Mock Draft #9
Ended July 30, 2003

This mock draft was based on standard performance scoring for a 12 team league using tight ends and starting 2 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, PK and DEF each week.

Below the listing of resulting teams is a quick synopsis of each team's draft strategy and success.

The Draft

Round 1			Round 2			Round 3			Round 4
1	RB	Tomlinson,Lad.	1	RB	Taylor,Fred	1	WR	Robinson,Koren	1	WR	Booker,Marty
2	RB	Holmes,Priest	2	WR	Moss,Randy	2	WR	Burress,Plaxico	2	WR	Stallworth,Donte'
3	RB	Williams,Ricky	3	RB	Barber,Tiki	3	WR	Moulds,Eric	3	TE	Shockey,Jer.
4	RB	Portis,Clinton	4	RB	Henry,Travis	4	QB	McNabb,Don.	4	TE	Gonzalez,Tony
5	RB	Faulk,Marshall	5	RB	Dillon,Corey	5	WR	Horn,Joe	5	RB	Thomas,Anth.
6	RB	Alexander,Shaun	6	RB	Lewis,Jamal	6	RB	George,Eddie	6	WR	Coles,Lave.
7	RB	McAllister,Deuce	7	RB	Garner,Charlie	7	WR	Boston,David	7	WR	Driver,Donald
8	WR	Harrison,Marvin	8	QB	Vick,Michael	8	WR	Holt,Torry	8	RB	Canidate,Trung
9	WR	Owens,Terrell	9	RB	Davis,Stephen	9	QB	Gannon,Rich	9	WR	Mason,Derrick
10	RB	James,Edgerrin	10	RB	Martin,Curtis	10	WR	Ward,Hines	10	WR	Price,Peerless
11	RB	Green,Ahman	11	QB	Culpepper,D.	11	RB	Buckhalter,C.	11	TE	Heap,Todd
12	RB	Green,William	12	QB	Manning,Peyton	12	WR	Johnson,Chad	12	RB	Stewart,James
Round 5			Round 6			Round 7			Round 8
1	RB	Dunn,Warrick	1	QB	Garcia,Jeff	1	TE	Franks,Bubba	1	RB	Smith,Antowain
2	RB	Hambrick,Troy	2	QB	Hasselbeck,M.	2	RB	Hearst,Garrison	2	WR	Wayne,Reggie
3	RB	Barlow,Kevan	3	DT	Buccaneers	3	QB	Green,Trent	3	QB	Favre,Brett
4	RB	Smith,Emmitt	4	WR	Gardner,Rod	4	TE	Pollard,Marcus	4	WR	Brown,Troy
5	RB	Duckett,T.J.	5	QB	Maddox,Tommy	5	WR	Smith,Rod	5	DT	Eagles
6	WR	Porter,Jerry	6	WR	Bruce,Isaac	6	WR	Taylor,Travis	6	QB	McNair,Steve
7	QB	Warner,Kurt	7	WR	Morgan,Quincy	7	RB	Mack,Stacey	7	TE	Sharpe,Shannon
8	WR	Toomer,Amani	8	WR	Smith,Jimmy	8	RB	Staley,Duce	8	RB	Gordon,Lamar
9	RB	Bettis,Jerome	9	WR	Rice,Jerry	9	RB	Zereoue,Amos	9	RB	Alstott,Mike
