RSJ Training Camp Kickoff Staff Mock Draft

On a muggy, late July night, The Wolf blew into a random animal horn to assemble a motley crew for our Training Camp Kickoff Staff Draft. Consisting of a blend of RSJ Staff Members and The Wolf's toughest hometown competition, these are the boldest, brightest minds in the industry.

Needless to say, the action was fast, furious, and, most importantly, very informative. Below, our own Roto Joe assigns grades and analyzes each and every pick (well, except when Old Man Truth forgets to make the last pick of the draft), allowing you to learn some key holistic drafting strategies, where to find steals and avoid busts, plus the manner of positional tiers and drop offs, plus so much more. Simply put - you can't draft without seeing how ours unfolds, and reading Joe's thoughts on the process. 

Oh, and because he's a teacher by day (and loves tearing bad picks to shreds), our own Wolf just had to toss in some grades and his insights as well. 

Without further adieu:

Trader Tim - Wolf's Grade = C:  Even if I'd prefer Dalvin Cook over Kareem Hunt, the backfield can't be argued against, especially if Shady can dodge all the risk surrounding him and put together another RB1 campaign. But the depth after his Top-3 is hideous.. and those WRs still have me blowing chunks into the toilet. Demaryius Thomas and Brandin Cooks both headline my "Overpriced" List, and while Larry Fitzgerald has been the model of consistency, there's a real risk he hits a cliff at any point given his "Advanced Age." Filling in the gaps with a currently unrostered Dez Bryant and a John Brown who has no idea what "consistency" is equally laughable. Can't argue on the prices of Russel Wilson, Delanie Walker, or Jimmy G... I just have a hard time seeing those through my glazy eyes as the puke still spews over his WRs crew.

Red Socker - Wolf's Grade = B+: Apparently our former baseball crew hates WRs, as we see another RB-centric squad. However, I am a far greater fan of Red Socker's WR choices, as both Marquise Goodwin and Jamison Crowder bring some very real ceiling for their late prices, Doug Baldwin and Golden Tate add a very steady floor, and Keelan Cole is a favorite WR Penny Stock of mine. If I was a bigger fan of Joe Mixon, I'd be in love with this squad, but I think he was among the biggest reaches of this draft in an awful offense behind an awful offensive line. Still, Trey Burton was a steal that allowed AJ to build depth elsewhere, Ty Montgomery is an excellent "Penny Stock" at RB, and this team overall is well-rounded, with a sturdy mix of Floor and Ceiling. Well done.

JimboSlice - Wolf's Grade = B+:  With a solid 1-2 RB punch, a bonafide steal and Top-4 QB in Carson Wentz, plus a great "hookup" to pair him with in Zach Ertz (a Top-3 TE), it's tough to find much to fault with Jimbo's squad here. The Ronald Jones selection was atrocious, however, and Jimbo's flex and WR3 spots could be real question marks heading into 2018. And that's assuming Marvin Jones pans out as his WR2 and maintains consistency two seasons in a row with Kenny Golladay nipping at his heels. In his favor, Jimbo selected a ton of upside between Randall Cobb, Cooper Kupp, Tyler Lockett, and Anthony Miller, and he should be able to find at least one dependable wideout out of this bunch. But that Flex Gap could prove costly against the more competitive teams each week. 

Keegs - Wolf's Grade = D+: Plenty to love early, and a whole lot more to hate soon after with Keegs' squad. While most would consider Jarvis Landry a reach in Round 3, I absolutely love the pick, and Melvin Gordon, Keenan Allen, and the new CLE WR had Keegs off to a fantastic start. Yet, it was almost exclusively all downhill from here, and at a very fast speed. Granted, this draft was just prior to Sony Michel's surgery... but a 4th Rd selection was already a horrendous over-reach, made doubly worse with his ugly injury history already rearing its gross head. I'm still laughing about the DeVante Parker Round 6 selection, but also crying and praying for Keegs in the process. His RB2, Flex, and WR3 are all GAPING holes, and TE could be a real problem if GB's historic lack of TE usage continues. This team stinks.

Truth - Wolf's Grade = B:  Apparently, The Truth actually pays attention when we record our Fantasy Fullback Dive Podcast together,  as he executed the "Build a Stable" strategy to perfection. Love how he afforded himself the ability to go Mark Ingram in Round 5 by having two studly horses in Todd Gurley and Devonta Freeman in the stable already. Plus, he has an excellent "Ceiling Floor" QB Combo in Philip Rivers and Tyrod Taylor. The WRs, however, are quite sketchy. This is an incredibly boom-or-bust crew, and when they boom to complement Truth's steady RB production, this squad will be unbeatable. However, when they disappear, Truth could lose to even the league's shitbums. He needs to find some stability here, and hope one of his two admittedly high-upside TE Penny Stocks pan out if he's to truly contend down the stretch.

Roto Joe - Wolf's Grade = B-: Moving past that complete joke of an RB stable is hard to do, as Derrick Henry isn't even a surefire No.2 option, nevermind RB1 (even if the Steam Roller could indeed blow up, especially if Dion Lewis' injury history reappears). And while I don't mind owning a "Team Backfield" to get the surefire No.1 guy, the Broncos RBs are one of the least appealing in my opinion, as it's a promised committee, in a mediocre offense, behind a bleh line. Counting on a committee-ridden Marlon Mack to be this backfield savior is laughable. But my God, once you get to the WRs... that's something of Fantasy Wet Dreams, even if I'm not the biggest Mike Evans fan.  Stir in the upside of Cam Newton and a quality Top-5 TE in Kyle Rudolph, and this team is sturdy everywhere but the backfield. If Joe can find that Waiver RB Hero or pull some trade magic, this squad will be one of the league's top. For now, he needs to pray he can find even mediocre production out of that piss-poor stable.

