams.  Even in a mock.  But the truth is, he's a very solid fantasy QB, especially if you don't have to play him every week and can pick your spot starts.  If you think Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz are going to be great, you must like Eli's chances, too.

Pick 7.8 -- Isaac Redman, RB, Steelers.  Hard to get real excited about this pick, unless Redman really does inherit the workhorse role in Pittsburgh.  If he does, he's a heckuva RB3.

Pick 8.5 -- Denarius Moore, WR, Raiders.  The pickings at receiver are getting awfully slim.  Moore is one of my sleeper picks this season.  If he can stay healthy, Carson Palmer can make him a fantasy star.

Pick 9.8 -- Matt Schaub, QB, Texans.  Love this pick.  Frankly, don't understand how he lasted this long.  If Schaub comes back at 100%, I may start him more often than Eli.  Regardless, he's a very salty backup.

Pick 10.5 -- Lance Moore, WR, Saints.  Seems like I always draft Moore.  If I could only figure out which weeks to start him, I'd be a true genius.

Pick 11.8 -- Greg Little, WR, Browns.  I don't know...  I don't know...

Pick 12.5 -- Steelers defense/special teams.  The Packers went first, in Round 10.  Philly left the board at the end of Round 11.  What the heck...I dove in next.

Pick 13.8 -- Isaiah Pead, RB, Rams.  Wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see him starting 4-5 games this year, given S-Jax's recent fragility.

Pick 14.5 -- Jerome Simpson, WR, Vikings.  Another sleeper candidate; but will have to wait out his suspension.  No prob.  Once he's back, I'd wager that he'll be as valuable from a fantasy perspective as Percy Harvin.  Which is really more an indictment of Christian Ponder than a compliment to Simpson.

Pick 15.8 -- Alex Green, RB, Packers.  This is where I admit that I didn't really take this draft terribly seriously.

Pick 16.5 -- Mason Crosby, K, Packers.  A wise man once said you can never have too many Packers.

Pick 17.8 -- Cedric Benson, free agent.  Yeah, he'll have a job by the time the season starts.  Perhaps backing up the fragile RunDMC.  Maybe replacing an injured starter, or the suspended Marshawn Lynch.  I think I'll be glad I took a flier here.

Here's how the whole draft played out: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/mock-draft

In the end, this is all just a matter of getting tuned up for the season.  Our next mock draft is in two weeks.  We'll start our serious preseason coverage before then.

It's almost time, Fools...