10	QB	Brooks,Aaron	10	WR	Johnson,Key.	10	WR	Rogers,Charles	10	RB	Shipp,Marcel
11	RB	Smith,Onterrio	11	WR	Chambers,Chris	11	WR	Muhammad,M.	11	WR	Streets,Tai
12	WR	Jackson,Darrell	12	WR	Conway,Curtis	12	TE	McMichael,R.	12	WR	Thrash,James
Round 9			Round 10			Round 11			Round 12
1	DT	Panthers	1	WR	Galloway,Joey	1	QB	Collins,Kerry	1	RB	Peterson,Adrian
2	RB	Johnson,Larry	2	DT	Steelers	2	QB	Kitna,Jon	2	RB	Bennett,Michael
3	QB	Pennington,C.	3	WR	Ferguson,Robert	3	TE	Becht,Anthony	3	WR	Bates,D'wayne
4	DT	Packers	4	PK	Akers,David	4	PK	Elam,Jason	4	QB	Brady,Tom
5	TE	Miller,Billy	5	RB	Watson,Kenny	5	DT	Ravens	5	QB	Ramsey,Patrick
6	QB	Plummer,Jake	6	TE	Crumpler,Alge	6	TE	Dudley,Rickey	6	PK	Wilkins,Jeff
7	DT	Dolphins	7	PK	Feely,Jay	7	RB	Stecker,Aaron	7	DT	Patriots
8	TE	Jolley,Doug	8	QB	Bledsoe,Drew	8	WR	Bryant,Antonio	8	TE	Lewis,Chad
9	WR	Reed,Josh	9	WR	Pinkston,Todd	9	RB	Jordan,Lamont	9	WR	Walker,Javon
10	RB	Williams,Moe	10	WR	Lelie,Ashley	10	PK	Vanderjagt,Mike	10	DT	Titans
11	TE	Mili,Itula	11	WR	Hilliard,Ike	11	PK	Edinger,Paul	11	PK	Carney,John
12	DT	Falcons	12	PK	Gramatica,M.	12	PK	Janikowski,S.	12	RB	Chapman,Doug
Round 13			Round 14			Round 15			Round 16
1	WR	Johnson,Andre	1	TE	Fauria,Christian	1	TE	Clark,Desmond	1	DT	Jaguars
2	DT	Texans	2	DT	Colts	2	TE	Chamberlain,B.	2	PK	Lindell,Rian
3	PK	Nedney,Joe	3	DT	Cowboys	3	PK	Kasay,John	3	PK	Brown,Kris
4	QB	Johnson,Brad	4	TE	Wycheck,Frank	4	DT	Bears	4	PK	Christie,Steve
5	WR	Moss,Santana	5	DT	Giants	5	DT	Saints	5	PK	Gramatica,B.
6	QB	Stewart,Kordell	6	DT	Redskins	6	RB	Faulk,Kevin	6	TE	Johnson,Eric
7	WR	McCardell,K.	7	DT	Seahawks	7	PK	Longwell,Ryan	7	PK	Hall,John
8	PK	Mare,Olindo	8	PK	Vinatieri,Adam	8	TE	Ricks,Mikhael	8	PK	Stover,Matt
9	DT	Raiders	9	TE	Stevens,Jer.	9	DT	49ers	9	PK	Reed,Jeff
10	RB	Mungro,James	10	TE	Brady,Kyle	10	TE	Alexander,St.	10	DT	Jets
11	QB	Harrington,Joey	11	DT	Rams	11	TE	Conwell,Ernie	11	PK	Andersen,M.
12	QB	Brees,Drew	12	DT	Browns	12	PK	Hanson,Jason	12	PK	Stoyanovich,P.