Wolf - Wolf's Grade = B+:  Isn't it the worst when you don't follow your own advice and get trapped into players you didn't really want? That's what happened to me, as I ended up going WR-WR despite touting the importance of an RB stable all offseason. Had I gone Melvin Gordon over OBJ (which I have switched my rankings to reflect), this squad would be an A+. As it is, I have a 4-Pack of WRs I still haven't stopped Tugging too, and I couldn't ask for a better "Floor-Ceiling" QB Combo than Kirk Cousins and my boy Patrick Mahomes. But my RBs and TEs are pure Hail Mary's, though -- compared to Joe -- I like the odds of finding 2 highly usable backs out of Jay Ajayi, Rex Burkhead, and Dion Lewis as compared to his abysmal squad (and I made that Chris Thompson pick BEFORE the news broke he could be hampered until November... otherwise I'd be in A- territory). I'd gladly ride this team into battle, but know I can do better (and NEED a horse in Rd.1)

CJay - Wolf's Grade = B: This squad has "RSJ" written all-over-it, as Saquon Barkley, Jerick McKinnon, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Cameron Meredith are all among our "Must Draft" list, and overall give CJay a very formidable squad. Selecting Andrew Luck above guys like Kirk Cousins was hilarious, even if he has some humongous upside in Frank Reich's attack, and the WR3 spot will be a major question mark if Sammy Watkins doesn't pan out. Kenyan Drake in the FLEX also feels sketchy, as he could very-well be a committee back in a horrendous offense. But Greg Olsen has a huge ceiling, and the team is well-rounded with solid bench picks to hopefully fill in these perceived gaps. 

The Coyote - Wolf's Grade = B:  You'd have a hard time beating Coyote's first three picks, as he got a top-tier option and great value at RB, WR, and TE in David Johnson, Davante Adams, and Rob Gronkowski. Hell, even if I'm a "Wait-on-QB" diehard, I recognize the "Cheatcode Upside" Deshaun Watson brings to the table, and I also feel Michael Crabtree could be an absolute steal for his WR2 spot. Yet, Rashaad Penny was a complete force, and though Coyote has some intriguing bench pieces, he'll need at least three to really pan out to fill his RB2, WR3, and FLEX spots. If that happens, and all three of Johnson, Adams, and Gronk maintain health, the core anchors at all four spots will make this squad beastly. But none of these bench characters are guarantees to fill any of those 3 roles well, especially at the RB2 spot, thus giving Coyote's squad a boom-or-bust feel, despite an incredible early start. 

Mahan - Wolf's Grade = B+: Here's a classic example of how selecting a QB early comes with very real "Opportunity Cost" at your RB and WR positions. Aaron Rodgers may seem like a "steal" in Round 4 to most, but Mahan's secondary RBs and WRs come with massive question marks now. Granted, I'm confident that at least one of Tarik Cohen (love), Jamaal Williams, and Tevin Coleman will pan out as a quality RB2, and Julian Edelman's return will be a quality WR2 injection come Week 5. Moreover, Mahan built the necessary depth that comes with going for an elite TE1 (Travis Kelce) and QB1. But over those first four weeks, he could really be scrambling at his WR2 and WR3 spots, even if I do LOVE that he can fill the FLEX with Jordan Reed during the early weeks and for as long as that bag of glass holds up. Mike Williams and Kenny Golladay are also highly intriguing "Penny Stocks," and I could easily see one panning out huge. If that happens, this squad is going to be a monster once Edelman returns -- they just need to hope they aren't in too deep of a hole until then. 

Roto Duck - Wolf's Grade = D: When the first and only name at QB you see is Dak Prescott, you just know you're entering a Comedy Show of a team. Though I applaud Duck's commitment to "Building a Stable," and LOVE a 1-2 Ezekiel Elliott and Derrius Guice combination, his reaching for a pure committee back in Christian McCaffrey really hurt, especially with Devontae Freeman still available. Thus, his depth behind his top-two RBs really isn't all too strong for going "all-in" on the position, and the gaps at all the other spots are completely glaring. The Tight Ends are vomit-inducing, and Duck's very reliant on Corey Davis or Allen Robinson to reach their fullest potential to have any kind of WR hope. The Duck -- a bright overall football mind -- would be better served with a more balanced approach, and higher-quality RB selections, to have any shot at winning. 

Roto JT - Wolf's Grade = A-:  My favorite team of the draft, JT has no glaring weaknesses, a solidly built floor, and some very real ceiling here. Assuming Josh Gordon returns as his WR3 behind AntonioBrown and Stefon Diggs, JT could be trotting out 3 Top-10 WRs every single week, with Chris Hogan a high-end No.2 for at least the season's first-four weeks. Meanwhile, he has Top-5, high-floor and high-ceiling options QB and TE without having to overspend on either position. Plus, while RB is his definite weakness, Jordan Howard is a high-floor anchor with humongous, often unrecognized upside considering he's dominated in two straight seasons and is now in a far better overall situation. The RB2 spot is his only glaring hole, and either Marshawn Lych or CJ Anderson could surprise and fill this very formidably. The top team of this draft, without question.

RotoJoe's Overall Team GPAs (Averages of all 16 picks)

TRUTH – 2.9

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Roto Duck – 2.8

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Redsocker 45 – 2.8

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The Coyote – 2.8

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RotoJT – 3.0

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Cjay – 3.0

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Joe H – 3.2 (lol, bias, anyone?)

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Mahan – 3.0

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Wolf – 3.1

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Keegs – 2.7

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Jimboslice – 2.8

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TraderTim – 2.9

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