G.M.O. - 2018 NFL Draft

EAGLES
Fresh off a Super Bowl victory when the exercise started there was no time to dawdle as I had to figure out what I had to do before free agency started. Tenders were easy. The only question was whether I'd tender Jaylen Watkins or not and I figured I could sign him for cheap later and that basically nobody would think he was good enough to be valued at that cost anyways. Second order of business was to get under the cap before free agency opened for us in less than a week. 1st order of business was that I knew I'd have to restructure some of my players. I decided to use the maximum restructure on Ertz, Johnson and Cox. The first 2 actually happened in real life afterwards even. I felt confident they'd all live to see success to the end of their contracts so the move wasn't too risky. I still needed to create a bit more room if I could for free agency so I had players put on the trade block. Torrey Smith was just cut. I wasn't getting anything for him even though the Eagles did IRL. So +$5M there. I also decided to let Donnie Jones go later in the exercise when he retired. Nick Foles, Brent Celek and Vinny Curry were front and center on my trade block for cap purposes although some minor names were there as well and I got fielded offers for players not on my block.

There was some buzz for Nick Foles among our GMs and non-participants but with a deep free agent pool and draft I knew it wasn't going to be easy to move him. The Bills, Jaguars, Jets and any other player for him all shot me down and the Browns would not even surrender one of their early 2nds even though they were the only team who really showed any interest in our chats. I had to try something new. I tried to actively shop Vinny Curry. I had to get the interest in him up for teams that had the cap space to burn. I got a bite. The Browns called. They were interested in Curry and said they'd take both Curry and Foles together in return for our original 2nd round pick. I told them I need at least a mid 2nd for any deal involving Foles. They made another trade first and I wound up with pick #50 for Foles and a guy I knew I'd be lucky to get a late pick for thanks to his contract. Basically I used Curry as a simple trade sweetener. Make no mistake this was my best chance to make a move. If I waited it out any longer the market would have completely dried up. I felt the return was acceptable. The very low end of acceptable.

I am not going to get into much detail on all the other trades. I'll list most of the ones that aren't just draft pick swaps here now. Some happened before, some during free agency as well as some during the draft. Some will be explained later.

• Nick Foles + Vinny Curry for 2(18) from Cleveland
• Ronald Darby + 1(32) + 2(18) for 1(19) + 2(19)
• Brent Celek for 4(12) from Cincinnati
• 5(19) for 5(26) + Trevor Siemian from Denver
• Mychal Kendricks + 4(12) + 5(26) for 3(7) + 6(8) from Denver
• Isaac Seumalo for David Morgan + 6(39) from Minnesota
• Billy Brown for 7(30) from Seattle
• Destiny Vaeao + Wendell Smallwood + 4(30) + 5(32) + 6(39) from Kansas City
• Elie Bouka + Joshua Perkins for Mr. Irrelevant Pick from Atlanta
• 6(8) + 7(7) + 7(30) for 5(32) + Steven Nelson from Kansas City
• Marcus Johnson for Jihad Ward from Oakland

To quickly explain the trades, I felt that if I could get good value for Darby it'd be good to trade him, if not hold onto him for another run and then gain a 2020 comp pick for him. I got a great offer so I took it. The Bengals called me for Celek and I accepted without haggling. I needed a vet to replace Foles, a cheap one, and so I did a move that the Vikings eventually copied. I swapped late round picks for a cheap, reliable backup. I inquired about TE David Morgan from Minnesota and he did not want to trade him but before I could tell him it didn't hurt to ask he said he would move him if he got Isaac Seumalo. I felt I needed another cheap option at corner similar to Worley in real life so I traded for Steven Nelson while moving up a few spots in the draft and I swapped Marcus Johnson for hometown Jihad Ward who can fight for that last DE spot. It's no Michael Bennett but it solves a possible depth issue.

