Chicago Bears

The Bears were the surprise NFC North Champions last season, even with the Super Bowl Champions in their division.  They played exceptionally on defense and even found a balance between the rushing and passing attacks on offense during last regular season.  Unfortunately for Bears fans, they were not able to overcome their mediocre at best offensive line in the playoffs, but this made it clear where their first pick should go.  With the 29^th overall pick, the Bears took Gabe Carimi from Wisconsin to anchor their line for years to come. Carimi is a prototypical right tackle, but might spend a little time playing at guard on this line next season unless the Bears go after any interior lineman in free agency. I also think that he would do well on the left side after he develops as an NFL athlete, but ideally there will be another tackle added to the roster next year that can play the left side.  In round two with the 53^rd overall pick, Chicago selected Stephen Paea who set the Scouting Combine record on the bench press. He is a bit of a developmental prospect with raw athleticism, but he will excel as a one gap run stopper in the middle of the defensive line in the future. His incredible strength will translate to this role in the Bears’ defense that loves to blitz up the middle.  Paea will eat up at least two blockers and should allow pressure by the linebackers through the middle. In round three, the Bears took DB Chris Conte from California.  Conte is an incredibly versatile defensive back that filled in at just about every spot during his time in college before transitioning to safety in his final season.  He will make an immediate impact on special teams and with the veterans on defense to help him develop, he will find a spot somewhere in the starting lineup before too long. I would have liked to see the Bears take an interior offensive lineman that would allow Carimi to play at right tackle, but Paea will be an impact player and clearly the Bears were confident in his abilities. Also, they opted not to take a playmaker at WR. I am not jumping for joy at this draft, but I think they should be running the ball more anyways and there is plenty of free agent talent available at receiver, so all hope is not lost.

My Grade: C+

Detroit Lions

Many people are very big on this year’s draft for the Lions, but I am not one of them.  They added some great players to their team, but ignored their biggest need in the secondary. Prince Amukamara fell past Houston and seemed to be a lock for Detroit who continues to lose games because they cannot contain the big play.  I will admit that I had Fairley higher on my draft board than Prince, but it was because of how well Fairley fits into Tennessee’s defensive scheme and how big of a reach it was for them to take Locker 8th overall. Fairley along with Suh at DT will give the Lions a VERY stout run defense and will obviously make the pass rush more effective, but this is not enough for a secondary that was average at best last season statistically. There were two picks in the second round for Detroit and both were spent on offensive skill positions.  First the Lions selected Titus Young from Boise State.  Young is just 5’1’’ 174 lbs, but he has the speed to be a very impactful deep threat as well as return man.  He is so fast he makes it very difficult for teams to not provide safety help to the corner that is covering him and with Calvin Johnson on the other side of the field, one of these guys will be in man-coverage more often that opposing defenses would like. The second pick in round two for the Lions was spent on Mikel Leshoure who is much better between the tackles than Jahvid Best, who is almost certain to serve as a 3^rd down / change of pace back from here on out.  Passing on Amukamara was a mistake, but they made considerable improvements to their team and stayed true to their draft board.  They won’t get an A from me, but I don’t hate their choices.

My Grade: B+

Green Bay Packers

The Super Bowl Champion Packers had needs on both sides of the line as well as WR and DB.  They were able to address these concerns for the most part in this draft, by selecting someone at each of these positions in the first four rounds with defensive lineman being the only exception.  In the first round, they took Derek Sherrod from Mississippi State. This isn’t a pick that is going to excite too many fans, but he has the versatility to play anywhere on the line, but would ideally be a great RT of the future for the Packers opposite Chad Clifton. In round two the Packers took Randall Cobb from Kentucky, who is a speedy playmaker that could fill in for James Jones, who is looking to enter free agency after his fourth season.  In round three the Packers made what was, to me, a puzzling selection with RB Alex Green from Hawaii.  Green is a big, punishing runner with great hands out of the backfield. To me, the Packers are a passing team with Ryan Grant at RB and James Starks as a change of pace back.  If I was coaching the Packers, Green would just be a goal line back at best… but don’t be surprised if he has a much larger role than this starting in his rookie season. I am not sure how much better they got with this draft, but they filled gaps that will be opened by departing free agents and added depth along both offensive and defensive line.  And after all, they were Super Bowl Champions last year, so they will certainly still be able compete for a chance to repeat next season.

My Grade: B

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings only had two selections in the first three rounds this season and with their first round pick, they made the second most questionable selection in this year’s draft by taking Christian Ponder 12^th overall.  Ponder has a lot of the intangibles that you want to see in a franchise QB and came from a pro-style offense.  It will take the Vikes a little time to adjust their personnel and playbook to suit the quick timing attack that suits Ponder’s strengths, but with great risk comes great reward… so only time will tell how good this pick was. He might be in over his head if he has to start week 1, especially considering the lockout, but there is certainly a nice running back at his disposal to help him move the ball down the field.  In round two the Vikes took the draft’s top Tight End, Kyle Rudolph from Notre Dame.  Rudolph is likely to assume a primarily blocking role and for good reason, he might as well be a tackle… judging by the size of him.  I would have thought the Vikes would look to add a possession receiver or grab an impact player on defense with this pick, but having a TE tandem like Rudolph and Shiancoe can provide one hell of a crutch for a young QB.  Minnesota’s saving grace was that they were able to address areas where they lacked depth with their 6 picks in rounds 6 and 7.  With reaching for Ponder AND ignoring positions of need to take Kyle Rudolph, I can’t grade Minnesota well, but if Ponder becomes a successful NFL QB, I’ll be happy to have been wrong!

