The Pro Bowl draft will air live on NFL Network tonight at 8 p.m. ET, which inspired us here at NFL Fantasy to do a little drafting of our own. So we grabbed as many of our analysts as possible to put together our second mock draft for the 2015 season. Keep in mind that it's only January and a lot will change during free agency and the 2015 NFL Draft, but this is a good look at our evaluations of various players as the 2014 season comes to a close. The full results and analysis are below.
The standard scoring league consisted of NFL Fantasy LIVE members Adam Rank, Marcas Grant and James Koh, NFL Fantasy writer/editor Alex Gelhar, and NFL Fantasy LIVE senior producer Dylan Milner. Each participant drafted for two teams, as indicated below. Each team needed to assemble a starting lineup of one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one flex (RB/WR), one tight end, one kicker and one defense/special teams unit.
Draft Order:
1. James Koh Team 1
2. Alex Gelhar Team 1
3. Dylan Milner Team 1
4. Marcas Grant Team 1
5. Adam Rank Team 1
6. James Koh Team 2
7. Alex Gelhar Team 2
8. Dylan Milner Team 2
9. Marcas Grant Team 2
10. Adam Rank Team 2
Round 1
ANALYSIS:
Alex Gelhar: A couple of surprises in Round 1, starting with C.J. Anderson jumping into the top five, but the Gary Kubiak hiring could really boost his stock. What'd you think about Milner taking ODB in the first?
Marcas Grant: Too rich for me, but I won't be surprised to see it happen in plenty of real drafts. Arian Foster seems perfect for the bottom of the first round. Plenty of upside when he's healthy. WHEN he's healthy.
A.G.:That's a BIG "when," too. Thus the very necessary CAPS.
Round 2
ANALYSIS:
M.G.: Remember this time last season when we were all nuts over Giovani Bernard? Now it's Jeremy Hill going at the top of the second round. And what did all of DeMarco Murray's stats get him? A seat behind Hill.
A.G.: Ah, the Gio hype train. I fortunately avoided that fantasy disaster. This time around our drafters were much more concerned with the parity at the RB position, as Lamar Miller, Alfred Morris and Tre Mason all made appearances in Round 2. Somehow I doubt this remains the case come August, you?
M.G.: Mason feels like the most speculative pick right now. But hey, it's January!
Round 3
ANALYSIS:
A.G.: Perhaps a round late, the run on pass-catchers came in a hurry in Round 3. Nine straight picks were either wide receivers or tight ends. And look, someone still believes in Jimmy Graham!
M.G.: The Graham pick in the third caught me off guard. A.J. Green just barely squeaks into the third round. Methinks that speaks to concern over Andy Dalton, no?
A.G.: The only person not concerned with the Red Rifle (and his supporting cast) in 2015 is that girl from the Wendy's commercials.
Round 4
ANALYSIS:
M.G.: Round 4 is where the shakeup begins. We've been burying Frank Gore for years, but drafting Carlos Hyde this early really feels like we're kicking dirt onto Gore's fantasy grave.
A.G.: Right. But will he Beatrix Kiddo us all and punch his way out once again? That remains to be seen. Just like the fantasy fortunes of most of this bunch, who all seem to carry pretty big "ifs" into the season.
M.G.: Round 4 feels like the make-or-break portion of this draft. "Boom or bust" is written all over it.
Round 5
ANALYSIS:
A.G.: Can we pause for a moment and talk about the three RBs drafted at the top of this round? I'm almost at a loss for words (and I took one of them)!
M.G.:Andre Ellington makes four in the first five slots of this round. And he might be the one I have the most faith in. The running back cliff is steep, my friend.
A.G.: Speaking of cliffs, Josh Gordon in the fifth feels right ... for now. That guy has all-world talent, but his NFL future seems to be hanging in the balance yet again.
Round 6
ANALYSIS:
M.G.: How do you know when Matt "Money" Smith isn't in your draft? Drew Brees lasts until the sixth round. On a side note, I felt a little like I reached for Tom Brady.
A.G.: True, true. You likely could have had Brady a few rounds later, but this to me has the look of a flag-planting round. Rank staked his claim to Cooks (again), Koh to Robinson, Milner to Bryant and me to ... DJax and Edelman?
M.G.: Most of the WRs in this round have obvious flaws ... but plenty of potential. It's like watching "Gotham."
