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New York Giants Perfect 2015 Draft

New York Giants Perfect 2015 Draft
Giants Needs OL, DE, S, LB, TE

New York Giants

  1. 9th Overall – No matter how I look at the draft, I cannot see Brandon Scherff falling to the Giants at number 9 overall.  The player I do see falling is either Amari Cooper or DaVante Parker.  If either of these players are there the Giants may have to stick with the best available strategy especially with two teams taking QBs in the top few picks.  The supposed falls of Shane Ray and Randy Gregory make getting Scherff even tougher.  This isn’t ideal, but it’s not the end of the world either.  If Scherff isn’t there I would prefer a trade back to pick La’El Collins, but it’s very doubtful the Giants do that unless they get overwhelmed.  Since this is the perfect draft the Giants DO get Scherff at 9 after teams trade up to grab WRs in front of them.

  2. 40th Overall – The Giants need to address the DE position with JPP not really living up to his talent and the fact that he’s playing on a one year deal.  I see them going with Preston Smith here, but since this is the perfect draft maybe they can wait one more round.  The Giants get lucky in this draft and grab Eric Kendricks from UCLA to man the middle of their defense.

  3. 74th Overall – Preston Smith is long gone at this point, but there are some DE prospects I like in this range for the Giants.  While I would love to see Smith or Mario Edwards fall to here, they more than likely won’t. The best option for the Giants at this spot would be to grab Kendricks’s teammate at UCLA Owamagbe Odighizuwa.  The fall back would be Trey Flowers from Arkansas who would be a very nice addition to the rotation up front.  For now the pick is UCLA’s Odighizuwa.

  4. 108th Overall – The Giants need to address the safety position if they can and their pick at 108 puts them in line to pick a nice prospect here.  While position isn’t deep there are a few bright spots with some upside.  If the Giants can land James Sample of Louisville in the 4th round it would be a steal.  Too much upside with Sample for him to last this long, but in this draft he does.

  5. 144th Overall – The Giants go back to the Safety position as they go with Derron Smith from Fresno State.  Smith is small at only 5’10” but he played really well for Fresno State and showed excellent coverage skills.  If all goes well with the last two picks the Giants could have their future SS and FS in the 4th and 5th rounds.

  6. 186th Overall – The giants really should come away with a young TE as it looks like the JPP of tight ends never took the next step.  I would love if the Giants could have grabbed Jeff Heuerman or Tyler Kroft earlier, but I think they would get a steal with E.J. Bibbs of Iowa State this late in the draft.

  7. 226th Overall – The Giants need another DE and Clemson’s Corey Crawford could fall down draft boards because of his inconsistent tape.  In this perfect draft the Giants land him with their first pick of the seventh round and it would be a steal.

  8. 245th Overall – The Giants take a chance on the best size/speed player available in Justin Cox.  At worst they could try to make Cox a gunner on the punt team and coach him up as he has the size and flashed some cover skills in college.

 

To Recap, The Giants Perfect Draft goes:

  1. Brandon Scherffgametime_200x200_banner

  2. Eric Kendricks

  3. Owamagbe Odighizuwa

  4. James Sample

  5. Derron Smith

  6. E.J. Bibbs

  7. Corey Crawford

  8. Justin Cox

 

Top 30 2015 NFL Draft Prospects

Top 30 2015 NFL Draft Prospects

NFL Draft

        1. Leonard Williams DE USC  –  Williams is a bit of puzzle as far as being the best overall prospect in the 2015 NFL Draft .  Williams plays the run extremely well.  He shows flashes of getting off the ball and wreaking havoc in the backfield.  He has the size and body to be a dominant 3-4 Defensive End or can be a combo type Defensive Lineman in a 4-3.  The big issue is he hasn’t shown enough production rushing the passer for many to think of him as the best player available.  I see the flashes and think he will bring it to another level in the NFL.

        2. Amari Cooper WR Alabama – Cooper has his detractors because of his size (6′ 1″, 211 lbs) and the drops that he showed this past season.  Even with the drops and his lack of ideal Red-Zone threat size, I still absolutely love him.  He explodes in and out of his routes and his top end speed at 4.4 or lower comes so easy.  He makes plays at every level of the passing game and is the type of wide receiver that you shouldn’t sleep on.

        3. Kevin White WR West Virginia – Kevin White has the upside to his game to put him near the top of last year’s all star side receiver class.  Even with that upside I have him just behind Cooper.  The size (6′ 2+” 215 lbs) is ideal and the speed (4.3) is unreal at that size.  In dynasty fantasy football leagues I will be tempted to take his upside over Cooper.