My goal in free agency was to try and get as many players back as possible first without breaking the bank before committing to any free agents. Some guys that I expected to have walk like Beau Allen I was able to get cheap so they stuck around. I had limit set for Trey Burton and was able to get him back, although it was a tad high, though just as much as the real Bears paid. Nigel Bradham I knew I'd have to break the bank for and he was one guy I had to spend on. Whatever extra cap I had to pay him I would have to cut out on spending elsewhere in free agency. I maxed out my bid for him at $11M. I wasn't going to go higher. I already knew this was going to be higher than he'd go by a couple million. I won him and after finding out his average salary in real life I was actually pleased in my signing considering this exercise does inflate some salaries while conversely allowing bargains elsewhere. So I had Bradham but at the same time I also won my contingency big on Demario Davis who was cheaper. I was keeping Bradham either way but before forfeiting my won bid of Davis I decided to see if I could get good value for Mychal Kendricks. I actually got a little bidding war and dealt him to Denver and signed both Bradham and Davis. I recouped a good chunk of cap but I was still tight.


Here are my free agent acquisitions, None of them but Burton, Bradham or Davis went for over $1.5M. I felt really lucky to get some of these guys for the price I did and I'm glad I did or else I wold have had to pass as I was very low on cap after accounting for the draft.

LB Nigel Bradham
LB Demario Davis
TE Trey Burton
S Tyvon Branch
CB Terrance Newman
RB LaGarrette Blount
LB Dannell Ellerbe
WR Mike Wallace
DT Beau Allen
LB Najee Goode
TE Lee Smith
DB Jaylen Watkins


EAGLES G.M.O. DRAFT
1(19) Connor Williams, OT - Texas
2(19) James Daniels, OG/C - Iowa
3(4) Trenton Thompson, DT - Georgia
3(30) Royce Freeman, RB - Oregon
4(32) Oren Burks, LB - Vanderbilt
6(32) Michael Dickson, P - Texas
7(38) Trey Quinn, WR - SMU

The draft was interesting. I was able to make some trades to strengthen the team and acquire some draft capital. I was able to eventually get 3 day 2 selections when I originally had none and I moved up in the 1st round without giving up any picks. It was a tough decision at #19 as the highly rated LBs all went. So I looked towards offense and what I felt was best player available. I feel Connor Williams is not only the best tackle in the draft but the one that best fits the Eagles. With Lane Johnson it doesn't matter what side of the ball he ultimately settles in. He likely won't be playing early. This is for after Peters. I ended up pissing off the Rams at 23 as I took their guy.

James Daniels may come as a surprise but he was my best player available and after trading Seumalo for a TE I felt that Daniels made too much sense here. He reminds me a lot of Jason Kelce. This is another player that fits well into our scheme. In the 3rd it was a little tougher. I had to decide between a running back like Royce Freeman or Kalen Ballage or get someone I had at the top of my board. I ultimately trusted the board and took Trenton Thompson to beef up the DLine despite getting Beau Allen to re-sign. Lucky me I was able to get Royce Freeman at the end of the 3rd as well. In the 4th I once again went with a guy near the top of my board in linebacker Oren Burks. Some nice depth that can compete for a larger role.

At this point my team was pretty much already set and I didn't need the late picks so much so I shopped for a young, cheap, experienced corner and got Steven Nelson from the Chiefs since they didn't trade Marcus Peters like in real life. I was also able to move up a couple spots with that move and took a punter. No other pick at this point would have been more likely to make this team as this punter. Michael Dickson may be the best punter prospect in a decade and I wouldn't be surprised if some team took him in the 3rd or 4th round. I like Cameron Johnston but Dickerson is likely at another level. With the Mr. Irrelevant selection I took a wide receiver Trey Quinn from SMU. All in all it felt like a very successful draft.

Here is my current "preseason" roster with a rough depth chart.