The Positions

Quarterbacks
2.08	Vick,Michael	8.06	McNair,Steve
2.11	Culpepper,D.	9.03	Pennington,C.
2.12	Manning,Peyton	9.06	Plummer,Jake
3.04	McNabb,Don.	10.08	Bledsoe,Drew
3.09	Gannon,Rich	11.01	Collins,Kerry
5.07	Warner,Kurt	11.02	Kitna,Jon
5.10	Brooks,Aaron	12.04	Brady,Tom
6.01	Garcia,Jeff	12.05	Ramsey,Patrick
6.02	Hasselbeck,M.	13.04	Johnson,Brad
6.05	Maddox,Tommy	13.06	Stewart,Kordell
7.03	Green,Trent	13.11	Harrington,Joey
8.03	Favre,Brett	13.12	Brees,Drew

Tight Ends
4.03	Shockey,Jeremy	11.06	Dudley,Rickey
4.04	Gonzalez,Tony	12.08	Lewis,Chad
4.11	Heap,Todd	14.01	Fauria,Christian
7.01	Franks,Bubba	14.04	Wycheck,Frank
7.04	Pollard,Marcus	14.09	Stevens,Jer.
7.12	McMichael,R.	14.10	Brady,Kyle
8.07	Sharpe,Shannon	15.01	Clark,Desmond
9.05	Miller,Billy	15.02	Chamberlain,B.
9.08	Jolley,Doug	15.08	Ricks,Mikhael
9.11	Mili,Itula	15.10	Alexander,St.
10.06	Crumpler,Alge	15.11	Conwell,Ernie
11.03	Becht,Anthony	16.06	Johnson,Eric

Running Backs
1.01	Tomlinson,Lad.	2.04	Henry,Travis	5.02	Hambrick,Troy	8.09	Alstott,Mike
1.02	Holmes,Priest	2.05	Dillon,Corey	5.03	Barlow,Kevan	8.10	Shipp,Marcel
1.03	Williams,Ricky	2.06	Lewis,Jamal	5.04	Smith,Emmitt	9.02	Johnson,Larry
1.04	Portis,Clinton	2.07	Garner,Charlie	5.05	Duckett,T.J.	9.10	Williams,Moe
1.05	Faulk,Marshall	2.09	Davis,Stephen	5.09	Bettis,Jerome	10.05	Watson,Kenny
1.06	Alexander,Shaun	2.10	Martin,Curtis	5.11	Smith,Onterrio	11.07	Stecker,Aaron
1.07	McAllister,Deuce	3.06	George,Eddie	7.02	Hearst,Garrison	11.09	Jordan,Lamont
1.10	James,Edgerrin	3.11	Buckhalter,C.	7.07	Mack,Stacey	12.01	Peterson,Adrian
1.11	Green,Ahman	4.05	Thomas,Anthony	7.08	Staley,Duce	12.02	Bennett,Michael
1.12	Green,William	4.08	Canidate,Trung	7.09	Zereoue,Amos	12.12	Chapman,Doug
2.01	Taylor,Fred	4.12	Stewart,James	8.01	Smith,Antowain	13.10	Mungro,James
2.03	Barber,Tiki	5.01	Dunn,Warrick	8.08	Gordon,Lamar	15.06	Faulk,Kevin

Wide Receivers
1.08	Harrison,Marvin	4.02	Stallworth,Donte'	6.09	Rice,Jerry	9.09	Reed,Josh
1.09	Owens,Terrell	4.06	Coles,Lave.	6.10	Johnson,Key.	10.01	Galloway,Joey
2.02	Moss,Randy	4.07	Driver,Donald	6.11	Chambers,Chris	10.03	Ferguson,Robert
3.01	Robinson,Koren	4.09	Mason,Derrick	6.12	Conway,Curtis	10.09	Pinkston,Todd
3.02	Burress,Plaxico	4.10	Price,Peerless	7.05	Smith,Rod	10.10	Lelie,Ashley
3.03	Moulds,Eric	5.06	Porter,Jerry	7.06	Taylor,Travis	10.11	Hilliard,Ike
3.05	Horn,Joe	5.08	Toomer,Amani	7.10	Rogers,Charles	11.08	Bryant,Antonio
3.07	Boston,David	5.12	Jackson,Darrell	7.11	Muhammad,M.	12.03	Bates,D'wayne
3.08	Holt,Torry	6.04	Gardner,Rod	8.02	Wayne,Reggie	12.09	Walker,Javon
3.10	Ward,Hines	6.06	Bruce,Isaac	8.04	Brown,Troy	13.01	Johnson,Andre
3.12	Johnson,Chad	6.07	Morgan,Quincy	8.11	Streets,Tai	13.05	Moss,Santana
4.01	Booker,Marty	6.08	Smith,Jimmy	8.12	Thrash,James	13.07	McCardell,K.

Kickers
10.04	Akers,David	15.03	Kasay,John
10.07	Feely,Jay	15.07	Longwell,Ryan
10.12	Gramatica,M.	15.12	Hanson,Jason
11.04	Elam,Jason	16.02	Lindell,Rian
11.10	Vanderjagt,M.	16.03	Brown,Kris
11.11	Edinger,Paul	16.04	Christie,Steve
11.12	Janikowski,S.	16.05	Gramatica,B.
12.06	Wilkins,Jeff	16.07	Hall,John
12.11	Carney,John	16.08	Stover,Matt
13.03	Nedney,Joe	16.09	Reed,Jeff
13.08	Mare,Olindo	16.11	Andersen,M.
14.08	Vinatieri,Adam	16.12	Stoyanovich,P.

