9.01 RB Stacey Mack
By
Greg Kellogg of Komments
I felt it imperative I move ahead of Mr.
Hickerson to grab the player, I felt he would grab last round.
Following a trade, I claim RB Stacey
Mack gives me a player that gained over 1000 total yards and
scored 10 TDs last year as a part-time starter.
He even averaged over 4 YPC as Fred Taylor's replacement.
This is the ultimate boom or bust selection. If Taylor stays
healthy for the entire season (sic), Mack will only get limited
opportunities and was a waste of roster space.
However, should Taylor once again suffer injury, Stacey Mack just
may be my best RB. With Mack on board, my four RBs averaged
1,183 Total Yards and 8 TDs last year - all have question marks entering
this season, but if just two of them play up to a year ago, I
should be fine in my backfield.
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9.01 RB Stacey Mack
By Guest Paul Rush
You don't really expect much in the
9th round and selecting a backup RB with a girls name doesn't
sound too promising !
However, this particular
Stacey certainly showed he could play the game last season with
over 1000 combined yards and 10 TDs for the Jags. The question
is will he get the chance to repeat those numbers this season ?
Well the good news for Mr. Kellogg
is that he's backing up the extremely talented but rather
fragile Fred Taylor who has missed nearly 50% of regular games
over the last three seasons (23 out of 48), including 14 last
season. It's an odds on bet that a trivial injury such as an
ingrown toenail or a blister on his little finger may
become season ending for this guy which means Mack could easily
end up being quite a valuable guy.
A pick with plenty of upside.
9.01 RB Stacey Mack
By Guest Mark Horan
After defying convention and incurring the wrath of RB-crazies
like myself, Greg continues to use the later rounds of the draft
to stack his roster with young RBs with upside. After a solid
season replacing the ever injured Freddie T, RB Stacey Mack
certainly fits that profile.
Greg's strategy is high risk, but potentially also high reward.
Building your backfield on the hopes of injury to other players
is extremely risky, but if you were to predict injury, Terrell
Davis and Taylor would be the two guys you would look at first.
Even Freddie T usually gets a handful of games in before he goes
down, though, which could put Greg in a hole early in league
competition. While I think it's a reach to describe this RB
collection as "fine," if Freddie or Edge goes down
again, this team will be very dangerous. If Greg can hang around
early, he could be poised for a serious late season push at a
title. Conversely, if Freddie and Edge stay healthy, with
Moss/Owens at WR, McNair/Green at QB, and Gonzales at TE,
picking up a quality RB via trade is also an option.
9.01 RB Stacey Mack
By Guest Deb DuBois of Fantasy
Insights
RB Stacey Mack in the 9th round? Wow. This is really a good
pick. He proved himself in 2000 by stepping up when Fred
Taylor was injured and although he was hurt last year with that
finger injury, he will be more than ready to compete this year.
Mack makes a great backup to a player that has yet to play a
full season, don't be surprised to see it happen again this
year.
I find it surprising that he wasn't drafted sooner, but you can
bet he will be competing with TAYLOR for the starting job.
Bottom line, a great pick this late in the draft.
RBs are far and few, well, quality ones are, this guy has the
potential to get the job done and has shown in the past he can
step up without missing a beat.
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9.02 TE Freddie Jones
By Emil Kadlec of FF
Pro Forecast
TE Freddie Jones -- who has good size,
speed and hands, but who never developed into the consistent
performer the Chargers expected -- will step in and try to fill a
major hole in Arizona. If nothing else, Jones gives the Cardinals
the most talent they've had here in a while, and coaches expect
him to be reliable in the run game while providing some balance in
the passing game.
It's also worth noting that Jones played last year for offensive
coordinator Norv Turner in a system similar to the Cardinals. Rich
Olson, who completed his first season as Cardinals offensive
coordinator last year, had been Turner's right-hand man with the
Redskins. ... Look for Jones to be an every down player in Arizona
with inconsistent incumbent starter Terry Hardy coming off
shoulder and knee surgeries. There are no bona fide backups on the
roster although converted WR Tywan Mitchell is a receiving threat.
