Footballguys Staff Mock Draft 11, 12 team IDP, PPR

On August 12th, the Footballguys staff combined with three other IDP writers in the industry completed a 12-team 32-round IDP, PPR mock draft. Below are the league's scoring and bylaws. Our Aaron Rudnicki provides an unbiased summary of each team's picks and strategies. 

League Parameters

• 12 teams
• 32 roster spots
• Starting Lineup
• 1 quarterback
• 2 running backs
• 3 wide receivers
• 1 tight end
• 1 offensive flex (running back, wide receiver, or tight end)
• 1 defensive tackle
• 2 defensive ends
• 3 linebackers
• 2 cornerbacks
• 2 safeties
• 1 defensive flex (defensive tackle, linebacker, cornerback or safety)

League Scoring

• Offensive Players
• 4 points - passing touchdown
• 6 points - rushing/receiving touchdown
• 1 point - reception
• 0.04 points - passing yard
• 0.1 points - rushing/receiving yard
• Individual Defensive Players
• 10 points - safety
• 6 points - defensive or return touchdown
• 6 points - blocked field goal
• 6 points - blocked punt
• 6 points - blocked extra point
• 5 points - sack
• 4 points - defensive interception
• 3 points - fumble recovery
• 3 points - forced fumble
• 2 points - tackle
• 1 point - assist
• 2 points - pass defensed

The Draft Order

The draft order was randomly generated. After the first round, the draft continues in a regular serpentine manner. Click here for the Full Draft, pick by pick or Rosters - Grid View

1. Jeff Haseley
2. Maurile Tremblay
3. John Norton
4. Matt Bitonti
5. Mike Woellert of 4for4.com
6. Daniel Simpkins
7. Darin Tietgen
8. Justin Howe
9. Alex Miglio
10. B.J. Vanderwoude
11. Bee Salamat of fake pigskin.com
12. Eric Olinger of dynastyleaguefootball.com 

Starting with Jeff Haseley from the 1.01 spot, we will go over each person's selections in the mock draft.

Jeff haseley - SLOT 1

overview

Best Pick(s): Benardrick McKinney, LB, HOU (8.12)
Jeff grabbed an elite LB in Kwon Alexander early in the draft but followed that up with another LB1 type when he landed McKinney at the end of round 8 as the 16th linebacker off the board. He finished just outside the top-10 last year and proved that he's not just a 2-down run stopper. With limited competition for tackles in Houston, he should remain highly productive and give this team the best LB1/LB2 combination in the league.

Worst Pick(s): Haason Reddick, LB, ARI (12.12)
While Reddick has some exciting potential, taking him as the 28th linebacker off the board in round 12 feels a bit early to me. He already had 2 anchors at linebacker and the position is among the deepest in the draft, so I think he may have been better off looking for a WR4 or DE2 here.

Evaluation: It's hard not to like a team that starts off with David Johnson, but I think Jeff made strong selections throughout and took advantage of his draft slot. He wisely waited at QB and RB2 and managed to put together one of the best collections of IDPs in the league. Found some nice value late in the draft too with picks like S Sean Davis (21st round), Cliff Avril (24th round) that could certainly wind up contributing as every-week starters.

maurile tremblay - slot 2

overview

Best Pick(s): Trey Flowers, DE, NE (13.02)
Maurile landed a pretty safe DE1 late in round 8 with Melvin Ingram and managed to find a very comparable player in Flowers in round 13. The DE position has historically lacked depth, and there is generally a steep drop off at some point after the top players are taken so it's a good idea to take two strong starters relatively early. The position feels a bit deeper than usual this year, but Flowers is a strong breakout candidate after posting 7 sacks in the second half of 2016 and then adding 2.5 sacks in the Super Bowl. With one of the best CB tandems in the league and the loss of any strong competition for playing time, Flowers should see heavy playing time and post top-12 numbers at the position.

Worst Pick(s): Jadeveon Clowney, LB, HOU (12.11)
Clowney is one of those players whose value is determined heavily by his position designation. If he was considered a defensive end he'd warrant a very high selection, but as a linebacker, he's just not particularly valuable. In this particular example it appears Clowney is classified as a linebacker, so taking him as the 27th linebacker off the board feels quite early. With two strong starters already landed at LB in Sean Lee and Zach Brown, I think he may have been better off looking for a RB3 here like Paul Perkins or even a TE2 given the health concerns for Jordan Reed.