Round 7
ANALYSIS:
A.G.: I'm going to dub Round 7 "Daytona Beach" because of all the timeshares we're dealing with here. Who of this round do you trust the most that will likely be splitting carries/targets?
M.G.: Can I say Dwayne Allen? Because I really want to say Dwayne Allen. I still have a fantasy man crush on Dwayne Allen. If not, I'll go with Sankey. Who else will the Titans build around? Zach Mettenberger?
A.G.: Fair point. Could this be the year of Justin Hunter? Who come to think of it, went undrafted. My how the times change. My pick would likely be for Moncrief, because I can't believe the Colts keep throwing to Hakeem Nicks. That's the definition of insanity.
Round 8
ANALYSIS:
M.G.: Is there anything that screams "Adam Rank" more than the Melvin Gordon-Devonta Freeman daily double? In fact, I'd have to give this round to Rank for his Freeman and Greg Olsen selections.
A.G.: Agreed. I was rather peeved to see Olsen go a few picks before me. And as much as I love Davante Adams, I feel this might be a tad early for him with guys like Jarvis Landry and Keenan Allen still on the board.
M.G.: The way you feel about Olsen going in this round was how I felt about Adams being drafted. I was hoping he'd fall another round or two.
Round 9
ANALYSIS:
A.G.: After dubbing Round 7 "Daytona Beach," I'll call Round 9 "Panama City Beach" as I believe there are plenty of decisions we will regret here. My Roethlisberger pick included.
M.G.: This does have a Spring Break feel to it. Drafting Terrance Williams or C.J. Spiller is like that shot of tequila. It seems like a good idea at the time, but it won't feel so good later. Whatever. YOLO!
A.G.: 1/21/2015 -- The first and hopefully ONLY use of "YOLO" at NFL Fantasy. But I'll allow it.
Round 10
ANALYSIS:
M.G.: Round 10 is all over the place. Adrian Peterson, Toby Gerhart and Paul Richardson? Please try to make some sense of this one for me.
A.G.: Is this the round where we reveal we plotted and executed this mock draft in the span of 1.5 hours? Because this seems to be the most logical time to bring that to light.
M.G.: Dear reader,
We plotted and executed this mock draft in the span of 1.5 hours. Please excuse our rust.
Round 11
ANALYSIS:
A.G.: Here's what I've learned about James Koh in the last year: He has an adorable baby daughter, he loves DeAndre Hopkins and he is a fan of taking defenses early in mock drafts.
M.G.: My summary of Round 11 in two words: Peyton Manning. I know he struggled for the final six weeks of the season, but this feels like a huge overreaction.
A.G.: Oh right, that guy. Yeah, we're probably suffering from a bit of recency bias mixed with a healthy dose of uncertainty. Is Gary Kubiak enough to keep Manning in Denver? Or will the $19 million tip the scales? Time will only tell, and he'll move up draft boards (or off) accordingly.
Round 12
ANALYSIS:
M.G.: On to Round 12, where we went heavy on the old guys. Roddy White, Larry Fitzgerald and Fred Jackson all come off the board. Are any of these guys still impact players?
A.G.: That's a very valid (and somewhat sad) question. I'm the most worried about Fitzgerald given his QB situation and the crop of young WRs waiting in the wings. I think Fred Jackson could surprise people in 2015.
M.G.:Fred Jackson is the new Frank Gore. Who was the new Curtis Martin.
Round 13
ANALYSIS:
A.G.: If I could digitally slow clap for you I would, because Charles Johnson is an absolute steal in the 13th round. Well done, sir. Rather than toot your own horn, what other pick did you like?
M.G.: I'll probably be accused of homerism, but I do like the Marqise Lee pick right behind that one. Blake Bortles showed promise last season and that young group of WRs should show improvement.
A.G.: Agreed. Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson will likely be hot names off the waiver wire if they aren't called on draft day.
Round 14
ANALYSIS:
M.G.: Speaking of homers, how about James Koh taking a Cal guy (Richard Rodgers) in a round dominated by kickers? As a Packers fan, I assume you approve.
A.G.: The Packers' tight end position has been more barren than a Wisconsin winter since they lost Jermichael Finley. I don't mind the Rodgers pick as a high-upside flier at the end of the draft.
Round 15
ANALYSIS:
A.G.: So I guess all we have to say about Round 15 is Sir Reginald Alfred Bush? I'll let you get in the final word on this mock draft and your fellow USC alumnus.
M.G.: That would be Sir Reginald Alfred Bush II. And that's about all I have to say about that.
