Draft comments By commish 2018

As always Lou and Family do a great job hosting. Thanks to the Hatzee clan for doing what they do naturally and effortlessly. Watching Lou's family putz around and do what is in their best self interests (to be gracious) is both refreshing and calming reminding us all that “everything is going to be alright”. In today's world that is no small task.

All Leagues have key moments that anchor them to their existence or they simply would cease to be. Ours is the off season. As a full keeper league that rolls from one year to the next with our full 24+ position roster-- the only thing that separates success from either stagnation or outright failure is our off season. We trade, we draft, we expand and contract, we have a full blown preseason competition etc etc.

Over time all things degrade and first and foremost is the passion to pay attention and engage. The off season takes a huge toll on owners that age and have lives that become more sophisticated. So our off season becomes a smaller factor in the lives of many of the owners that would otherwise fully participate if NFL football were to be running.

Last night all picks in the draft were made by a handful of owners that still exhibit a high degree of preparedness and fervor for the exercise. Does this mean that all the owners over the years that have seen their participation decrease are somehow lesser? No, not necessarily. All the math shows that with minimum effort and small strategically placed moves, an owner -reinvigorated during the regular season when passions run high- can easily go 8-6 in this structure and then cross fingers in the play-offs and hope for their name on the trophy. So whats the problem at all then?

The off season for us must be guided in order to maximize effort and attention. It's why we are here. That said: one cannot simply say “pay attention more” to owners that have no incentive to do so. Enter the EO rules from 4 years ago. Last night everything that entered the league has EO24 added to their names and we are starting to come up within a few years of the first EO22 drops becoming important in this League. After listening to conversations last night I fully see the off season very soon becoming re-elevated for all owners as a time when rosters are won and lost. Very soon owners that have retreated behind the looking glass will feel the slow pull to step back through and engage because it will greatly benefit them to do so.

Whats the take away from all this you ask? Well, lots of owners were not there last night and the draft was complete and mistake free. The natural reaction was to assume “well its because d-bags were not here”. However, I believe this is a moment of calm before we see the doors open and many of our good friends will be walk back in. EO22 is right around the corner now and as we get within 2.5 years of that we will see every owner begin to reengage in the off season because they will see the logic of it. I also will not be commenting negatively on any of the owners that were not there last night. For all the reasons that I have just laid out I believe that everyone that was there last night is literally just the most passionate soldiers of a system that is soon to fade away. Gratz to everyone in attendance and I look forward to seeing ALL greedy self serving owners in the very near future.

Now lets go over how the teams in attendance did with what they had in the order of the draft that they attended:

Cohen held out hope that Utter at # 1 would commit a fumble and not take Barkley. He did and so Mr. C went with his perceived next best option of R. Penny (I agree BTW). Co's Pros had nothing but their own picks in their natural order and no trades or moves were made. R. Freeman was next in the second round and I believe this to have been slightly late as he will be the busiest RB this year. J. Washington was also a great pick in the third just based on talent alone. J. Akins waqs right were he should have been and then as usual in all drafts the last rounds became flyers in TE Vannett (I dont like) Giants OL (puke horrible) and Santos (Kicker that could been picked up today or whatever). Overall grade an A- really good first rounds

Trader Bill had 12 picks starting in the second round and used all but the last 2. Jackson at 15 is intriguing to me as he is so gifted and they hate Flacco in the city so much that Jackson might be this years mega sleeper rookie. Godwin and Hines I like but one needs to keep fingers crossed with both so I am agnostic on picking them in the second round. R. Seals-Jones and J. Jackson were same thing but we are getting into the third and forth here so makes more sense. Chargers defense was a monster move mid fourth can't say enough about that pick right there especially this year. Smith and Hanilton are stash hopes and then came the 6^th round. Chicago OL and C. Kelly were both great moves that late. Overall I give the whole thing a solid A late second round and third hurts but man did they make up for it later.

Oh that Ryan. He obviously felt that he needed a QB because he reached way way up and took Darnold at 4. That seemed like crazy town at that position but you have to consider that he did not have a second rounder and again he obviously felt he needs a QB. Followed up in the thrid with C. Keenum (which I like right there) further in the third he took a very very baffling E. St. Brown a late rounder taken by G.B. this one made absolutely no sense to me. The rest of the picks were either way early or just strange outright. So the theme? Ryan gets a QB. Overall Grade C+ sry big man, just to much jigsaw action going on.

The Atomic draft of the decade thanks to a late ditching maneuver by another owner. Oat had 21 picks and used them all some good and some not so good but nothing on the fringes. Almost all 10 of the first picks were solid and should stick on the team: R. Jones, S. Michel, J. Rosen, Goedert, Pettis, Kirk, Clement, Humphries, Rudolph, and Andrews. Andrews and Humphries I am not sure about and Rudolph is going to put roster pressure on Goats hugely. Are there 10 names he can drop from last year right now? Lauletta and a few others are also going to do the same thing. Having 21 picks and then having a very good draft is going to make for an interesting cut down day overall grade A+ see you in Sept. for the Supp round.

