With the completion of the NFL draft, and all of the pundits grading the NFL general managers, it is now time for EFS General Mangers to finalize their rookie draft boards. I offer my mock first round EFS draft.  This draft is based on 16 team leagues using Enhanced scoring.  

1.1-          Carnell (Cadilac Williams), RB Tampa Bay.  He was not the first RB drafted, but he is in a perfect RB friendly offense.  Pittman is not the answer in Tampa Bay, and although he will not get all the carries, Williams is in a perfect position to win Rookie of the Year.

1.2-          Ronnie Brown, RB Miami.  He is the most talented RB in the group.  He may be the better prospect in the long term, but until Miami fixes their offensive line, Brown will struggle.  He still should rush for over 1,000 yards and that makes him valuable to whoever drafts him. 

1.3-          Cedric Benson, RB Chicago.   He will have competition from Thomas Jones, but the Bears would not have spent the fourth overall pick if they expected him to sit on the bench.  He will split carries and Jones may initially play a bigger role in the passing game, but Benson is the long term answer.

1.4-          JJ Arrington, RB Arizona.  Do not let the fact that he was drafted in the second round sway your opinion of him.  The Cardinals liked him better than Travis Henry, and he rushed for over 2,000 yards in the PAC 10.  Marcel Shipp and Troy Hambrick will not be much competition for Arrington to overcome.

1.5-          Alex Smith, QB San Francisco.  He will struggle as a rookie and take his lumps.  But the 49ers believe in him and he has the physical tools to produce.  He will be a nice backup until he matures as a player and then can become a fantasy starter along the lines of Leftwich or Palmer. 

1.6-          Braylon Edwards, WR Cleveland. Rarely does a rookie WR produce quality fantasy points.  Edwards, however finds himself in a perfect situation.  He goes to Cleveland where they have upgraded the QB and do not have a clear WR1.  Edwards could emerge has the 2005 version of Michael Clayton. 

1.7-          Troy Williamson, WR Minnesota.  His forte is speed.  He will fill the void left by Randy Moss’ departure.  He is no Randy Moss, but with the Vikings still looking to go deep, he can emerge as a big point scorer and produce along the lines of Javon Walker by his second or third year.

1.8-          Thomas Davis, LB/S Carolina.  This pick may be a little high for a player who does not yet have a defined position.  Both safety and LB are two high scoring positions on defense and Davis should score well in either. As a safety will score as well as Troy Polamalu, as a linebacker, he could score like Lance Briggs.

1.9-          Carlos Rogers, CB Washington.  It is always a risk to draft a CB in the first round, but Rogers is in a great position.  He will play opposite Shawn Springs.  Teams will prefer to avoid Springs and will throw early and often at Rogers.  He has the potential to produce a rookie year similar to Dunta Robinson who found himself in similar circumstances last year.

1.10-      Demarcus Ware, LB Dallas.  Bill Parcells compared Ware to Lawrence Taylor.  In the 3-4 he will play rush outside linebacker.  He should compile the sacks and will be a solid OLB.  He will be a faster version of Terrell Suggs.

1.11-      Derrick Johnson, LB Kansas City.  Johnson’s stock dropped some on draft day but he is a freak at OLB.  He is big, fast and strong.  He can play both against the run and pass and will be an every down player.  KC needs the help at LB. Shawn Barber and Scott Fujita scored well for the Chiefs, and Johnson is better than both. 

1.12-      Adam (PacMan) Jones, CB Tennesse.  He is probably the best pure corner of all of the rookies, and he can return kicks.  He will start for the Titans and in the pass happy AFC South, he will be tested by the Colts, Texans and Jags.  He is a little short, but so is Antoine Winfield who every year racks up the points.  

1.13-      Odell Thurman, ILB Cincinnati.  Marvin Lewis is known for his Middle Linebackers.  He had Ray Lewis in Baltimore and will put Thurman in the middle to start the first game.  His rookie year should be comparable to Nick Barnett in Green Bay. 

1.14   Heath Miller, TE Pittsburgh.  Miller has soft hands and runs good routes.  Combined with Pittsburgh’s power running, Miller is a must have for enhanced leagues.

1.15-      Eric Shelton, RB Carolina.  The backfield is pretty crowded in Carolina, but with Stephen Davis showing his age and Deshaun Foster incapable of staying healthy, Coach Fox needed a replacement for Davis.  Shelton is a big bruising power back.  There is some risk that Shelton will play more like Jerome Bettis and not Ron Dayne, but at this stage of the draft, he is worth the risk.

1.16-      Erasmus James, DE Minnesota.  He has some injury concerns, but is a pure pass rusher.  With Kevin Williams and Kenuchi Udeze, teams will not be able to focus on James.  He could record 10-12 sacks as a rookie.

Guys who I like in the second round, but in no particular order:

Aaron Rogers,  Drafting the heir apparent to the Packer offense is

worth a second round pick. 

David Pollack DE: Thought by many to be the best pass rusher

Shawne Merriman LB: Big motor, he could be impact player for San Diego.

Ryan Moats RB: A Brian Westbrook clone.  The Eagles offered Westbrook a one-year deal. In 2006 Moats could be the man in Philly.

Reggie Brown WR: Terrell Owens has one maybe two years left, and then the Brown era begins.

Mark Clayton WR: Great talent, but will play WR2 behind Derrick Mason.

Matt Jones WR: He will be boom or bust, but if you have the opportunity, roll the dice.

Barrett Ruud ILB: Middle Linebackers like RBs, should always be drafted.

Good Luck with your picks

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