Evaluation: When I look at this roster, I see some potential holes that could have been addressed in the draft. For example, the Jets tandem of Matt Forte and Bilal Powell feels risky as a RB2 committee since they figure to split carries on a bad team. Doug Martin could solve the problem eventually but will be unavailable for the first 3 or 4 weeks at least. I'd have some concerns at TE too since Jordan Reed and Julius Thomas aren't particularly reliable. The IDPs look very strong to me, however, and therefore I'd expect this team to be playoff caliber.

john norton - slot 3

overview

Best Pick(s): Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, NYG (6.10)
John already grabbed an elite DE when he took Danielle Hunter with his 5.03 pick, but I loved the move to follow that up with another stud in round 6. Following his injury, Pierre-Paul no longer has huge sack upside but he was regularly seeing 70+ snaps per game last year and that should give him one of the highest floors in the league. While an argument could be made that the defensive end position doesn't score enough in this format to spend two high picks on it, I think positional scarcity warrants it.

Worst Pick(s): Myles Jack, LB, JAX (10.10)
Jack is certainly a talented player with plenty of upside, but I think drafting him at this point was somewhat optimistic. While the news broke since this draft was held, it now appears he is being moved from MLB back to the strongside where he played last year following a disappointing showing in the preseason opener. He will still be a 3-down linebacker and calling the plays for the defense, but we should expect some growing pains for a young player who is still trying to acclimate and he will have to compete with Telvin Smith, Paul Posluszny, and Barry Church for tackles in a defense that should spend less time on the field this year. I think this team may have been better served taking a WR3 here or even a safer LB choice like Zach Brown.

Evaluation: With the suspension news dropping on Friday, Norton took the plunge on Ezekiel Elliott late in the 2nd round which feels about right. In an IDP league, you can build enough depth at the position and elsewhere to offset those weeks, and then being able to pair him with Antonio Brown late in the year will be tough for any team to beat. I see studs at almost every position, but have some concerns about the depth at WR, TE, and LB.

Matt Bitonti - Slot 4

Overview

Best Pick(s): Cameron Jordan, DE, NO (11.04)
Matt waited longer than most teams to grab his DE1, but Jordan represented nice value as the 12th player off the board at his position. He hit 10 sacks in 2015 and 40 solo tackles in 2016, so he has a proven track record and should provide a reliable baseline at one of the DE spots each week.

Worst Pick(s): Telvin Smith, LB, JAX (9.04)
This feels like the right time for a player like Smith to have gone and he probably winds up as the top LB3 in the league, but I'm not sure it was wise to grab a 3rd linebacker before a RB3 or DE1. The linebacker position is high scoring so it does make sense to load up there when possible, but it's also a fairly deep position so you don't see the same drop off in scoring that you will for other positions. Ameer Abdullah went with the next pick and would have provided some needed insurance behind Carlos Hyde, while a comparable LB3 could have likely been found in the next few rounds. Also not crazy about LB Stephone Anthony at 23.04 given that he was benched a year ago and may no longer be in the team's long-term plans.

Evaluation: This team is set up well on offense as long as Todd Gurley and Carlos Hyde stay healthy and play up to expectations, but I'm concerned about the lack of depth behind them (unless Samaje Perine hits). The rest of the team looks very strong, particularly at key positions like WR and LB, so I'd think this team should be in the mix for a playoff spot.

Mike Woellert - Slot 5

Overview

Best Pick(s): Damon Harrison, DT, NYG (16.08)
While the DT position doesn't tend to have huge importance in IDP leagues, it's a very shallow position with only a handful of players you want to rely on for consistent weekly production. Harrison led all DTs in points last year in his first year with the Giants so we can probably expect a lot more of the same in 2017. Getting him 8 rounds after Ndamukong Suh went looks like a great value, although that's mostly because Suh was a reach.