Defenses
6.03	Buccaneers	14.02	Colts
8.05	Eagles	14.03	Cowboys
9.01	Panthers	14.05	Giants
9.04	Packers	14.06	Redskins
9.07	Dolphins	14.07	Seahawks
9.12	Falcons	14.11	Rams
10.02	Steelers	14.12	Browns
11.05	Ravens	15.04	Bears
12.07	Patriots	15.05	Saints
12.10	Titans	15.09	49ers
13.02	Texans	16.01	Jaguars
13.09	Raiders	16.10	Jets

Resulting Teams (R# - the draft round the player was selected)

	R#	1 - lkirk	R#	2 - Spartan91	R#	3 - hitman	R#	4 - Big John
QB	2	Manning,Peyton	2	Culpepper,D.	7	Green,Trent	3	McNabb,Don.
QB	11	Collins,Kerry	11	Kitna,Jon	9	Pennington,C.	13	Johnson,Brad
RB	1	Tomlinson,Lad.	1	Holmes,Priest	1	Williams,Ricky	1	Portis,Clinton
RB	4	Stewart,James	5	Hambrick,Troy	2	Martin,Curtis	2	Davis,Stephen
RB	5	Dunn,Warrick	7	Hearst,Garrison	5	Barlow,Kevan	5	Smith,Emmitt
RB	12	Chapman,Doug	9	Johnson,Larry	8	Shipp,Marcel	8	Alstott,Mike
WR	3	Robinson,Koren	3	Burress,Plaxico	3	Moulds,Eric	4	Mason,Derrick
WR	6	Conway,Curtis	6	Chambers,Chris	4	Price,Peerless	6	Rice,Jerry
WR	8	Thrash,James	8	Streets,Tai	6	Johnson,Key.	10	Pinkston,Todd
WR	13	Johnson,Andre	10	Hilliard,Ike	10	Lelie,Ashley	12	Walker,Javon
TE	7	Franks,Bubba	4	Heap,Todd	11	Becht,Anthony	7	Pollard,Marcus
TE	15	Clark,Desmond	15	Chamberlain,B.	14	Brady,Kyle	14	Stevens,Jer.
PK	10	Gramatica,M.	12	Carney,John	13	Nedney,Joe	11	Elam,Jason
PK	16	Stoyanovich,P.	16	Andersen,M.	15	Kasay,John	16	Reed,Jeff
DT	9	Panthers	13	Texans	12	Titans	9	Packers
DT	14	Browns	14	Rams	16	Jets	15	Bears
	R#	5 - reddogs2020	R#	6 - GBogle	R#	7 - PSULions	R#	8 - Quiveringnorm
QB	2	Vick,Michael	9	Plummer,Jake	5	Warner,Kurt	6	Maddox,Tommy
QB	10	Bledsoe,Drew	13	Stewart,Kordell	8	McNair,Steve	12	Ramsey,Patrick
RB	1	Faulk,Marshall	1	Alexander,Shaun	1	McAllister,Deuce	2	Dillon,Corey
RB	4	Canidate,Trung	2	Garner,Charlie	2	Lewis,Jamal	4	Thomas,Anthony