Lou is getting rather surgical at this stuff over the years. He made a few slight moves and had 9 picks some natural some not. K. Johnson in the first is the highest talent that went to the worst situation but I like that pick right there at 9. T. Burton in the second was solid and in place. Sutton and Miller may have been late considering recent media. Tank ran empty in the third as Edmonds, Grant, Lafell, Marshall, and Rogers are complete nobody's. Did not end the way it started but man what a start this team had for a few rounds. Overall B+ effortless and surgical.

Josh was indisposed so his mother and sister agonized and crammed and actually came up rather big this year. Gesicki in the first and Ballage in the second sent groans around the patio so they were right where they should have been. Ito Smith was a darling of theirs so they are excited they got him but I dont like it (they actually had him slated as the 3^rd option of their 25^th??) D. Schultz was really nice in the fourth. Remember that the name went in the fourth for future refrence. Lee might turn into something, but Scott and Watson are no ones late. Overall A- for people that have no experience they did well in this viper pit.

Ah the Cellmates, this draft was reload themed. Much was given away to get 5 picks in the first and 4 late rounders left. A. Brown, L. Bell and Z. Ertz and seconds and thirds were all given up in order to attain: D. Guice, N. Chubb, DJ Moore, B. Mayfield, C. Ridley, C. Brate and C. Mcaffrey. Over the next 24 months those two groups should begin to move in opposite directions so how this all panned out will need some time to unravel. Tenn. Def. In the 4^th was vanilla solid and the rest non factors. Overall this was one of the most cerebral moves made by any ownership in a longtime but we don't yet know what the dice roll is going to say. Grade A time will be the ultimate judge.

After trading away some very valuable draft real estate Beckage showed up prepared and actually did well for having 12 picks that were all mostly late. The problem is I don't like very much of it. Gallup (20) Chark (29) T. Smith (36) J. Kelley (42) J. Wilkins (45) Coutte (55) etc etc were all people I would have just skipped outright. SF OL is a good pick but lets face it ...so what High grade for what he got out of the trade and for showing up, low grade for what he did with what was left after he got there. Overall a B something tells me his team will be just fine.

EA was one of the teams that had their natural picks and only their natural picks. Traditionally the SB winner has a tough climb because they pick last in every round and if that's all one has, well, all one can do is try and make chicken salad out of what ya got, so to speak. In the first EA took H. Hurst one of the top ranked Tes and the second one after Savages took Gesiki two picks earlier. I like the Hurst pick and he should be solid for years. Walton, Calloway, and Robinson were all meh, but I suppose thats were they should have went I guess. Scarbough, McCloud and Samuels were all huge duds but again, that what happens when you are taking things that late. Overall not a lot to work with but got one maybe two piks outa the whole thing. Grade B mainly because of situation.

As far as my draft, I am happy with it overall. I gambled on Lamar Jackson being there at 15 and it paid off. He is my No. 1 in this draft class. Happy with Godwin in the mid-second. One year of pro experience under his belt, in a prolific offense. Glaldy take him over rookie WRs not named Moore or Ridley. I'd like the Justin Jackson pick back. Not because of Melvin Gordon - he's an inefficient hump who's fantasy value is strictly tied to volume rather than talent. Truth is I forgot about Ekler being in the mix in LAC whose defense i am VERY happy to have snagged in the late fourth. As for JJ, he's on the bubble.

Drafting a TE in this draft class in the top 20 in this format is silly IMO. Lack of talent in this draft class aside, it takes at least 3 years for a TE to learn the position to get to fantasy relevance. Then after sitting on you you MIGHT get to start him for 4 and then drop him just as he hits his prime pro years. That's just dumb.

Romey had a very solid draft, as did Big Al.Romey selected exactly who I had been targeting at 7 and 9. Chubb is the best long term option at RB - over Penny. Jones, Guice and Michel. and Guice was the pick over Penny so good on Romey for getting him at3 overall. Josh Allen at the top of the second is where he should have went.

As for Al, Penny went too high - poor pass blocker and is easily taken down on arm tackles on a team with a shitty OL. I smell bust in the CJ Prosise mold. Chris Carson anyone? BUT Seattle did invest draft capital with a first rounder so he'll have plenty of opportunity to prove me wrong. Alan did a solid job in filling out his roster.Royce Freeman should not have fallen that far, and kudos Alan for snagging him. He would have been mine but for Lamar Jackson falling.

Sam Darnold at the 4 spot. By far the worst pick of the draft. Arguably the 3rd best QB in this class of lesser talent compared to years prior.Taken as a top three in a league that starts only one for a team that already owns Ben Roethlisberger. Why the rush? In order for Darnold to out perform that kinda draft captial he needs to put up Andrew Luck numbers. Not happening.

E St Brown in the 3rd....lol. Jesus. He's not even a special teamer so he better fucking WOW in camp to get over Cobb Allison and the two rookies selected BEFORE him in this years draft.

Romey nailed it as far as Lou...he's a tactical S.O.B. when it comes to his selections. LaFell is the only selection of Lou's I have an issue with but in the 5th round what the fuck do you have to lose?

As far as Goats...not to bash...but if you hand a guy 20+ darts and he nails 5 bulls eyes does that mean he shot a good game? Kudos to Oat for knowing these are all dart throws and doing his best to secure as many as he could. But an A+ grade...?? Nah.