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NFL.com held its second experts league mock draft of the year on Friday, July 19th. The standard scoring league consists of NFL Fantasy LIVE members Dave Dameshek, Elliot Harrison, Michael Fabiano, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Jaime Maggio, Adam Rank, Matt "Money" Smith and Jason Smith. Also in the league are NFL.com fantasy editor Marcas Grant and NFL.com associate fantasy editor John Juhasz. Each owner was required to put together a lineup of one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one flex (RB/WR/TE), one tight end, one kicker and one defense/special teams unit.
*What do our experts think of their draft? Read their personal analysis - **Teams 1-5**, and **Teams 6-10**. *
*Note: To view the entire 15-round mock draft, click here.
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My draft strategy is pretty straightforward -- select running backs and wide receivers in the earlier rounds and wait on a quarterback. The depth at the position is so ridiculous that there's no reason to take a signal-caller before you have at least two running backs and two wide receivers. I also went running back-running back in the first two rounds because I just couldn't pass on Trent Richardson in Round 2. Overall, I wanted to land three running backs and three wide receivers before I even thought about a quarterback. Of course, I also filled all offensive skill positions before I look to land either a kicker or defensive unit.
Did your draft strategy work?
Absolutely. I feel like I'm loaded at running back with Rice, Richardson and a sleeper in Wilson. By taking two running backs first, I did lose out on the chance to grab a wideout like Dez Bryant. However, I'm still looking good at the postion with White, Jackson and Amendola - I also like Britt as a No. 4 wideout with upside. Targeting runners and wideouts didn't hurt me at quarterback either, as Wilson came off the board to me in Round 8. Not bad for a player who scored the ninth-most fantasy points among all signal-callers in 2012.
What was your favorite pick(s)?
I liked getting Richardson in the second round - I was shocked to see him fall to that spot in a PPR league. He's a virtual lock to catch at least 50 passes. I was also able to land Amendola as a No. 3 wideout - he could post low-end No. 1 totals in PPR formats. If Britt and Pitta reach their potential, this team will be sitting pretty.
What pick(s) do you most regret?
If I had one regret, it's that I took Wilson in the eighth round. It's not that I don't like him, it's just that I could have waited even longer at quarterback. That's right, if I had a little bit more patience I could have grabbed Matt Ryan in Round 9 or Tony Romo in Round 10 (as backups)! That is just insane value at the position.
Who drafted the best fantasy team?
I drafted what I think would be a competitive team if this league played out, but I like what Adam Rank did with his team. He is loaded all over the place and getting Shane Vereen late could be a great value. I'm also impressed with Harrison's squad. If DeMarco Murray can stay out of the trainer's room, he'll field quite a nice stable of running backs - including one of my Fantasy Man Crush members, Lamar Miller. He also has depth at quarterback and wide receiver.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
