Bombs and Bombers: A 2001 Draft Analysis
by Rick Reitz
August 28, 2001
It was another fun-filled draft at Todd's home on Sunday, marred only by the mysterious disappearance of rookie league member Terry Hainley (pictured at right). Still, he managed to have a team drafted for him, and did well enough to field a competitive team this season.
To be truthful, most of the teams selected would qualify as "competitive." But that would not make for a fun write-up, so here is an analysis of how each team fared, with input from Steve Seeber to help me out. I have split the teams into four categories: Top Contenders, Middle Contenders, and Non-Contenders. Please respond as you see fit.
TOP CONTENDERS:
Mill Street Bombers: Well, he had three second round picks, so it would have taken a colossal screw up to keep Eric K. from this list. He did a decent job, and now has six players who are arguably third-round or better players. With that kind of potential, you can easily overlook his Matt Hasselbeck selection in the ninth round.
The Fightin' Goobers: Few teams study more than Tom, and once again he showed the results of another strong draft. Really, the only risky pick in his starting lineup is Bubba Franks, but he has tremendous upside, and he is, after all, just a TE. Look for Tom to take in a nice payday at the end of the season.
Grandpa's Meat: His second RB situation is questionable, but grabbing Marshall Faulk as the fourth player overall was a nice start to his day. He has a solid overall team, and the best QB depth in the league. By drafting only one TE this year - and a good one at that - he kept one of his biggest criticisms from last year from resurfacing.
Fear of Clowns: Just barely makes this list, and only because Steve selected this team, primarily because of the selection of Daunte Culpepper. If Culpepper goes down or disappoints, you could probably put the Clowns down with the other clowns. The RBs are question marks with upside, so if two of those fellas step up to the plate, he may have a nice season. This goes to show that losing your second pick overall does not have to devastate your team.
MIDDLE CONTENDERS
Lancaster Raiders: Were basically the other possibility for the top tier, but with having "only" Kurt Warner at QB, question marks at WR, and a weaker defense, he fell to this level. That, and his selection of Darnell Autry in the 16th round. Don't discount Troy, however.
'Roid Ragers: Grabbing Peyton Manning with the 10th pick was a coup, and following up with Corey Dillion is also nice. His WRs are talented guys with the potential to disappoint, however, and Kyle Brady as your TE has, well, never worked in this league. His bench is solid. With a few exceptional performances and a free agent or two, Keith could easily find himself on the leader board.
Brickyard Bullies: In his first season, Dave had an admirable draft. Of course, picking first has its benefits. If Duce Staley is back to full speed, and Brett Favre returns to form, he has built a nice team around Edgerrin James. His WRs are decent, TE has potential, and his defense, well, there are still fine free agent defenses out there. His bench, however, is full of risky picks, and Michael Vick in the 10th round screams of "well, I'd better start thinking about next year."
Ephrata Zephyrs: Could it be that Todd drafted a better team for his co-worker Terry than his own? Early returns are Yes... though not by much. Terry's team has the look of a championship, if it was 1998. In 2001, it could be that too many of these guys are past their prime. Still, it may be unfair to discount these guys, and if Emmitt Smith, Joey Galloway (yep, 2 Cowboys, another minus), and Wesley Walls exceed expectations, we may be witnessing a great team in action.
NON-CONTENDERS
Chico's Bailbonds: Last year's co-champion and 1999's last place team may find itself back on the down side, at least if Todd's feelings toward his team are any indication. More likely, his team is possibly a middle-of-the-pack squad, though in need of some help. Terrell Davis in the third round is risky indeed, but with Jeff Garcia, Eddie George and Isaac Bruce, he could still rack up some points. If his team can remain competitive until 16th round pick Dorsey Levens returns, and if he returns strong, he could find himself among the contenders. We're bettting that that is a long shot.
The Pez: Doug Flutie, Priest Holmes, Jerome Bettis, and Tony Gonzalez as your first round pick. We like Gonzalez, Torry Holt, and Muhammad, but if Doug Flutie is your quarterback, you are going to be in for some long Sunday afternoons. However, we still like Bruce. He's got an MVP personality, and you can't draft that, buddy.
Viagra Big Men: The tone was set when Gary Anderson was named his keeper. Still, while many of his picks seemed to come sooner than their perceived value - and the curious passing on Peyton Manning for Lamar Smith - his team may not be as bad as initially advertised... and certainly not as bad as last year's squad. But in the end, we see Eric finishing in the bottom half of the league this year, unless he can fill some holes through free agency or trades.
The Razorbacks: Stephen Davis and Trent Green got Mike off to a good start. From there, its a bunch of question marks: Tomlinson, Head-trauma Freeman, Returning-From-An-Injury Westbrook, and an early drafting of the Eagles defense (1st on his list; 17th on mine.) Steve is convinced that Mike had the worst draft. I find it hard to argue with him.
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