QB: Carson Wentz, Trevor Siemian, Nate Sudfeld, Greg Ward
RB: Jay Ajayi, LaGarrette Blount, Corey Clement, Royce Freeman(R), Donnel Pumphrey
WR: Alshon Jeffery, Mike Wallace, Shelton Gibson, Rashard Davis, Dom Williams
WR: Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, Trey Quinn(R), Bryce Treggs
TE: Zach Ertz, David Morgan
TE: Trey Burton, Lee Smith, Adam Zaruba
LT: Jason Peters, Halapoulivaati Vaitai
LG: Stefen Wisniewski, Chance Warmack
C: Jason Kelce, James Daniels(R)
RG: Brandon Brooks, Darrell Greene
RT: Lane Johnson, Connor Williams(R)

DE: Brandon Graham, Steven Means, Jihad Ward
DT: Fletcher Cox, Elijah Qualls, Trenton Thompson(R)
DT: Timmy Jernigan, Beau Allen, Aziz Shittu
DE: Derek Barnett, Chris Long
LB: Demario Davis, Najee Goode, Kamu Grugier-Hill
LB: Jordan Hicks, Joe Walker, Dannell Ellerbe
LB: Nigel Bradham, Nate Gerry, Oren Burks(R)
CB: Jalen Mills, Terence Newman, Steven Nelson
CB: Sidney Jones, Rasul Douglas, D.J. Killings
S: Malcolm Jenkins, Jaylen Watkins, Chris Maragos
S: Rodney McLeod, Tyvon Branch, Randall Goforth, Tre Sullivan

K: Jake Elliott
P: Michael Dickson(R), Cameron Johnston
LS: Rick Lovato

Feedback on any aspect or the entire thing would be much appreciated.

 

lol

My starting list in late September has a minimum of 10 players per position. That usually ends up growing to around an average of 20 per when I do my first round of scoring in October. You can put the number at 200 and I'd be comfortable with that being on the short side.

By starting early and using my own scores I can usually predict a handful of risers and fallers correctly before December hits.

 

Your draft was insanely good IMO. You got multiple guys I had graded an entire round better. Top five draft class from this mock.

 

FYI I had to cut bits out since I passed the 10,000 character limit. lol

 

The Tennessee Titans draft:

-1 (25) Da’ron Payne, DE/DT, Alabama

With both Davenport and Landry off the board I tried to move down a bit to recoup some picks, but that didn’t end up coming to fruition. Payne is already a great runner stopper and has started to flash as a pass rusher as well. He has the athleticism, drive, and talent to become a special football player one day. The thought of he and Casey playing opposite each other will give many offensive coordinators sleepless nights. Assuming Payne comes in and is the player I think he can be, Clayborn would be cut after a year saving the Titans around $8m next season.

-4 (4) Dorance Armstrong, EDGE, Kansas

After trying to trade into the early 3rd to land either Lorenzo Carter or Josh Sweat didn’t pan out I stayed where I was for a bit. Then when the 4th round rolled around and Armstrong was still on the board I made it known that I was interested in trading up, and the Colts came to me with an offer of 4 (4) and 6 (17) for 5 (25) and a 2019 3rd. I accepted and subsequently drafted Armstrong. I'm not the biggest fan of Armstrong, but that's mostly because people mock him to us in the 1st/2nd. I feel like in the 4th round he's the perfect developmental EDGE to sit behind Orakpo and Morgan for a year.

-6 (17) Rod Taylor, G, Ole Miss

This is the point of the mock draft that I wish we got to actually interview prospects. Taylor was a former five star, started at LT, RT, and G, and moved well during the combine drills, but reportedly has maturity and motivation issues. Being able to interview would make me feel better about taking him here. That being said, based on the information available to me it was worth taking Taylor here. Taylor can come in and back up both guard spots with the potential to take over for either Jones or Spain next season.

-6 (25) Matthew Thomas, ILB, Florida St.

That makes it two former five stars in a row now. Thomas is a very athletic linebacker who also has the smooth movement skills needed for man coverage. While Thomas is athletic and a former high recruit he fell due to his struggles while at FSU. He missed most of his first year with a shoulder injury, 6 games of his 2nd year due to a team rules violation, and his whole third year for academic ineligibility after his mother died. However, he has played almost all of the last two seasons, so hopefully his struggles are behind him. Despite being a fifth-year senior, the mental aspect of his game is underdeveloped due to his missing multiple seasons. This is the point of the draft where I feel comfortable taking these kinds of risks. With the stop gaps I brought in, Thomas will be given the time he needs to develop and will hopefully be able to take over as a starter soon.

