The NFL.com Fantasy team held its first mock draft for the 2015 fantasy campaign ... in 2014. The standard scoring league consisted of NFL Fantasy LIVE members Marcas Grant and James Koh, NFL Fantasy writers/editors Alex Gelhar and Matt Franciscovich, and NFL Fantasy LIVE producer Hytham Kilani. 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. Marcas Grant Team 1
2. James Koh Team 1
3. Alex Gelhar Team 1
4. Hytham Kilani Team 1
5. Matt Franciscovich Team 1
6. Hytham Kilani Team 2
7. Marcas Grant Team 2
8. Matt Franciscovich Team 2
9. James Koh Team 2
10. Alex Gelhar Team 2
Round 1
ANALYSIS: While Le'Veon Bell as the top overall pick wasn't much of a shock, the first round was notable mostly because of the names that weren't there. Gone were the likes of Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson and Jimmy Graham. However, there were a couple of surprises. ... James Koh isn't too worried about DeMarco Murray being able to repeat since he drafted him with the second overall pick. LeSean McCoy's frustrating 2014 was enough to drop him to the sixth spot, but not out. ... Welcome to the first round, Antonio Brown and Andrew Luck!
Round 2
ANALYSIS: With the top running backs off the board, Round 2 was focused primarily on wide receivers. Megatron dropped out of the first round, but he didn't fall too far. ... Going back to the Antonio Brown selection at No. 9 overall, seven of the next eight selections were all wideouts. I used that run to stack Jordy Nelson with Aaron Rodgers -- bromance, baby! Tre Mason going at the bottom of the second round was a bit of an eye-opener considering some of the other young running backs still on the board.
Round 3
ANALYSIS: Even with his great start to the season, it's apparent that there isn't overwhelming faith that Mark Ingram can repeat in 2015. The team that Ingram eventually signs with will have a large impact on his fantasy value next year. ... Odell Beckham is likely to be overdrafted based on his video game numbers this season, but the third round seems like an appropriate spot for the Giants budding star. ... Meanwhile, Jimmy Graham slips to the third round -- one round behind Rob Gronkowski.
Round 4
ANALYSIS: With Frank Gore's days in San Francisco appearing to be at an end, Carlos Hyde jumps up to the top of the fourth round. ... However, the defining feature of Round 4 is the trio of young wide receivers who sat on the cusp of greatness in 2014. Mike Evans, Kelvin Benjamin and DeAndre Hopkins all made us sit up and pay attention for parts of this season. The question is 2015 will be can they progress (or at least maintain) their success? ... Also, with Peyton Manning sliding to the fourth round -- and in the midst of a late-season fade -- you could make a case for him spending next season outside the ranks of "elite" quarterbacks.
Round 5
ANALYSIS:Russell Wilson goes in the fifth round as the fifth quarterback off the board. There might be depth at the quarterback position, but it starts to muddle the pond once you get past the top tier (Manning or not). If you subscribe to the "wait on a quarterback" strategy, you're still okay to sit it out on signal-callers. ... Jeremy Hill going ahead of Giovani Bernard speaks to the current state of affairs in the Bengals backfield. ... Jordan Matthews going ahead of Sammy Watkins might be a bit of an eye-opener, but until the Bills figure some things out at quarterback, Watkins will come with some added risk. ... Speaking of receivers with quarterback issues ... hi, Josh Gordon!
Round 6
ANALYSIS: A mere 10 spots after Hill comes off the board, Giovani Bernard is drafted. Handcuffing them will be nearly impossible. This has the makings of another Reggie Bush-Joique Bell-type committee. I can hear your anguished sighs now. ... Last August, we thought Keenan Allen could be a low-end WR1. By December, he's coming off the board as a lower-end WR2 -- one slot ahead of the consistently inconsistent Vincent Jackson. ... Adrian Peterson in the sixth round could be excellent value. Where Peterson will be playing his trade is the only question. ... Denard Robinson in the sixth round? Spicy pick, James Koh. Very spicy.