RB	5	Duckett,T.J.	3	George,Eddie	7	Mack,Stacey	7	Staley,Duce
RB	8	Gordon,Lamar	15	Faulk,Kevin	11	Stecker,Aaron	10	Watson,Kenny
WR	3	Horn,Joe	4	Driver,Donald	3	Boston,David	1	Harrison,Marvin
WR	6	Smith,Jimmy	5	Porter,Jerry	4	Coles,Lave.	3	Holt,Torry
WR	7	Smith,Rod	6	Morgan,Quincy	6	Bruce,Isaac	5	Toomer,Amani
WR	13	Moss,Santana	7	Taylor,Travis	13	McCardell,K.	11	Bryant,Antonio
TE	9	Miller,Billy	8	Sharpe,Shannon	10	Crumpler,Alge	9	Jolley,Doug
TE	12	Lewis,Chad	11	Dudley,Rickey	16	Johnson,Eric	15	Ricks,Mikhael
PK	14	Vinatieri,Adam	10	Feely,Jay	12	Wilkins,Jeff	13	Mare,Olindo
PK	16	Stover,Matt	16	Hall,John	15	Longwell,Ryan	16	Gramatica,B.
DT	11	Ravens	12	Patriots	9	Dolphins	8	Eagles
DT	15	Saints	14	Seahawks	14	Redskins	14	Giants
	R#	9 - big air	R#	10 - soopanuts	R#	11 - kryptonite	R#	12 - Yukon Cornelius
QB	3	Gannon,Rich	5	Brooks,Aaron	6	Hasselbeck,M.	6	Garcia,Jeff
QB	12	Brady,Tom	8	Favre,Brett	13	Harrington,Joey	13	Brees,Drew
RB	2	Henry,Travis	1	James,Edgerrin	1	Green,Ahman	1	Green,William
RB	5	Bettis,Jerome	2	Barber,Tiki	3	Buckhalter,C.	2	Taylor,Fred
RB	7	Zereoue,Amos	9	Williams,Moe	5	Smith,Onterrio	8	Smith,Antowain
RB	11	Jordan,Lamont	13	Mungro,James	12	Bennett,Michael	12	Peterson,Adrian
WR	1	Owens,Terrell	3	Ward,Hines	2	Moss,Randy	3	Johnson,Chad
WR	6	Gardner,Rod	7	Rogers,Charles	4	Stallworth,Donte'	4	Booker,Marty
WR	8	Brown,Troy	10	Ferguson,Robert	7	Muhammad,M.	5	Jackson,Darrell
WR	9	Reed,Josh	12	Bates,D'wayne	8	Wayne,Reggie	10	Galloway,Joey
TE	4	Gonzalez,Tony	4	Shockey,Jeremy	9	Mili,Itula	7	McMichael,R.
TE	14	Wycheck,Frank	15	Alexander,St.	15	Conwell,Ernie	14	Fauria,Christian
PK	10	Akers,David	11	Vanderjagt,Mike	11	Edinger,Paul	11	Janikowski,S.
PK	16	Christie,Steve	16	Brown,Kris	16	Lindell,Rian	15	Hanson,Jason
DT	13	Raiders	6	Buccaneers	10	Steelers	9	Falcons
DT	15	49ers	14	Cowboys	14	Colts	16	Jaguars