Worst Pick(s): Antoine Bethea, S, ARI (18.08)
Obviously, Bethea has been a very productive safety throughout his long career, but he's 33 years old and looking to fit into a new system. The Cardinals team is much better than the 49ers team he came from, so I'm expecting a significant drop-off in his production. He's likely to take over the role vacated by Tony Jefferson, who did finish as a top-10 safety but was also helped by some big plays that the older slower Bethea is unlikely to make. Given that he was only the 18th safety off the board, I wouldn't say he was taken too high but I think perhaps this team waited too long to address the position.

Evaluation: I love the way this team started off the draft by building a strong core at RB and WR in the first 5 picks before grabbing a couple of IDP studs at the two most important positions (LB, DE). That balanced start allowed him to look for any values that presented themselves, and the next handful of picks were used on promising young players with lots of upside at their positions. The only potential hole I see on this team is at TE (C.J. Fiedorowicz and Jesse James are likely a below-average pairing), but I also have concerns over the lack of quality depth at DE and S. I'm not sure there's enough high-end talent throughout the roster, but this feels like a balanced team that will be a tough out each week.

Daniel Simpkins - Slot 6

overview

Best Pick(s): Lawrence Timmons, LB, MIA (14.07)
Timmons feels like a great pick at that point in the draft to me, and I think a case could be made that he should have gone quite a bit earlier. Sure, he's leaving the familiar surroundings of the Steelers, but he's locked into a 3-down role in Miami and unlikely to face much competition for tackles from Kiko Alonso who faded noticeably in the second half of 2016. I also thought DE Ezekiel Ansah was a nice value in the 15th round, which helped make up for the fact that this team waited longer than anybody to address that position.

Worst Pick(s): Christian Kirksey, LB, CLE (7.06)
I have serious concerns about Kirksey being able to replicate what he did a year ago when he posted 94 solos and 50 assists. The team added Jamie Collins mid-season last year, but he has a long history of production from his time in New England and should eat into those tackle numbers. I think at that point in the draft (3 LBs had gone in the prior 4 picks), it might have been better to change things up and look at another position as the linebackers available in the next few rounds were likely just as good.

Evaluation: With 3 of the first 4 picks spent on RB, this team will likely go as far as those players will carry it, but the Derrick Henry pick in round 10 also helps lock up that strong Titans ground game. I'd be concerned about the QBs you will need to rely on regularly for the WR2, WR3, and WR4 on this team to be productive. There's no need to spend heavy capital on the DT position, but I would feel better about adding a 2nd option besides 34-year-old Kyle Williams. The linebackers are solid and deep, but I don't have a great outlook on any of the safeties here. Given the uncertainty at that position as well as DE, I would have recommended spending some higher picks at those positions. I think this team's lack of balanced depth would be tough to overcome.

Darin Tietgen - Slot 7

overview

Best Pick(s): Preston Brown, LB, BUF (16.06)
Brown was underrated during the offseason as there were reports that he was likely to be cut and replaced by Reggie Ragland. The way things have gone in camp thus far, however, suggests he's locked into a full-time job at MLB on a defense that could have some trouble getting off the field. The outside linebackers and safeties don't appear to pose any significant competition for tackles, so Brown could be in line for some big numbers playing in front of a very generous stat crew.

Worst Pick(s): Kiko Alonso, LB, MIA (11.07)
Alonso is a good linebacker, but he benefited from a lack of competition in Miami last year as the Dolphins lost Reshad Jones in mid-October and didn't really have a second linebacker who was worth much. Even in those favorable circumstances, Alonso finished as the 23rd ranked linebacker in points. He went off the board as the 24th linebacker drafted here, but I believe the addition of Lawrence Timmons and the return of Jones combined with his injury history make Alonso a risky selection as a LB2.

Evaluation: This team waited until round 8 to grab their RB1, which is a tough strategy to pull off. That did allow him to build an extremely strong of WRs along with an elite QB and TE, but it's hard to feel comfortable counting on C.J. Anderson and LeGarrette Blount each and every week. On the defensive side of the ball, I see solid players throughout but no clear groups that stand out as a weakness (assuming Myles Garrett hits), while the safety group should be among the league's best. Less balanced team than I would prefer, and I think the lack of depth at RB would haunt them.

Justin Howe - Slot 8