This past February we once again participated in Athlon Sports' college fantasy football magazine mock draft. You can find the full results here. Over the next few days, I'll be posting some rationale (or lack there of) for my picks.
A few things to keep in mind. First, the draft was done before spring practices were completed and several starting position battles were still up in the air. So you'll notice a few picks that didn't go my way later in the draft. Also, I like to have a little fun with these drafts, be risky and pick some newcomers that are clearly in the sleeper category.
Anyway, on to the picks...
Rounds 1-5 Rounds 6-10 Rounds 11-20 Full Results
Round 6 (Pick 67) - James Franklin, QB, Missouri
At the start of the round we had a bit of a clarification, we'd be starting three QBs instead of two. So you can see a bit of a mad scramble for QB2s in this round. I had it my mind I was taking a QB here anyway. With Missouri's move to the SEC, I didn't have any plans to take Franklin to start the draft. I felt he would go higher than I was willing to take him. But he became more attractive in the 6th. The other QBs on my board could be had later. Franklin will probably ride the pine against Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, but good to go the rest of the season... assuming he fully recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.
Round 7 (Pick 78) - Bryan Bennett, QB, Oregon
Disappointed to see QB Jordan Lynch from Northern Illinois go off the board. Lynch is a guy I was hoping would slide and I could take in the later rounds - a la Collin Klein last year - but no such luck. I'm not surprised to see Lassan be the one to pull the trigger, he knows college fantasy football as well as anyone. With Lynch off the board, I figured I better take another QB. At the time I drafted Bennett, Oregon's spring practice was just getting underway and Brian Kelly had closed practices to the media. Marcus Mariota was a threat, but I assumed Bennett would win the job. After the Ducks' spring game I'm not so sure. This battle is going linger up until opening day, leaving me not as comfortable with this pick as before.
Round 8 (Pick 91) - Christine Michael, RB, Texas A&M
This pick certainly has it's negatives. He's coming off knee surgery, the Aggies are moving to the SEC and they are bringing in a coaching staff that likes to throw the football. One the plus side, he's an NFL talent and you just don't ignore NFL talent whether your an offensive coordinator calling plays or a fantasy owner. The Aggies will run more than some think this fall. Like Franklin, there are SEC matchups to avoid, but there are also plenty of opportunities for him to explode.
Round 9 (Pick 102) - Trey Metoyer, WR, Oklahoma
In round nine I came to the stark realization that this is not a deep WR class and I should of grabbed a solid WR2 much earlier. In order to make up ground, I'm hoping to connect on a couple of sleeper picks, starting with Metoyer. The wait for Metoyer is finally over and he did not disappoint this spring.
Round 10 (Pick 115) - Cobi Hamilton, WR, Arkansas
With the departure of head coach Bobby Petrino, this pick loses some luster. Marquel Wade and Quinta Funderburk also give Tyler Wilson multiple options to throw to, but like Christine Michael, Hamilton is an NFL talent. The offensive philosophy will remain the same and he has an NFL-caliber quarterback throwing him the ball. I'm betting on a breakout year for Hamilton. Phil Steele seems to share my view making him a preseason 2nd team All-American.