YFFL.com recently sat down with the Sansone brothers, Bobby and Kevin, to discuss the 2005 YFFL Draft. Did Bri finally get the right running back? Will Alex Smith be a good fit under the Buddies system? And who had the worst draft? Bob and Kev try to seperate fact from fiction:
Did Bear Poop take the right Auburn back?
1. Fact or Fiction, Ronnie Brown was the right choice for Bear Poop.
Bobby: Fiction. The general consensus at YFFL Draft Headquarters was that Cadillac Williams should have gone first overall to the Poop because he is more likely to have a big season than Ronnie Brown. Davidson believes he can compete for the division title in the AFC East this season and if so, Williams would have been a better fit on the Poop. Only time will tell though if it was the right decision.
Kevin: Fiction. Cadillac Williams would have been a better fit for the Poop. When Ricky Williams comes back from suspension for the Dolphins, the Poop will have no full-time legitimate #1 running back. While Brown will receive a good amount of carries, Ricky will steal many every week. Ronnie Brown would have been a better #2 selection for the Brothers, where he would have fit in nicely with William Green and Stephen Davis.
Franchise kicker or wasted pick?
2. Fact or Fiction, the White Guys made a mistake by selecting kicker Mike Nugent in the 2nd round.
Bobby: Fact. The White Guys should have selected a veteran kicker who will be of value immediately such as Ryan Longwell, Jeff Wilkins or Paul Edinger. Nugent will be good eventually but likely not right away. In today's YFFL, it is very unpractical to invest a roster spot or a high draft pick on a young unproven kicker.
Kevin: Fact. Kickers are important, but not that important. Using a second round pick on a rookie kicker is extremely risky...sort of like jumping on a bicycle without the seat on. It's best just to wait until Round 3 or 4 to pick up a kicker. Besides, there are always kickers available in the draft - it is the one position that is not lacking year to year. The only kickers who are probably worth a second round pickup are Vinatieri and Elam.
The steal of the draft?
3. Fact or Fiction, Alex Smith is a good fit for the Buddies.
Bobby: Fact. Alex Smith is a player Mike can store away and watch his value increase over time. I wouldn't even be surprised if he puts him on the IR for the season. With Warner in the crossroads of a brilliant fantasy career and Vick struggling to make the leap to a premier fantasy QB, Smith could be the future of the Buddies.
Kevin: Fact. I love this pick. Kurt Warner is on his last breaths for the Buddies and it still remains to be seen what kind of fantasy impact Michael Vick will have for the Buddies. So why not take Alex Smith and see how he turns out? They are already relatively deep at the skill positions so drafting another RB or WR really didn't seem to be a priority.
Mike Anderson - first rounder?
4. Fact or Fiction, a non-rookie should have been selected in the 1st round.
Bobby: Fiction. I figured someone would jump on the Mike Anderson bandwagon in the first round but no one did. I also thought Travis Taylor, Billy Volek and Kevin Curtis might have gone late in the first round but owners who traditionally favor veterans over rookies like Kev Sansone, Chris Davidson and Jon Kinsman didn't bite. Without a doubt they have noticed the draft strategy of the most successful owners (Steve Dugas, Bobby Sansone and Mike Kinsman) and have mimicked their tendancies to draft rookies with tremendous upside rather than mediocre veterans.
Kevin: Fiction. You could make the argument that Mike Anderson should have been drafted in the first round, but is he really worth a first round pick? Denver running backs come and go all the time. There is no guarantee that he will be a starter past week 5. Last year there were multiple Denver running backs who started a game. That said, the logical first round pick (should he have been drafted in round 1) would have been the Refugees at #16. Aceto could have paired him up with Tatum Bell and been assured to have the starter either way.
Ouch, Steve
5. Fact or Fiction, the Merry Men had the worst draft.
Bobby: Fiction. I'm not sure who had the worst draft but I don't think it was the Merry Men. Sure, Steve slipped and picked a back-up QB who is signed through 2008 in David Gerrard (which Mike will surely remind Steve of all season long) but he also got a starting QB in Trent Dilfer in the 4th round, a dependable kicker in the 5th round and a Week 1 starting RB in Willie Parker in the 2nd round. Let's not forget that Steve traded away his 16th overall pick for Nate Burleson, a player who clearly would have been a Top 6 pick if he were in the draft this year. Steve did what he needed to do to ensure his team is ready for another championship run.
Kevin: Fact. I will sugar coat this "Fact" by pointing out that the Merry Men have a deep team and they really didn't have many holes to fill. With that said, they still had the worst draft. Willie Parker is a nice little pickup, but he is buried at #5 on the depth chart and will probably never start barring major injuries to Alexander, McAllister, Johnson, and Moore. Their second pick, Jacksonville backup David Gerrad, was not only a head scratcher, but was eventually dropped. Pick #64, Trent Dilfer is a decent bye week backup, but Steve better hope he never has to start more than one game. I didn't even know Brad Johnson was still in the NFL, but apparently he is backing up Culpepper. Jason Hanson is a good pickup as a backup kicker.