The 2016 season is fast upon us and Steve Dugas is back with his first of 43 mock drafts as we all ride the wave of Rotoworld hype. Ezekiel Elliott looks like a slam dunk as the #1 overall pick, but things get murky pretty quickly from there...
Ezekiel Elliott is the consensus (crop) top pick in the 2016 YFFL Draft, but will Mike allow his GM to take him?
1. Chunky Chickens - RB Ezekiel Elliott DAL
Despite the worst record in the YFFL in 2015 (the embargo is finally working!!), the Chickens managed to win the #1 draft pick in the newly formatted Stupor Bowl playoffs by being involved in the very first YFFL playoff game that had to be decided by the tie breaker rules that were created more than a decade ago. The spoils? Elliot, the best RB prospect in this draft and he just happened to land in the best situation possible with the Dallas Cowboys. The Chickens have reportedly turned down an offer of three first round picks for this pick as they try to begin the rebuilding process with their highest draft pick since we were all in college.
2. Burger Buddies - WR Corey Coleman CLE
The Buddies have a tough call with their first pick of the draft. They have a gaping hole at QB with Manning's retirement but I'm not sure any of the QBs available this year are worth grabbing early. Mike has always liked to load up at other positions and then address the QB spot, so I've got him grabbing one of the most talented WRs in this year's draft in Corey Coleman. Sure it will be hard to draft a Brown this high, but Coleman is an electric playmaker and has a clear path to 100 targets. Plus, I have a lot of faith in Hue Jackson. Some will say Josh Gordon is coming back, but I don't really think he is a threat; it wouldn't be surprising if he managed to get suspended again before he even came back.
3. Apple Eaters - WR Sterling Shepard NYG
This pick was an easy call. Kurt loves the Giants and Shepard could very well turn in the best rookie season. He is already anointed the #2 WR on the Giants and he will never see a double team with Beckham Jr. around. I think the Eaters roster would benefit more by drafting two RBs back-to-back, but we just don't have any that are good enough to be going this high.
4. Apple Eaters (via Llamas) - RB Derrick Henry TEN
Kurt must have thoroughly enjoyed watching the much hyped Llamas season go up in smoke as what was expected to be a draft pick in the teens turned into a top 5 pick. The Eaters can afford to reach here and take Henry ahead of some much more talented players as they try to fill a big hole on their roster. Henry is a freight train once he gets going but he has a few hurdles to get over first, such as the Alabama RB curse (that seems to be right on par with the Wisconsin RB curse), the fact Henry that had over 400 carries last season, and finally, will he be quick enough to get out of the backfield or will NFL defenders be too fast for him? Hopefully Henry gets a bunch of preseason snaps to see how he is against players of this caliber.
5. UCornn Huskers - WR Josh Doctson WAS
Josh Doctson, welcome to the 2016 YFFL bandwagon team, destination...Super Bowl 24!! The Huskers look like a team on a mission as we head into the 2016 season and simply take the best player with the best situation left. Doctson is going to be a red zone monster once he hits the field and with Jordan Reed playing when healthy, he will be unlikely to see too many double teams. Wilson, Johnson, Cobb, Parker, Doctson...2016 NFC Champs!!
Can Steve handle a third kid AND a changing of the guard at QB all in one season?
6. Fightin' Mallards - QB Carson Wentz PHL
Is the honeymoon really already over for Matt Ryan?!?! It would appear so. The Mallards, who lost one of the more bizarre fantasy games you will ever see, are finally starting to get over the disappointment of not selecting first and landing Elliott. Sure, they've spent the last 6 months complaining to anyone who will listen that Blair Walsh missed an extra point in his 19 point game, or that Blake Bortles had 24 second half garbage time points, or that they benched Hill against the Broncos for Abdullah and Hill had 2 pts while Abdullah had 48 yards, but let's keep the complaining going. Remember that time I took Calvin Johnson over Adrian Peterson because WRs have longer careers? Oops. Bringing in Wentz signals the start of a new era that is hopefully filled with fewer empty 280 yard box scores than Matt Ryan and this team can finally be the contender they've long pretended to be.
7. High 5'n White Guys - WR Mike Thomas NO
The White Guys have one of the worst position groups in the YFFL in their WR corps. Taking Mike Thomas at the #7 spot begins to fix that. Thomas has been one of the most hyped rookies thus far this summer and if he can come in and replace what Marques Colston was in his prime, the Saints and White Guys will have a steal on their hands.
8. Market Thugs - WR Laquon Treadwell MIN
The 2010 World Champion Thugs sit back and take one of the last clear cut first rounders as they grab a player that has been ranked as high as #2 on many 2016 dynasty rankings sheets. The biggest obstacle Treadwell faces is his noodle armed QB, but where he wins is in his short game. Treadwell joins a crowded WR group on the Thugs but he is definitely the best player left on the board.
9. Mexican Humping Beans - RB Kenneth Dixon BAL
At this point in the draft, we can more or less just start pulling names out of a hat. Perhaps some guys will rise up the draft boards as we get some preseason tape on them. Dixon was a stud in college against some lesser competition and we've seen plenty of smaller school guys have success in the NFL to believe Dixon could follow suit.
10. Bear Poop - TE Hunter Henry SD
Heath Miller has retired and Jacob Tamme is cooked. Grabbing the heir to Antonio Gates could make a lot of sense for Bear. Another option might be to grab Lynch or Goff to groom behind Brady and use Cam Newton to restock the cupboards with players and picks.
Does Hunter Henry have two first names or two last names? It's just one of the many subplots of this year's draft.
11. Asian Orangutangs - QB Jared Goff LA
Goff could go anywhere from #2 to #14 and in this mock draft the skid stops at #11 as the 'Tangs scoop him up. Romo is having a tough time making it more than a month at a time on the field and Tannehill hasn't yet proven that he can carry a YFFL team. Goff is likely going to be held back his first year or two but I would expect Jeff Fisher is fired in the next year or two and Goff will then get a coach that will let him air it out and potentially lead the Orangutangs to glory.
12. Big Boys - WR Tyler Boyd CIN
What do you do when a Bengal on your team defects to another NFL team? You immediately scoop up his replacement! Boyd will never be a high achiever on the measurables that most rookies are judged on, but all he does is produce. Boyd has a sneaky good chance to out perform his draft slot.
13. Memphis Brothers - RB Jordan Howard CHI
The Brothers need some RB depth. Howard plays for the hometown Bears. The dots are easy to connect.
14. Cuban Refugees: QB Paxton Lynch DEN
Aceto can finally towel off after sweating it out while waiting to see if any of the top QB prospects would drop to this late in the draft. Fitzmagic isn't going to last forever for the Refugees and Aceto might finally have his long term answer at QB. However, I also wouldn't rule out the Wolf of Wall Street moving up for one of the other QBs if he really likes one.
15. Snapdragons (via Merry Men) - RB CJ Prosise SEA
Is Prosise the next David Johnson? That's what we are all wondering. I could see him going anywhere from #7 on. For a player that has only played RB for a year, I think the hype is a little over the top for this player, but since Jon lands him late, it's a lock he pans out.
16. Snapdragons - RB Wendall Smallwood PHL
The Dragons have lots of old RBs, so Jon continues to try and get younger at the position. Smallwood could make an early impact with the fragile Ryan Mathews ahead of him.