        4. Donte Fowler Jr. DE Florida – Fowler Jr. is a fun football player to watch on tape.  He lined up all over the place at Florida and always seemed to be in the backfield causing problems.  His ideal spot could be in a hybrid defense where he gets to play 4-3 DE and 3-4 OLB.  I doubt he gets past the Redskins at the 5 spot, but if he does there could be teams scrambling to trade up to grab him.

        5. Brandon Scherff OL Iowa – Scherff is a guy that every single offensive line coach in the NFL wants to get his hands on.  You can’t teach a motor and relentlessness that Scherff has.  The only thing keeping him from being the best player in this draft is…his arm length.  The sad thing is it probably won’t even matter with this guy.  He can play anywhere on an Offensive Line right away and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a rookie Pro-Bowler.  He isn’t as technically sound as Zach Martin was coming out of Notre Dame, but he is more physical and has a good enough skill set that he could make the leap as seamlessly.

        6. Jameis Winston QB Florida State – Winston obviously has some baggage, but I won’t even think about that when discussing his Skill Set Rank versus this class.  Winston has a little bit of hitch at the top of throws, but he can make all the throws an NFL QB needs to.  He also is athletic enough when it comes to the position.  He made a lot of poor choices this year (Not even talking off the field)  when throwing and I would love to know what his answers were when NFL position coaches questioned him on it.  He can make plays and hit receivers in the right spot that allows them to continue to run after the catch.

        7. Todd Gurley RB Georgia – Where would he be if he didn’t tear his knee up during the season?  I’m guessing he would be in my top three.  He is the type of running backs that drives GMs nuts, because none of them want to pass on the next Adrian Peterson or Eric Dickerson.  The knee injury is really too bad because I would have loved to see the debate leading up to the draft on where he could land.  Gurley is making my decisions hard when it comes to the overall Dynasty Rookie Ranks as I almost always side with building through wide receivers.

        8. DaVante Parker WR Louisville – Parker had the opportunity to catch balls from Teddy Bridgewater his first few years and that experience had him on the minds of many scouts going into the 2014-15 season. Parker showed his ability to make plays all over the field.  He’s got the body you want to see at almost 6’3″ and 210 lbs.  He’s got the speed as he ran around a 4.4 at the combine.  There really isn’t anything keeping him from being the top wide receiver in the class except the fact that his route running was not quite as polished as Cooper and he isn’t as fast as White.  He’s gonna be a good player and if he lands in the right spot he could have more production than the other two.  We shall see.

        9. Danny Shelton DT Washington – Shelton is a very big man.  (6’2″  340lbs)  He is also lightning quick and stout at the point of attack.  I don’t like taking DT’s in the top 10 who aren’t big time pass rushers, but Shelton definitely should be in the conversation after the top skill players are taken.  His production in the Pac-10 was excellent, especially when you look at his tape versus some of the 3-4 Defensive Ends that could be in the mix when teams look at him as a nose or DT.

        10. Marcus Mariota QB Oregon – Mariota was a heck of a lot of fun to watch play in college.  His accuracy and elite athleticism made him a highlight reel player, but his lack of ideal arm strength and lack of experience in a Pro-Style Offense makes him a bit of a risk.  At worst he’s a better NFL QB than Alex Smith, at best he can possibly work himself into being a top 10 QB in the NFL.  If he ends up on the Eagles he could be a hall of famer. (Obviously that’s hyperbole)

        11. Vic Beasley OLB Clemson – Beasley is a freakish athlete.  At 6’3″ and 246 lbs Beasley possesses that rare speed and ability to get to the QB off of the edge.  He is also extremely strong, but his shortish arms see him have problems using it against Offensive Tackles.  If he can learn how to lengthen his reach by turning his body , ala Trent Cole, he could be a steal for a team.  He can’t just be a speed rusher in the NFL and make a team elite.  He needs to show he can anchor and use counter moves.  I believe he can end up being good at both.

        12. La’El Collins OL LSU – Collins is a guy that a lot of people want to force inside because of the same reason that Scherff isn’t in the top 3 of this draft, his arm length. I’m a believer that arm length does matter at the tackle position, but I have seen a lot of Offensive Tackles play at a Pro Bowl Level with less than 34″ arms.  Collins is an incredible blocker when he gets his hands a defender.  He can run block with the best of them and explodes with his punch.  He has nice footwork in the passing game and shows the ability to reach the second level and cover up defenders.  I personally love him, but he could slip if this last minute story from Adam Schefter turns out to be more about him than the tragedy it contains.