-7 (25): Antonio Callaway, WR, Florida

First round on the field, undrafted off it. I figured he'd be worth a shot late to cut line in undrafted market, and I won't be on the hook for too much if we decide to move on quickly. Unlike most late round/undrafted guys who are likely bound for a practice squad spot, Callaway is pretty much on the final roster or cut. We'll be hoping he turns out more like Tyreek Hill and less like DGB.

---

All in all I'm pretty happy with how this draft turned out. I would've liked to have snagged a top ILB at some point, but the way the board fell for me Thomas was the best I got. While he has talent I would've felt more secure with a top talent. I'm happy with my off season though.

Projected 53 man roster:
2-QB: Mariota, Manuel
3-RB: Henry, Lewis, Sims/Fluellen
0-FB: None
6-WR: Davis, Matthews, Taylor, Sharpe, Latimer, Callaway
4-TE: Walker, Smith, Stocker, Supernaw
3-OT: Lewan, Conklin, Kelly
4-G: Jones, Spain, Schwenke, Taylor
1-C: Pouncey
6-DL: Casey, Phillips, Payne, Clayborn, Johnson, Easley
6-EDGE: Orakpo, Morgan, Mingo, Dodd, Armstrong, Wallace
5-LB: Bowman, Woodyard, Brown, Bates/Palmer, Thomas
6-CB: Ryan, Colvin, Jackson, Verrett, Sims, Reed
4-S: Byard, Cyprien, Searcy, Trawick
1-K: Succop
1-P: Kern
1-LS: Brinkley

 

SAINTS GMO RECAP

As most of you know, I was a little late in joining this GMO exercise. I needed to learn, in a hurry, how this process works in this environment and how to do just that. Adding to that mayhem, I really didn't know that much about the Saints. Of course I was aware of a few of their players (Brees, Kamara, etc.) but really needed to figure out fast what their strengths and weaknesses were. The first thing I discovered was that they were in trouble, cap wise, from the git go. They had only about $4.5M in cap space and had already lost two of their own free agents within the first two days of the GMO free agent process.

Through a combination of restructures, releases and trades, I managed to build the cap space up to about $37M. After adding 15 free agents and 9 draft picks, my abbreviated depth chart looks like this;

Bold = Existing Starter
Italics = External FA
Italics = Drafted (Rd-Pick)

OFFENSE
QB: D. Brees, C. Daniel, K. Hogan
RB: A. Kamara, I. Crowell, J. Williams, J. Kelly (5-10)
K. Smith (FB)
WR: M. Thomas, J. Maclin, K. Wright, D. Amendola, A. Carr, T. Lewis
TE: C. Fleener, J. Hill, M. Hoomanawanui, T. Edmonds, A. Ellis
LT: T. Armstead, S. Young
LG: A. Peat, A. Tiller
C: D. Killgore, G. Ikard
RG: L. Warford, J. Fullington
RT: R. Ramczyk, Byron Bell

DEFENSE (4-3)
RDE: C. Jordan, D. Hand (3-27), A. Muhammad
RDT: S. Rankins, J. Meder
LDT: D. McCullers, K. Norton (5-6)
LDE: T. Hendrickson, B Speaks (6-15)
OLB: A.J. Klein, H. Kikaha, J. Holland (5-10)
ILB: M. Teo, S, Skov, N. DeLuca (4-27)
OLB: N. Stupar, C. Robertson, M. Haynes (6-27)
CB: M. Lattimore, P.J. Williams
CB: B. Grimes, D. Harris
CB: D. Breaux, K. Crawley
FS: B. McDougald, M. Williams, Q. Blanding (7-27)
SS: C. Banjo, V. Bell, R. Harrison (1-27)

SPECIAL TEAMS
P: P. O’Donnell
PK: W. Lutz
LS: Z. Wood

Plus, there are a whole gaggle of camp fodder bodies on the roster that aren't shown in the above depth chart (headcount after the draft sits at 84).