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9.02 TE Freddie Jones
By Guest Mike MacGregor of
Pro Football Analysis.com
After some yahoo decides to take Tony Gonzalez in the 2nd or 3rd
round of your draft, the TE position becomes something of a
necessary evil. Most any guy you take is not likely to put your
team over the top, but completely ignoring the position all
together is troublesome as it puts added pressure on your key
position starters to perform. Grabbing a good talent valued about
the middle of the pack of TEs is probably the best strategy to
implement, and that is just what Emil Kadlec has done here, taking
Freddie Jones early in the 9th round as the 7th TE drafted.
Is Jones a good talent? Yes, absolutely. In his 5 seasons with the
Chargers he averaged 52 receptions for 586 yards and 3.2 TDs. The
fact I am including his rookie season of 41 catches for 505 yards
and 2 TDs in the average speaks volumes for Jones' skill. Few TEs
kick off their career with that much impact on the stats sheet.
Think any of the 6 previously drafted TEs matched Jones' stats in
their rookie seasons? Look it up for interest sake, but the answer
is no (not even Tony G. or Horse-face).
Now, lets get out of the ancient history and turn a little more
into present day. Fortunately, Jones had his best 2 seasons
TD-wise in 2000 and 2001, with 5 and 4 respectively.
Unfortunately, he had the worst reception and yardage totals of
his career in 2001. This is not really a reason for concern
though. Jones suffered from an ankle injury, missed 4 games and
played hurt through the latter part of the season, causing the
decline. These were the first games he missed playing and starting
since 1997.
The bigger question mark on Jones heading into the 2002 season is
how will he respond to his new environment playing for the
perpetually disappointing Cardinals. You may not think much of
Jake Plummer throwing Jones the ball, but it really is a modest
improvement over most of the QBs Jones has had to deal with in his
NFL career in San Diego. I am mildly optimistic about Jones'
prospects with the Cards. He isn't about to blow up for 90 catches
with David Boston around, but he could easily be the 2nd best
receiving option on the team. (Frank Sanders? Puh-lease.) Assuming
the Cards use Jones right, 50 to 60 catches is a reasonable
expectation which should translate into around 600 yards. The
number of TDs is the big swing vote in TE rankings. With that
number of projected catches, he should at least have 4 to 5 and
potentially more if the coaches like calling his number in the red
zone. Early reports indicate the coaches like what they have seen
from him.
Final thoughts: The Chargers should have never let Jones go.
Fantasy wise Jones will finish higher than the 7th ranked TE and
could easily compete for top 3 honors, making him a good value at
this draft spot. There looks to be a noticeable drop-off in TE
talent after this pick. Through 9 rounds Emil Kadlec is assembling
a team to be reckoned with.
|
9.03 TE Chad Lewis
By
Chris Dolfi of FanEx
I traded up the two spots to grab the Philadelphia Eagle I had my
eye on... no, not #3 backup RB Rod "He Hate Me" Smart
(although I almost want to select him for that XFL jersey alone)...
but one of the major cogs in Philadelphia's improving offensive
machine - TE Chad Lewis.
Lewis was high on everyone's list last year after posting a 69
catch, 735 yard year in 2000. In 2001, Lewis seemed to many
to slip a little bit by falling to only 41 catches for 422 yards.
But his fantasy performance didn't really fall off that
dramatically, as he increased his TDs in 2001 to 6 from his 3 of
the previous year.
A legitimate concern fantasy owners might have with Lewis was his
disappearance from several games last year, 4 games in which he
had a total of less than 10 yards. Performances like that
won't win you many owners hearts. Lewis scored 2 TDs in 2
games, but one was against the lack-luster Cowboys early in the
season before they fully gelled and the other was against the
Giants in week 16. (That concern doesn't mean as much in
this scoring system where your best TE will be started for you
automatically.)
Although Lewis' performance did seem to drop off last year, I
think there were some very positive indications that he will have
a bounce-back season in terms of effectiveness.