Round 7
ANALYSIS:Davante Adams looks firmly planted among the crop of WR3 prospects for next season. It speaks partially to the power of Aaron Rodgers. But with Randall Cobb's contract situation still unsettled, Adams could get a promotion in the Packers' passing pecking order. ... Ahmad Bradshaw went on injured reserve midway through the season ... and he still gets drafted ahead of Trent Richardson. ... The trio of running backs at the bottom of the seventh round offer so much promise, but can dish out frustration in equal doses. However, it appears that Sankey is trending up while Mathews and Stewart could continue to slide down.
Round 8
ANALYSIS:Tom Brady in the eighth round. Every year, we think "this is the year Brady can't overcome his group of underwhelming receivers!" Then he rallies, does something like this and winds up in the top 10 again. One day we'll be right. One day. ... Depending on what happens with Marshawn Lynch, you can expect the Robert Turbin versus Christine Michael debate to rage through the summer. Turbin wins Round 1. ... Despite what Panthers management tried to sell us last offseason, it appears that dumping all of your wide receivers does have a negative effect on your quarterback. Although a bad offensive line doesn't help, either. ... Mychal Rivera as the fourth tight end drafted is your reminder that the position is still a mess.
Round 9
ANALYSIS: Yes, my irrational fantasy man crush on Dwayne Allen extends to way-too-early mock drafts. The Rivera pick in the last round spawned a mini-run with Allen and Travis Kelce coming off the board within the next eight picks. ... Matt Franciscovich being able to snag Donte Moncrief in the ninth round could look downright prophetic in light of Reggie Wayne's decline and Hakeem Nicks' 2015 disappearance. ... The same could be said of Alex Gelhar's Devonta Freeman pick at the end of the round.
Round 10
ANALYSIS:Cordarrelle Patterson's free-fall ends in the 10th round. He went from hot to not in a flash. ... Andre Williams could be a name to watch this offseason, depending on how he finishes the 2014 campaign. With Rashad Jennings' injury issues again coming to the forefront, Williams could play a bigger role in 2015. ... Death, taxes and Tony Romo in the 10th round. ... Since we mentioned Patterson's slide, it's worth noting that Michael Floyd was one of this season's bigger disappointments as well.
Round 11
ANALYSIS: Two things immediately jump out in Round 11: First, a Buccanneers running back finally come off the board! Second, it's Charles Sims one spot ahead of Doug Martin. ... Maybe we forgot about Stevan Ridley a little bit, letting him fall this far. But it could also be because Bill Belichick will spend part of 2015 ignoring him in favor of any number of other backs. ... Victor Cruz is a steal this late in the draft. Nice pull by Matt Franciscovich.
Round 12
ANALYSIS: Our first defense off the board! No real surprise that it's the Seahawks, although it started a run on defenses with the Bills and Cardinals also coming off the board in the same round. ... The Justin Blackmon pick in the 12th round qualifies as the biggest Hail Mary in the draft. But it's in the late rounds, why not take a big swing just in case you hit it? ... For my tastes, I'd rather take a chance on someone like Marvin Jones. Then again, I'm a scaredy cat.
Round 13
ANALYSIS: Okay, maybe I'm not that much of a scaredy cat. I decided to use my two picks on rookie quarterbacks -- Derek Carr and Johnny Football! ... Alex Gelhar grabbing Martellus Bennett at the end of the round could be a nice value pick, depending on the direction of the Bears offense next season.
Round 14
ANALYSIS: Kickers, kickers, kickers ... and the kicker? Tavon Austin!
Round 15
ANALYSIS: Three names stand out in the final round -- Jay Cutler, Andy Dalton and Nick Foles. Only one of those three seems guaranteed to be a starter for their current teams next season. But heck, that's what the last round's for. We'll see how things change in a month or so.