At any rate . . . that's where the Saints are at right now and they still have around $14.8M in cap space.

 

LOL everyone is like F U Joe too long.

 

It did take a couple of minutes to go over, lol.

 

Falcons offseason


Most important move = signed Haloti Ngata to replace Dontari Poe. That paid off big time when RicoL8 sniped Da'Ron Payne one pick ahead of me in the draft. I had also signed Brandon Mebane, Phil Taylor (maybe this is the year he's healthy?) and prospect Sealver Siliga to join Grady Jackson and Ngata in the DT group, so I'm set and should be pretty stout against the run.

Other moves = upgraded at FB (Anthony Sherman), added several starting OG candidates to the mix, brought in other QB candidates to compete with Matt Schaub for the backup role, landed an experienced WR coach, added free agents to round out the depth in every group and loaded up with practice squad-eligible prospects.

Draft focus = I'm in "win now" mode, so I filled the roster in free agency and then used the draft to add some players to develop for the future. First rounder Rashaan Evans (LB) is the only likely immediate starter, and even that's not a lock. Adding Evans to the mix creates a domino effect as it allows Vic Beasley to move back to DE on a full time basis (where he led the NFL in sacks in 2016) rather than mostly playing OLB.

The others (CB Anthony Averett, RB Nyheim Hines, TE Dalton Schultz, WR Keke Coutee) will be backups and special teamers in their first seasons. Schultz will likely take the top blocking TE role, while Hines will challenge for KR/PR duty.

I also added an extra 4th round pick for 2019.


Projected lineup:

QB: Matt Ryan
RB: Devonta Freeman / Tevin Coleman
FB: Anthony Sherman
TE: Austin Hooper
WR: Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel
LT: Jake Matthews
LG: Connor McGovern / Ben Garland
C: Alex Mack
RG: Joe Barksdale
RT: Ryan Schraeder

DE: Vic Beasley
DT: Grady Jarrett
DT: Haloti Ngata
DE: Takk McKinley

LB: Rashaan Evans / Duke Riley
LB: Deion Jones
LB: DeVondre Campbell

CB: Desmond Trufant
CB: Robert Alford
CB: Brian Poole / Damontae Kazee
SS: Keanu Neal
FS: Ricardo Allen


I love this lineup, and the depth behind them is solid.

 

You paid too much to get Trey Quinn.

 

It feels so weird even thinking of a camp roster when I have at least half a dozen tough cuts to make lol.

 

So if you want to have a laugh, at least I did, go to 2:30 in the video and he reminds me of Donald Trump.
"That was amazing.... I love that song."

 

Arizona Cardinals

Rd 1(15) - QB: Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
The top of the draft went pretty much how I expected when it came to quarterbacks, which forced me not to make any attempt to trade down in the first or possibly hold off on taking a passer in the second round. Mason Rudolph happens to be at the top of my QB rankings for 2018 so it made it pretty easy to make this selection. I added Sam Bradford, Matt Moore and Chad Henne in free agency, just in case I lost out on taking any of my top 5 passers so with the drafting of Rudolph, Henne would be the odd man out.

Rd 2(15) - CB: Mike Hughes, UCF
Cornerback was a focus for me in the second round. I didn't want to have to reach at pick 15, but I didn't want to spend too much draft capital to move up. I had to force myself to stay patient but it paid off as Hughes ended up being available. Opposite of Patrick Peterson, with Baker and Mathieu still on the roster, a ball hawking Hughes adds another concern for opposing quarterbacks to be aware of.

Rd 3(15) - ILB: Darius Leonard, S. Carolina State
Darius Leonard being available here helped me quickly make my decision on whether or not to go receiver or ILB. Stacking Leonard with Deone Bucannon in the middle gives me the ability to move Haason Reddick to the outside where he can better utilize his pass rushing ability.

Rd 3(33) - WR: J'Mon Moore, Missouri
Having receivers continue to tumble down the board really helped me out in this draft as I never would have expected to find J'Mon Moore at the bottom of the third. Granted, I am higher on him than most but I view his as a premium player at the position in this draft class.