Lewis was a target in every single game last year. In fact,
he caught at least 1 pass in every game. He's still very
much a part of the Eagles game plan. Additionally,
quarterback Donovan McNabb is still learning how to play in the
NFL. He was asked to hang in the pocket last year and he did
- but didn't always feel the rush coming in time to dump off the
ball to his safety valve, Lewis. He'll get better at it, and
Lewis will reap those rewards.
With 2 new receivers in the fold last year (rookie Freddie
Mitchell and James Thrash acquired from the Redskins), the Eagles
had a TON of three-and-out series which certainly isn't going to
help anyone's numbers, and Lewis suffered along with the rest of
the offense. By the end of the year, the Eagles receiving
corps was working well together and everyone's numbers jumped up -
Lewis included.
Finally, the Eagles really made moves to get Lewis more involved
during the play-offs. He caught 12 passes in 3 play-off
games, along with one TD. The Eagles realize that they are a
better team with Lewis involved so I expect to see a commitment to
getting Lewis the ball in 2002 as well.
I'm happy to get Lewis as the #7 TE in the draft and fill out the
last of my major starting positions.
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9.03 TE Chad Lewis
By Guest Erik Sabadie
Dolfi makes a very solid pick,
nabbing TE Chad Lewis in round 9. The Eagles lack a
hard-nosed goal line RB, especially with the injury to Buckhalter,
so Lewis should get plenty of endzone love this year and easily
match or improve on his 6 TDs from last year. All signs
indicate the Eagles offense is on the rise, so you should expect a
bump in output from the skill positions. Consistency from
the coaching staff and improvement from the players add up to
top-5 TE year for Lewis.
|
9.04 QB Tim Couch
By Duane Cahill of Pitt
Tribune-Review
In perusing the remaining available quarterbacks, I see only
three that I would even consider having on my roster as a backup
-- Couch, Vinny Testaverde and Trent Dilfer. I prefer Couch
slightly over Dilfer and by far over Vinny. Two other owners
(Hickerson, Hansen) who draft between now and my original 9.10
spot also lack backup quarterbacks, and I wanted to ascertain that
I wouldn't be "stuck" with my third choice -- hence the
trade.
Why Tim Couch? First off, there is no Chad Pennington nor
Matt Hasselbeck looking over his shoulder. Barring injury
he's guaranteed to start 16 games.
In examining Couch's career to date, he would appear to be a very
pedestrian quarterback. Last year, he was put into a new
offensive system with Bruce Arians (formerly Peyton Manning's QB
coach) as his offensive coordinator. While Couch struggled
early in the season, he finished strong, going 76-116 (66%) over
the last four games of 2001. That bodes well for the
upcoming year.
In addition, the Browns finally have a bona-fide potential star
running back to keep defenses honest and away from the slow-footed
quarterback. Couch was sacked 50 times last year, as many
teams could afford to put a linebacker up to spy on him. The
threat of a William Green's size and speed will do significantly
more for Couch than James Jackson/Ben Gay/Jamal White could to
keep defenders away from Couch last season.
If Couch were to merely equal his 17 TDs from last season, I would
be receiving equivalent value to his draft position.
I suspect with a year in the new offense, a better running game, a
better set of receivers (KJ, Quincy Morgan, and the newly signed
Chris Sanders) these numbers should improve. I project 22
TDs and 3200 yards.
Based on those numbers, I have Couch rated as my 14th QB overall,
with a slight dropoff to Dilfer, followed by a significant
dropoff. I felt that it was prudent to make the trade up to
get my backup before that drop.
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9.04 QB Tim Couch
By Guest Terry Martin
Everyone pretty much agrees that QB
Tim Couch is not a fantasy QB. however his roster value causes
mixed reviews.
I don't see him as the 14th best choice. Perhaps, he's the 24th.
Any passer with 5 scores in eleven total games needs to earn my
respect prior to his selection.