Team	First 5 Picks/Grade*	Draft Slot Analysis
1	RB - QB - WR - RB - RB Plan Grade: A -	Like most #1 drafters, this team missed out on the low risk tier of running backs for his #2 and instead grabbed a top QB in Manning and then a top WR in Robinson. After a very strong 1-2-3 set, he moved back to RB's and selected James Stewart as his #2. Evidently, thinking of Stewart as his #2 RB was bothersome enough that he went for Dunn for a #3 RB. While normally skipping WR2 or TE would be odd to get a backup RB, in this case it worked since the previous tier of WR's had been finished and the third TE was taken right before him. Dunn is a safety net - will not lead the league in anything but will always get something in case Stewart remains an old, brittle RB. Has a solid TE in Franks (7) and great DEF in CAR (9). His only hole is in WR's where he has riskier picks than most but as always - that is the one position it is okay to be a little weak in since there are always free agents during the season.
2	RB - QB - WR - TE - RB Plan Grade: A	Very nice value progression in selections and received a gift by snagging Heap (4) to end the hot TE's. Everyone of the first four picks are likely going to be difference makers at the top of their positions. Was able to reach Hambrick in the 5th round to quickly get someone as a RB2. By taking the TE with his 4th pick, fell behind in WR's by missing a good tier and selected Chambers as his #2 WR which is not a favorite of mine but was from the next available tier of WRs. Finding Hearst with his 7th was another great value that fell to him. The only thing that keeps this effort from being an A+ was waiting so long on a DEF. Could have had BAL instead of Hilliard in the 10th for example. Still - he has Culpepper, Holmes, Burress, Heap as starters and enough depth in RB and WR that he can put up a nice set of starters. This draft was a little lucky in a few players that fell, but the team made the most out of what it could other than DEF.
3	RB - RB - WR - WR - RB Plan Grade: C	After starting out with Ricky Williams, selection of Curtis Martin with the #2 seems like an opportunity lost unless you really believe in Martin. Was able to reach Moulds (3) but left those first three rounds with a top RB and WR and an RB2 that may be disappointing due to age and wear. While it feels good to start out with two RBs, drafting in this slot meant that the tier of low risk RBs were just gone and team used valuable #2 pick to start the next tier of question marks instead of a top player from another position. Pick #4 took Price which is another "do you believe" pick and by passed Heap to get him. Took Barlow as his RB3 which was easily the best value at RB there though he passed on Warner and Aaron Brooks to back up his RBs with a part-time RB. Ended up waiting until well into the runs on TE, PK and DEF and took first QB of Trent Green in 7th. I do rank this team as ending up average since the draft strategy shot to take riskier or older RB's and WR's while allowing almost all the other positions to be filled in with middle of the road players. Unless some of his players exceed expectations significantly, using this strategy looks like it built an average team.
4	RB - RB - QB - WR - RB Plan Grade: B+	By drafting fourth, team was able to not only get a top tier back in Portis, but was able to take the last tier three back in Davis to make probably the nicest 1-2 at RB in this mock. Solid value with McNabb at 3rd and then grabbed Mason as his WR1 which was a good pick for WR considering what was available by then, but he passed on Heap to do it and had he taken Heap at 4th and then went WR at 5th, probably still could have had Mason or Toomer. Drafting in this slot forces a decision almost every draft. He was fortunate enough to get Davis at his #2 but then had to decide between a top QB or a top WR with that #3 pick. McNabb is a great pick and that caused his WRs to miss out on the potential greatness guys and he stuck with the safety net of Mason and Rice which together will likely produce decent numbers though not difference making ones. Good value with Pollard (7) and Elam and GB raise this to a B+ but the WR's are like a hole in an otherwise solid set of starters. The others may make up for it since he did get a great QB, RB and RB2.
5	RB - QB - WR - RB - RB Plan Grade: B+	Man - you have to love starting out with Faulk, Vick and Horn. Very solid picks of likely studs and a great use of value in those first three. This draft slot pretty much makes you accept that your #2 WR will not be top notch and he bypassed the position in order to grab both Canidate and Duckett which is pretty risky. Canidate is not even assured a starting job right now and Duckett may be a scoring machine or again get injured. Team was able to get two great value picks in my view of Jimmy Smith (6) and Rod Smith (7) and certainly one of the two should turn in a good week. Vick, Faulk and his receivers should keep him in games, but will need to be right about Canidate or Duckett to be consistent every week. This plan was RB heavy but got great value with Vick and Horn and yet still may have a hole at RB2.