Rd 4(34) - OL: Desmond Harrison, West Georgia
Offensive line is an issue that needed addressed but without many affordable options in free agency, and a limited group of difference makers at the top of the draft, I needed to try and identify viable starting talent in the middle rounds. Harrison has some serious character question marks, but the athletic ability rivals the top picks in this class.

Rd 5(15) - FB: Dimitri Flowers, Oklahoma
With David Johnson coming off of injury I wanted to add some pieces for short yardage situations to lessen his workload. Dimitri Flowers made a living in college out of hurting defenses in a lot of different ways, but his athletic profile does make me pause a bit when projecting him for professional success. I'm taking a shot on him being more football player than athlete with the role of lead blocker in short yardage and a potential pass catching option in play-action.

Rd 7(15) - WR: Jaleel Scott, New Mexico St.
The plan for all 3 of my franchises was to attempt to nab a quality set of developmental mitts late. Jaleel Scott has the type of frame that could make him a solid red zone option or the potential receiver 2 on the outside.

Rd 7(20) - OLB - James Hearns, Louisville
I always have the mindset that if you can add a sliding quality pass rusher late in the draft, even if he profiles as a situational rusher, you pull the trigger. Hearns may have the adequate skill set to be a role player beyond specialist in the defense, but on third and long late in the game when the starters are breathing heavy air, it's always good to have an extra set of fresh legs with an eye for the quarterback.

Rd 7(36) - RB: Jordan Chunn, Troy
The moment I drafted Dimitri Flowers to help in short yardage situations I listed 3 possibilities as late round running backs to select. Jordan Chunn was at the top of the list. With Flowers lead blocking and 'MegaChunn' following him into the line, it will take a lot of contact to bring him down without yielding any positive yardage.

 

I'll try to get some reviews out later.

 

What do I do with my life now?

 

We have hockey and baseball to sooth us and there is always prep for next season work to be done... cheer up! lol

 

Might be some B-ball on

 

Raiders made a splash in free agency signing:
Trevaine Johnson CB

Then the Raiders made a couple of trades:
Kahlil Mack was traded for draft picks and Ahkello Witherspoon (this was more about the poor secondary last year and inability to spend $25 per yr on a defensive end)
Freeing up more cap room the Raiders traded Crabtree for a pick.
Martavis Bryant was brought in to roll joints, coordinate strip club tours and drop passes.
Jihad Ware was let to go pray about his foot/issue back in his hometown of Philly. The Raiders received someone in return.

1.10 Roquan Smith LB Georgia (quick as a bobcat, the undersized LB needs to pack a couple of pounds on his frame)
2.9 Tevan Bryan DT Florida (very good speed and moves well to the bench, when getting spelled)
3.3 Uchenna Nwosu OLB USC (another very fast immature player with upside)
3.8 Rashaad Penny RB San Diego St. (good 1 cut RB with problems going from 2nd gear to 4th)
3.11 R.J McIntosh DT Miami (he is kinda big and doesn't smile much)
4.19 Hecules Mata'afa OLB Washington St. (he is small and quick, but must move from DT to somewhere due to weighing 250)
6.11 Jordon Lasley WR UCLA (he has good wheels, but looks like a stickman)
6.18 Justin Jackson RB Northwestern (he started 4 years at NW)
6.23 Will Richardson OT NC State (great right tackle, multiple red flags for DUI and pot, although I forgive him)
6.36 Kameron Kelly CB San Diego St. (someone has to room with Rashaad Penny)
6.38 Siran Neal S Jacksonville State (Raiders are serious about competition in the secondary)
6.42 Parry Nickerson CB Tulane (Raiders are serious about competition in the secondary)
6.43 Godwin Igwebuike S Northwestern (Raiders are serious about competition in the secondary)
7.10 Peter Kalambayi DE Stanford (Raiders need some help at power point, he went to Stanford)

 

Pick some UDFAs?

 

You rebuilt more than 1/3 of the top 53, loaded the defense with developmental prospects, and still came away with $10 million more in cap space than you had when you started. Whoever buys the team from the Benson estate needs to keep you.