Call him a 'promising' or 'upcoming' player. Actually, call him
whatever you want. Just don't call his name on draft day.
|
9.05 QB Trent Dilfer
By
Tony Holm of The
Prognosticator
I really wanted Tim Couch here but wasn't able to out bid
other owners above this selection. See my trade analysis for
more details.
Call me nuts but I've always liked the promise in QB Trent Dilfer.
He has great size with 6-4 and 229 pounds, he was a #6 selection
overall in the 1994 draft, has been elected to the Pro Bowl and
has led his team into the playoffs.
Dilfer signed a four-year contract as reward for his play in 2001
with the Seahawks and will be their #1 QB heading into training
camp.
Week 16 at San Diego he passed for 267 yards and 3 TDs, good
enough to be the 5th best fantasy QB that week. Week 17
against the Chiefs he passed for 248 yards and 2 TDs which was
also the 5th best QB performance of the week. Once Dilfer
was handed the role he started to post great fantasy numbers in
this offense. I deem QB rating one of the best indicators of
determining both which direction the player is headed in and how
good he is. Last Yo-Yo season where he was on again off
again as the QB in Seattle, he still managed an impressive 92.0
for a QB rating. Anything over 90 is very good. I've
always wondered what Trent Dilfer could do if he just had
receivers, as I think he is one of those guys that takes a lot of
knocks for events that are out of his control. In Tampa Bay
he had a running system and garbage for receivers. With the
Ravens the story was much the same. Seattle is a whole
different chapter and holds the potential for a hot bed of
statistics. Darrel!
l Jackson and Koren Robinson are going to be two scary guys to
defend this season and Shaun Alexander is going to help get the
team to the goal line, where anything can happen.
Trent Dilfer is looking over his shoulder and with Mike Holmgren
I'm never sure of anything as Matt Hasselbeck may gain favorite
status because he washed the coaches car again. But I know I
drafted the better QB out of the two, now if Mike Holmgren
continues to see it my way, I'll be all set!
I really wanted a QB with upside as my #2 to back up Donovan
McNabb. According to my draft list, Trent Dilfer is the last
QB available that has shown both the skills and the ambition to be
a top QB in the league. He is in a system that will
certainly help him and has a very good supporting cast for the
first time in his career. Trent Dilfer has a lot of upside
and very little down. If he continues to play at the level
he finished the 2001 season at, which I fully expect, he will
certainly contribute to my FAD team, even with Donovan McNabb.
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9.05 QB Trent Dilfer
By Guest Jym Hansen of Komments.com
I just love Trent Dilfer.
He doesn’t miss many games.
I don’t know many players more competitive.
Leadership is his most admirable quality.
How could you have a problem with Dilfer?
If
you were awarded points for wins and field leadership, Dilfer
would be a top 5 QB. However,
you only get points for yards and TDs, he is not so great.
Trent knows how to win the game and get the job done, but
he doesn’t post a ton of stats.
He is the best example of unselfish leadership you can
watch. He will remain
around 15-17 overall this season and any season.
He won’t crack the Top 10, but he won’t be in the
bottom 10 either. Don’t
expect a huge amount out of Dilfer.
As
a backup, he is very reliable and consistent.
You won’t see 3 TD games, but you will at least know that
you can get something from him.
With McNabb as your starter, you should only need him for
one game. I really
like this guy because he is dependable and sturdy.
I don’t like his lack of point production.
You could be in trouble if your starter gets hurt for an
extended amount of time.
9.05 QB Trent Dilfer
By Guest Tony Shek
We all know Dilfer is an unglamorous
pick. Sure, Holmgren wants Hasselblech as his main man and
is dying to prove he wasn't a complete waste. But what are
the alternatives to draft? Brunell, Brad Johnson, Flutie,
Testaverde, or Plummer?? Loads of downside to these here,
so I believe Dilfer is the way to go, even ahead of Couch.
The advantages of Dilfer: 1. improved team around
him. 2. Playmakers at the skill slots in Alexander,
Koren Robinson, and Darrell Jackson, plus signed Engram who
makes a good WR3 and a newly drafted pass catching TE in
Stevens. 3. Coach who loves throwing in the red zone
4. New division with Arizona, SF, and St Louis.
Definitely has lots of chances to throw or have to throw.