        13.  Melvin Gordon RB Wisconsin – Gordon was electric at the University of Wisconsin, but even he has his detractors.  He didn’t get a ton of work in the passing game and that is probably the only thing dragging some running backs up towards him while slides a bit compared to where we pictured him after his record breaking performances.  He’s fast, he has very good vision, he has strength (have you seen those guns?) and he has that ability to take it to the house when given a crack.  It’s scary to think of him landing in Dallas with that O-Line,but if he does you better have your finger on the trigger come fantasy draft day.

        14. Marcus Peters CB Washington – I know he’s a bit of scary prospect to take high in the first round because of how his college career ended, but man he played really well when you watched him play.  If not for him getting kicked off the team, I think we would see him in the conversation in the bottom single digits.  He can cover, he can run and he really can tackle.

        15.  Shane Ray OLB/DE Missouri – Ray has a high motor and was productive at Missouri, but he could have sen his stock fallen out of the first few days with some very bad news the last few days.  First his foot injury became an issue as teams started to think he may need surgery either now or after the 2015 season and then he got bust for possession of pot the week of the draft.  Decision making like that will not have GMs happy after trying to talk themselves into him despite his underwhelming Speed/Size tests and the fact that he’s a bit of a tweener when it comes to the NFL.  I still like his tape as a pass rusher and he played hard nosed against the run.  I predict the Ravens will get him as value in round 2.

        16. Kevin Johnson CB Wake Forrest – Who knew Wake had a first round talent?  Obviously not me before I went back and studied this kid.  I really liked him after watching him play.  He can cover in press-man/off-man (This was really nice to see as a ton of Pros can’t do this) and zone.  He liked to tackle and made plays when give the chance.  Sure he wasn’t matched up with top tier talent all the time, but he showed up in all the tape.

        17. Andrus Peat OL Stanford – Peat is an enormous man.  He is over 6’6″ tall and weighs around 320lbs.  He has ideal arm length and nice feet for a man his size.  The only issue is he doesn’t have ideal strength yet and needs to be more consistent when it comes to technique and effort.  He has a ton of upside as a big time Left Tackle prospect and at worst will be a good Right Tackle if he can’t hold up on the blind side.

        18. Breshad Perriman WR UCF – Perriman didn’t run at the combine, but he blew everyone away at his pro-day as he was clocked as low as a 4.2 FLAT.  That’s insane at 6’2″ 212 lbs.  He can be more than just a field stretcher as he showed the ability to make contested and circus like catches.  The only issue was his very inconsistent route running and drops.  I was surprised by the drops and inconsistency in his routes given his blood lines, but I think he can definitely be a better version of Torrey Smith in the NFL.

        19. Trae Waynes CB Michigan State – Waynes is a nice ball player.  He is extremely fast and can make up for a lot problems in a secondary with his ability to cover over the top.  He isn’t quite as physical as some of the earlier mentioned corners or looks as natural going after the ball.

        20. Randy Gregory OLB/DE Nebraska – Gregory was firmly in my top five after watching him last year and for a few games this season.  Then I went and watched some tape on some other players and saw Gregory really struggle.  He is just so bad against the run that it makes his pass rushing upside not as attractive.  Obviously the failed drug test at the combine doesn’t help his draft stock, but his low weight at under 230 lbs at over 6’4″ makes his position a tough sell for me.  He’s not fast enough to be an OLB and he’s not physical enough at that weight to be a DE.  I believe he could be a nice hybrid, but only if he gets up into the 250 lbs range.

        21. Arik Armstead DE/DT Oregon – Armstead didn’t make a ton of plays at Oregon, but I think his role in the defense and the lack of depth at Oregon played a big role in that.  I can’t make any excuses for how slow he was off the ball.  That will have to change if he is going to be an impact player in the NFL.  He also has to play lower and get off blocks quicker.  The thing he has is elite size at over 6’7″ and 290+ lbs.  If he can get coached up and wants to be great he could be an unbelievable 3-4 DE.

        22. DJ Humphries OL Florida – Humphries has nice size at over 6’5″ and 300+ lbs and has really nice feet for a left tackle prospect.  When I watched Fowler jr. I made sure to watch Humphries as well, even though Florida had a really rough year on that side of the ball.  Humphries showed me enough to think he can be a nice left tackle in the NFL.  Not top 10 pick type talent, but he has the tools to develop.

        23. Devin Smith WR Ohio State – I know most mock drafts and experts won’t have him over a few other wide receivers that haven’t been mentioned, but Smith has something that they don’t possess. He has the ability to make plays down the field.  He has incredible body control and the ability to adjust and make plays against taller defenders. When I spoke with Matt Harmon he called it his trump card and I believe that skill as well as his excellent Speed and route running will see him contribute right away in the NFL.