My Grade: C

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The Lions are a franchise crawling out of the depths of the worst season in NFL history 2 years ago.  They drafted what appears to be one hell of a Quarterback with their number one pick 2 years ago, Matthew Stafford if your coming late to the party. They had Calvin Johnson during the dark days with Millen and they drafted a running back to suit their new style of offense when they got Jahvid Best.  Word from the motor city is all good about this young prospect and all signs point  to him being the starter straight out of the gates.  I do have concerns still about whether there has been enough improvement to make anyone but Calvin Johnson a fantasy stud, but there is plenty of upside to Jahvid Best and he ends up being in the 20 range in the rankings. Defensively the Lions have more issues and any time the offense struggles the defense will be worn down and exploited.  Despite all the positive steps made towards improving the franchise as a whole, the fantasy options are not quite worth the risk unless they fall on draft day.  Excluding Megatron… of course.

Fantasy Relevant Players

Calvin Johnson – Megatron is a rare talent that often gets overlooked because of where he plays.  As the franchise turns around so will public opinion on this guy.  I am just glad they started to rebound before he was too old to produce.  He is one of my seven top 5 WRs on draft day.

Jahvid Best – To be honest I didn’t know much about this guy in college so on draft day with my money on the line I couldn’t pull the trigger and draft him to be my number 2 RB.  If he fell to where I was looking to take my 3rd I would do it in a heart beat.  I really like Kevin Smith too so I could envision an issue with carries being vultured in the red zone rather than risk it with the rookie.

Matthew Stafford – He is one of the better backup QB options available and obviously a great number 2 if you play in that format.  Keep your expectations low, but he is capable of averaging 15 or so points a week.

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With the first weekend of free agency drawing to a close its time to look at how the moves that have been made so far impact next years Fantasy Football season.  Many big-names have changed teams during this week, and  will shake up next seasons pre-draft rankings quite a bit.  Here are the roster moves made so far during this free agency period that have an impact on fantasy football:

Anquan Boldin traded to Ravens – The biggest move of the free agency period was not a signing, but a trade.  With the addition of Anquan Boldin to the Ravens offense three different players all receive a bump in my rankings; Joe Flacco, Anquan Boldin (shocker!), and Ray Rice.  The biggest weakness of the Ravens last year was balance in the passing game.  They have been lacking a serious play-maker at the wide receiver position, and Flacco’s production was hurt the worst by it.  Mason is getting old and may not be back in a Ravens uniform next year, but with the addition of Stallworth and now Boldin the Ravens will finally have two polished receivers that can stretch the field AND get open over the middle.  The impact on Ray Rice will also be significant, with Boldin on the roster the Ravens will have a balanced offensive attack instead of the Ray Rice show that was last season.  Next year he wont be a surprise, people know what he can do now and without a balanced attack he would be vulnerable to being schemed against.  With game-breaking talent at wide-out defenses will need to respect the deep ball and Rice will remain a top tier back.

Antonio Cromartie traded to the Jets – Another trade tops my list of moves made during free agency week, and yes I know it was the day before but its so significant I’m sneaking it in!  This move will solidify the Jets as my #1 Defense for next season barring some unforeseen incident.  While Cromartie  is certainly no Revis, he is a very gifted player filling the area of biggest need for the Jets already number one ranked defense.  Oh, and the Jets were already first in the league in passing defense last year… 30 yards fewer per game than the number two Bills.

Bears sign Chester Taylor – I am really excited to see what Taylor can do outside the shadow of Adrian Peterson… but I do not think we will know his full potential until at least next year.  The Bears have no picks in the first two rounds, and have an offensive line that could use quite a bit of work.  Good news for the Bears however, this is a VERY deep draft class at offensive line and there is a real chance they could find a diamond in the rough.  Taylor is a very complete back and he will likely take over the primary role leaving Forte to handle third downs.

Lions sign Nate Burleson – Calvin Johnson finally has someone that could pull some double teams away from him… ok not quite. However,  Burleson has 7 years of experience and a fair few left in him.  His veteran leadership and experience at being on mediocre teams could go a long way to helping the Lions on the road to average.  And lets face it, with a tough and talented kid like Stafford at the helm they could get there pretty quick.  Burleson will likely see similar production as he had in his disappointing last season, but he could really help Megatron get open a couple more times per game… and that is certainly a good thing.

Bears sign Julius Peppers – The Bears make my list twice since they needed to use the limited free agent pool as their draft, and lets face it… you cant draft the best pass rushing defensive end and that is what the Bears got in Peppers.  The biggest weakness for the Bears defense last year was… well… their offense.  With Cutler throwing such a large number of interceptions as well as the Bears’ inability to extend drives and provide some rest for their defenders, just about every game the defense was worn out by the fourth quarter and unable to stop much of anything.  Hopefully Taylor and Manumaleuna help to extend drives and give those poor guys a break.  If the Bears find a good lineman or two, their defense could be a top5 fantasy defense again soon.

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