5. He is a good complement to McNabb who'll do most of the
scoring anyways. At the end of the season where McNabb
might be rested, Dilfer gets Atlanta, St Louis, and San Diego.
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9.06 TE Ernie Conwell
By Jerome Hickerson of
TalkFootball.com
I was hoping
for TE Frank Wycheck or Freddie Jones here. Oh well.... I
selected Conwell because I don't think it is possible to have
too many cogs in the Rams offensive machine. Conwell's 2001
numbers were not stellar but he did finish 11th in our scoring.
I'm not a
huge fan of making "safe" picks (look at my draft and
I think you can see this) but I felt that this was a point where
a safe pick was in order. The TE position in FAD can only help
you if you get one of the top two or three players. Once those
are gone, the key is to make sure to get a player that won't
hurt you. In the 9th round, Conwell won't hurt me. And in the
explosive offense that he works in, there is plenty of
opportunity that his numbers could increase.
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9.06 TE Ernie Conwell
By Guest Al Lackner of AskTheCommish.Com
With the 6th pick of the 9th round, Hickerson clearly made a
pick of need. With a quality starting QB, a nice looking RB
situation, and depth already at WR, Hickerson had to see that TEs
are coming off the board in a hurry (2 in the 8th round, and
this is the 3rd of the 9th). He decided to select a TE
before the pickings got too slim. The question is, did he select
the right TE?
Last year, TE Ernie Conwell benefited from his chance to show what
he could do at the TE position without Roland Williams around.
Conwell did not disappoint, as he hauled in 38 catches for 431
yards and 4 TDs in only 14 games. He scored another TD on
the ground as well.
Those are not bad numbers, and I'll have to say that I really like
Conwell as an NFL TE. The trouble is that he may be a better
"real" TE than he is a fantasy TE. Indeed, going into
the season, I have a hard time seeing him surpass his 2001
numbers. And the 2001 numbers were not good enough to land him in
the top ten of fantasy TEs. So I'd be hard pressed to make him the
9th selected TE in this draft.
Had I elected to go the TE route here, I may have been more
intrigued by the possibility of the Bills Jay Riemersma or the
Saints David Sloan than Conwell. Still, Conwell is a safe pick --
even if it is not necessarily a great value pick.
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9.07 RB Rickey Watters
By John Hansen of The
Guru Report
Why not? Even if Watters becomes the next Terry Allen - a RB
for hire who gets signed during the season - he's got some serious
value as a guy who can step in and out-play at least half the
starting backs in the league. I'm hoping he somehow lands on
the Saints because there's no doubt in my mind he'd be a better
starter for them than Deuce McAllister. Regardless, Watters
can still play so I think he will play, especially when you
consider all the injuries in the league these days. If he
does start somewhere, he's a heck of a #5 RB.
I thought seriously about all other positions here accept for PK
and DT but I think I'll still be able to address all those the
next 3 rounds.
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9.07 RB Rickey Watters
By Guest Brian Roberson of Dr
Football
Watters is a better running back right now than Emmitt Smith.
That's not to say that Watters was on par with Smith over the past
10 years. But in my opinion, Watters has a skill set better
than that of Emmitt in 2002. Even though he is a free agent
waiting for a team to pony up some dough, Watters will be very
productive once he's signed.
The guy can catch the ball and he's not afraid to carry between
the tackles. And for all of you out there that really think
Watters will be retiring rather than suiting up in '02, just
remember this. He's not the most qualified guy to be in the
broadcast booth. He makes my All-Interview team right along
side Rickey Henderson, Evander Holyfield, and Jason White
Chocolate Williams. In other words, stick to carrying the
rock Ricky...at least for another year.
|
9.08 WR Travis Taylor
By Chris Rito of FF
Mastermind
and Carlos Panizo of STATS,
Inc.