        24. Landon Collins S Alabama – Collins is the consensus top safety in the 2015 NFL Draft and I’m on board with that.  He may not have the elite range and make up speed you would like, but he can diagnose and cover very well and is extremely active around the line of scrimmage.  With a lot of teams needing safety help you could see him push up draft boards.

        25. Ereck Flowers OL Miami Florida – Flowers is an extremely powerful Right Tackle prospect.  He wowed the combine with his 37 reps at 225 lbs, but he also left a lot to be desired with his footwork and that showed up when I went back and watched his tape.  He’s slow with his kick steps and tends to turn and play catch up when facing speed rushers.  He’s a bigger version of DJ Fluker and he will immediately upgrade a team’s running game the way Fluker did for San Diego two years ago.  I do not see him being a good option at Guard.  It’s RT or bust for me with Flowers.

        26. Jaelen Strong WR Arizona State – Strong has ideal size and speed for a wide receiver prospect as he’s 6’2+” tall and 215 lbs and he ran a 4.4 forty.  It thought his hands would be bigger from seeing his tape, but 9″ hands is pretty average.  His 42″ vertical is bit better than average.  He’s an outside receiver that will be a top end WR 2 on most NFL teams.  I liked him more and more as I watched him.  Hope he lands in the right spot for fantasy purposes.

        27. Eric Kendricks LB UCLA – Kendricks is the type of player you love to watch on tape.  It looks like he knows what play is coming before you can even tell what the offense is doing.  He’s quicker than fast and can even cover a bit.  I think he’ll be fine in zone coverage and can even play man on RBs.  His size may be a problem if he finds himself chasing huge tight ends down the middle, but I think he’ll make up for it with how he plays in the running game.  Second round steal if he lasts that long.

        28. Cameron Erving C Florida State – I really liked watching Erving run the offensive line from the Center position.  He’s strong and he’s an excellent pass blocker that should be able to go in and start right away.  He is so tall that it feels weird that he can get low and anchor in the middle, but he’s shown at the college level that he can handle it.  With the Guards in the NFL helping with the snap cadence in shot gun I really don’t see any problems.

        29. Malcolm Brown DT Texas – Brown is going to go well before where i have him in my rankings, but that has a lot to do with other positions being deep and DL as a whole being pretty weak.  I like Brown a lot, but he’s not an elite prospect and that makes it tough for me to swallow taking him as mid first rounder.  I think he’s a solid value in the early to mid 20s.

        30. Tie – Nelson Agholor WR USC and Maxx Williams TE Minnesota – Agholor is a player I really like, but just like Marquis Lee last year Agholor was a little inconsistent at USC.  He showed a ton of quickness on tape and looks like he could play inside or outside, but I haven’t been able to get a 3 Cone Drill time on him.  His value in fantasy has the possibility to raise dramatically if he ends up in a great system that will know how to use him.  Maxx Williams is not the perfect tight end at this point.  He’s not a great blocker and he’s not really fast, but he is pretty athletic and catches the ball extremely easily.  His over 10″ hands show up when you watch him pluck the ball out of the air.  His speed and run after the catch ability make him a very nice option for teams that need a tight end to add to their offense.  I could see him go any where from the late teens to the second round, where he would be a steal for a team looking to help their QB.  Imagine a young Derek Carr getting Amari Cooper/Kevin White and Maxx Williams to give him some options.

 

 

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Final 2015 Preseason Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Final 2015 Preseason Fantasy Baseball Rankings

       Better late than never, is what I always say.  In truth I never say that, but here I am making excuses for the last minute reorganization of my 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings.  I found this particular preseason a bit tough when it came to ranking the starting pitchers and closers and I needed to see some of them with my own eyes before settling on where I would be comfortable taking them.  The Phantom-Suspension of Josh Hamilton and the Ervin Santana Steroid bust were just a few of the things that I got to throw into my last ditch rankings.

Miguel Cabrera is a key target in auctions

When you peruse my rankings, you will see I’m a bit high on the top of the Mets rotation and I’m a bit bullish on Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler, and Joc Pederson.  I’m dangerously low on Justin Verlander and Matt Cain, but I don’t think you’ll begrudge me treading lightly on their over-taxed arms.  My biggest issue came when looking at the closer situation for every team.  With Dellin Betances struggling so much in the spring it made taking a Chapman or Holland that much more important to me.  I’m kind of excited about some of the arms behind Sonny Gray in Oakland and hope you can pepper your roster with the Scott Kazmirs and Drew Pomeranzs of the world.


Fantasy Baseball Rankings powered by FantasyPros

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