For all those staunch believers in the "3rd-year WR
breakout" theory, this pick is right up your alley! While WR
Travis Taylor has only shown erratic flashes of brilliance in his
first two years in the NFL, it has been enough to tell us that
this kid can play. What a tremendous athlete! Yeah, he only has 70
catches in his 20 starts (24 games) but he has looked great doing
that.
This year the Ravens will also have to rely on Taylor a lot more
than in the past. First, the defense is being totally retooled and
they will no longer be able to rely on a
"3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust" offense. While they will
certainly feature Jamal Lewis (if they can), the weakening of the
defense will force them to put the ball in the air more in 2002.
Secondly, the Ravens have lost their top two receivers from the
recent years, as Qadry Ismail is "manning" the WR#2 slot
in Indy (groan) and Shannon Sharpe has returned to the Rocky
Mountains to finish his career. The only other WR with any
significant experience is Brandon Stokely, and he is not a feature
WR caliber guy. Finally, the young QB will need a solid and
trusted target out wide, and the 6'1" 200lb Taylor fits the
bill.
We expect Taylor to really come into his own in 2002. He was
drafted this high in the last two previous FAD's, and with the
augmenting factors in his favor this year, we feel he is a worthy
risk at this point in the draft, especially with two established
and consistent veteran WRs already on the roster. This will be a
classic middle-round, risk/reward pick that would make us a real
FAD title contender if it pans out as expected.
|
9.08 WR Travis Taylor
By Guest Richard Harris of BTGSports.com
WR Travis Taylor, the 10th overall
selection of the 2000 draft, has been a disappointment thus far.
In his first two seasons in the league, he has less than 900 total
receiving yards. The positives are that young receivers
often blossom in their third and fourth seasons, and as the
Baltimore roster stands, Taylor should be the team's No. 1
receiver. However, the Ravens have been gutted by offseason
moves designed to create salary-cap room, and his supporting cast,
including the unproven third-year QB Chris Redman, is less than
optimal to say the least. In addition, the club is trying to
sign a veteran free agent wideout, with Antonio Freeman being at
the top of the wish list.
If the team goes into the season with its current set of wideouts
and Taylor stays healthy, he should have a fair amount of success,
finishing with roughly 900-1,000 yards and 6-8 touchdowns.
On the other hand, if the Ravens add Freeman or another
experienced receiver, such as Keenan McCardell or Michael
Westbrook, Taylor's fantasy value would likely be marginal.
|
9.09 WR Joey Galloway
By
Shannon O'Leary of FanEx
This pick is pretty much just a gut
feeling. Hopefully it's not the two breakfast burritos I just had.
WR Joey Galloway has not performed for a few years now. First he
held out with the Seahawks, and then he moved to the Cowboys. You
really can't expect much from a receiver who changes teams for a
couple of years.
Galloway has plenty of speed and talent. He just has to keep his
head on strait and get the opportunities to score. One thing of
great concern is the quarterback situation in Dallas.
I decided to overlook this as I couldn't name a stud QB that had
thrown to Galloway in Seattle. If he can pull it together, then
900-1000 yds are quite possible. Hopefully he will also add
between 7 and 10 TDs.
I was looking at Galloway and about 4 other receivers at the 9:01.
Travis Taylor was one of them. Looking back I am glad I made the trade
with Kellogg and still got one of the guys I was looking at.
|
9.09 WR Joey Galloway
By Terry Martin
I like this selection for a
different reason than most. Actually, I like what Shannon did here
more than the player he claimed. The FanEx member took a bold
step with selecting an fairly unpopular player as his WR3. While
Galloway could easily out do the prior half dozen WRs
taken, he is not expected to.. except by the drafter.
The reason so many of us view this draft is to get analysis and alternate ideas
on when and why to draft a guy. It's a plus to know that someone
likes this Cowboy and values him on his roster.
|
9.10 QB Mark Brunnell
By David Dodds of Footballguys.com
If you had the choice between paying equal value between the
following two players, who would you choose?
Player A:
3,828 pass yds, 27 pass TDs
231 rush yards, 2 rush TDs
Player B:
4,069 pass yds, 27 pass TDs
445 rush yds, 7 rush TDs
This is a no-brainer right? Player B regardless of scoring
system is clearly the better player besting Player A in every
category except passing TDs (tied him).
With the selection of Mark Brunell, we just landed player B.
Do I think Mark will pass for over 4,000 yards. No way.
But Kordell Stewart, Jay Fiedler and Mark Brunell combined did
just that last season. In fact they put up Player B's
numbers after choosing their best games collectively.
Using the pick value calculator at Footballguys.com, the value of
picks 8.01, 8.09 and 9.10 = the value of the QB closest to the
4.09 pick. That Player is Rich Gannon selected at 5.03.
And his stats? Why he is Player A of course.
In Stewart, Fiedler and Brunell I get three QBs not in danger of
losing their respective jobs. I also get three players that
tend to have a few big games each year and are generally
considered erratic as fantasy scorers.
But together I get a player likely better than Rich Gannon and
with substantially less injury risk. This was my strategy
going into this draft and it has fallen into place quite nicely.
My strategy to trade down in this round netted me the player I
wanted (after I lost the chance to get Freddie Jones or Chad Lewis)
and secured me an additional pick in the 12th round too.
|
9.10 QB Mark Brunnell
By Guest Jym Hansen of Komments.com
If you doubt QBs Stewart or Fiedler, you
have a good backup. Many
may be wondering how the hyped Brunell could fall this far.
He is in the right place.
When you examine Brunell, you find two things.
He is a streaky player.
He will play lights out for three games at the beginning of
every season. It is a
roller coaster ride from there out.
The second is injuries.
This is not the guy you want as your starter.
However, Dodds picked up a good backup.
Trading
down netted a great result. Erratic
is an understatement for Brunell.
He is up and down and injured much of the time.
This is the place to risk a pick or two.
Brunell will not pass like he used to and will be hurt more
this season. He is
not a player that comes without baggage, but when he is three deep
you can’t argue that. |
9.11 WR Peerless Price
By William Del Pilar | Ryan Bonini of KFFL
We traded back with several players in
mind that we felt would fall to us at this position and were
delighted to see our top rated wide receiver (WRs still left)
still on the board. Bills’ WR Peerless Price was still on the
board as expected as well as some of the other players we had
targeted. In essence, our earlier wheeling-and-dealing is playing
out as we had hoped ... at least for now.
Price is entering his fourth-year in the NFL, which is a time
period where many receivers have their “break out” seasons
(years 3/4). Price started to make strides in that direction last
year, with 55 receptions for 895 yards and 7 TDs, positioning him
in the top-25 of FAD scoring and actually ahead of No. 1 Bills
receiver Eric Moulds. This was accomplished on a very bad Buffalo
team that had musical QBs most of the season. This year, Price is
going to be on a much better team with stability at quarterback in
new Bills’ starter Drew Bledsoe.
While Eric Moulds gets all of the attention in Buffalo based off
of past seasons, Price quietly continues to improve each season.
He’s improved in almost every category each of the past three
years, with his receptions, yardage and touchdowns continuing to
go up. With Bledsoe entering into the picture, Price will have
just as good of a chance to become his favorite receiver as Moulds
does because both receivers are new to Bledsoe and the Bills are
now working in a new offense under Kevin Gilbride’s direction.
Furthermore, Price is entering the final year of his contract with
the team and will be looking to cash in at the end of the season.
While the Bills drafted WR Josh Reed earlier this year, Reed is
going to take some time to pick up the NFL game and won't
realistically have a chance to push for a starting job this
season. History bears this out with rookie wideouts but when you
factor in the type of offensive schemes, coordinator Kevin
Gilbride uses and it's a high learning curve for rookie wideouts.
Price (5’11”, 190 lbs.) doesn't have great size but is
becoming a very steady playmaker in the Buffalo offense. In 2001,
he had three games with better than 100-yards receiving and found
the end zone in 7 of 16 games (44%). Playing in the
split-end receiver position, he not only has the ability to go
deep, he can also work the intermediate to longer routes over the
middle and on the sidelines. While Moulds’ production has
declined, he still typically lands the opponent’s best cover
corner, allowing Price to work in one-on-one coverage.
Furthermore, the Bills’ new offensive scheme will allow them to
take pressure off of Price through double tight end sets, which
forces opposing secondaries to commit extra safety help. Also, FB
Larry Centers always deserves a lot of attention in the flats as
well. In his fourth-year, Price should be ready to take his game
to the next level and having single coverage will only better his
chances.
At this point in the draft, we wanted to add our No. 3 receiver as
an upside-loaded, yet somewhat proven, weapon. We feel we found
that in Price and feel our key positions have been filled and are
now willing to look at depth and riskier picks in order to protect
our starters and find that hidden gem.
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9.11 WR Peerless Price
By Guest Craig Brye
Having reached the portion of the
draft where most teams are selecting boom or bust choices and
still several rounds away from beginning a serious kicker or
defense run, WR Peerless Price has to be viewed as a spectacular
pick.
It is my guess that Price will fall much further in drafts than he
should and my firm belief that he will make people wish they
jumped on him sooner. The bottom line is this guy just
doesn't get the respect he deserves.
In three years in the league, his production has increased in all
major categories each year including a 55-catch/895 yds/7 td
season last year and saw his YPC average jump to 16.3.
That's pretty darn good numbers for a #3 WR! To give you an
idea of the disparity in respect for Price's production, Eric
Moulds only had 12 more receptions, 9 (that's not a typo) more
yards, two LESS touchdowns and a lower YPC average than Price and
Moulds went in the 4th round! This was all done with stiffs
like Rob Johnson and Alex Van Pelt throwing the pill. Now we
have Drew Bledsoe behind center and we all know he's not afraid of
the deep ball.
I don't think he's on the verge of a breakout season, he had that
last year. You know what kind of steady production you're
going to get from Price and the Bills have made moves that can
only add to his upside. When you look at the players
selected before Price going all the way back to the beginning of
round 7 such as Galloway, Taylor, Alexander, Ward, Ismail,
Gardner, Conway and Muhammad, you'd be hard pressed to say with
confidence any one of them is going to outperform Price. As
I write this I'm beginning to see Peerless Price at 9.11 for what
he truly is...a STEAL.
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9.12 WR Koren Robinson
By Emil Kadlec of FF
Pro Forecast
Seahawk coach Mike Holmgren is convinced that WR Koren
Robinson will quickly establish himself as the kind of weapon the
coach envisioned before making the former N.C. State star a
first-round draft pick last April.
"He's a very talented you man who came into camp last year
with a big hamstring problem and never got his legs underneath him
so he couldn't show everyone the way he can play," Holmgren
recently explained. "He came into mini-camp this year on
fire. He really needed to let it heal and rest it and he really
came in on fire. ..." In addition to hamstring problems,
Robinson also battled maturity problems at times. "He was the
youngest guy in the draft last year and I wanted to keep in the
lineup last year to give him an extra year to mature," said
Holmgren. "I think he'll bust out this year and if he does,
he'll be a special player."
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9.12 WR Koren Robinson
By Guest Mike Krueger of FFToday.com
The decision by Mike Holmgren to go with Trent Dilfer as his
starting QB should help 2nd-year wideout Koren Robinson elevate
his game. Young receivers having to cope with a revolving door at
Quarterback typically leads to fantasy mediocrity and Robinson fit
the profile during his rookie season... 39 catches, 536 yds and 1
TD.
Also, Seattle has established an identity running the ball with
Shaun Alexander and he will continue be option number one for the
Holmgren offense. This should help keep the pressure of the
passing game allowing #1 WR Darrell Jackson and Robinson to
further establish themselves in the offense. Jackson will continue
to get the majority of looks but with another year of maturity and
stability at the QB position, Robinson should improve on his
numbers from a year ago... possibly into the 700-yd, 5 TD range,
giving Emil a viable option during bye weeks or a nice replacement
should an injury occur to Keyshawn or Chambers.
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