6	RB - RB - RB - WR - WR Plan Grade: C	Team went for the nice play of Alexander and Garner, but then elected to use #3 pick to backup the RB spot before getting any other starters. Used next four picks on receivers and had good value in the position with every single pick, but waited until the 9th round to grab Plummer as the starting quarterback which is a pretty big risk play. Took Sharpe (8) as a decent TE. This is a different strategy than most to be sure and though he has three starting RBs, most likely there will only be one difference maker on the team in Alexander and he alone will never carry a team. The ploy of loading up on RBs made all other positions weak and will require expectation exceeding performances from the other positions in order to complete. Considering Plummer is on a new team, Sharpe almost retired and Driver comes off a career year, that may be hard using this style of drafting.
7	RB - RB - WR - WR - QB Plan Grade: A	Drafting in the seven spot this season seems pretty attractive. Team secured McAllister and yet was still able to reach Jamal Lewis in the 2nd. While I am personally less convinced with the actual players of Boston and Coles, the fact is that he was able to get two receivers from higher tiers in addition to a very solid set of RBs. Getting Warner in the 5th was very fortunate. While I personally would have opted for different names in some cases, the general plan followed made great use of the 7th spot - ended with 2 good RBs, WRs that may be great or not, two very nice QBs in Warner and McNair, the MIA DEF and Crumpler at TE. Has Mack as a backup. Using this plan at the #7 worked out quite well for him and he has the potential for a very solid team. This team is not scared of receivers changing teams since he has both Boston and Coles. There are some areas of risk that may pay off or may hurt him, but thumbs up on the plan that was used that seemed to make great use of the draft position.
8	WR - RB - WR - RB - QB Plan Grade: B	Took the natural play when he missed the top 7 RBs and grabbed Harrison. Was able to still reach Dillon (2) and came back with Holt (3) to easily have the best receiving crew and that is not counting his backup of Toomer. Took a calculated risk of Anthony Thomas for RB2 which was likely the best pick that could be made there and in a real draft would have taken Peterson as insurance. Maddox at 6th is a reach in my estimation since normally he is available well beyond that point and he could have taken Green or Favre there or a different position. Eagles (8) should do well and the main problem with the #8 pick is that you get a great WR, and a good RB and in this case a great WR2 but then have to scramble a bit from then on. He had Shockey and Gonzalez go right before him but was forced to let Heap slide in deference to getting an RB2. One of the tougher spots to draft from and following this plan yielded two great WRs but in almost all my experience, teams with 2 great WRs have problems filling out a balanced squad and end up with less consistency - scoring great one week and low the next.
9	WR - RB - QB - TE - RB Plan Grade: A -	Like #8, made a great value play with Owens (1) and still was able to reach Henry (2) for a nice 1-2. Had a great value pick in getting Gannon as the final QB in tier 1 in the third round and then was fortunate enough to see Shockey go right before him in the 4th, allowing him to snag Gonzalez. Because the previous three picks were in all different positions, he was in a position to be able to do this without suffering too harsh of a penalty. Went for RB2 in Bettis which was obviously a bit weaker than ideal, but got great value with Gardner (6) for a nice WR and WR2 and still was able to get Zereoue for insurance. Has great depth at QB and WR but at least two bye weeks will be weak at RB and if Bettis and Zereoue cancel each other out this could backfire. This plan allowed some very nice value picks and more flexibility after the third round that could afford those values. Not crazy about the DEF which was taken late. With Gannon, Henry, Owens and Gonzalez should be able to post decent points each week and if Bettis/Gardner come through, could have a very nice team considering his draft slot.
10	RB - RB - WR - TE - QB Plan Grade: A -	Heading into the final three slots, these positions are interesting this season. This plan opted for RB-RB and gained Edgerrin James and Tiki Barber. A riskier move, at least to me. Edge is still trying to prove he is recovered from the ACL of 2001 and Barber comes off a career year though in any case should be solid unless hurt. At this spot, it is a risk play which if successful makes up ground for drafting so late. If it fails, it will be hard to recover from. Also took Hines Ward (3) after his career year. Unlike most other teams, I liked what happened after the first three picks. Needing to make up ground with difference makers, he grabbed Shockey (4) and saw Brooks (5) fall to him - very nice. Then took a gamble with TB (6) and even an early kicker in Vanderjagt. The grade was only a B with those risky first three picks but in some ways it was an A+ considering his attempt to bolster his other positions - starting the run on TE and DEF, and taking some chances with Rogers and Ferguson. This plan worked out probably as well as it could have for him. I am not crazy about what I perceive as the value of James, Barber and all WR other than Ward, but this was an aggressive plan that I have to admire.
11	RB - WR - RB - WR - RB Plan Grade: C	This is the guy you bring with you to the races. Going Ahman Green and Moss were great plays in my book, a little less so considering the emergence (potentially) of Davenport but still a nice start. After that it was time to go hunting for sleepers evidently. Buckhalter at 3rd is a reach in most drafts by a couple rounds easily and that pick bypassed a lot of players I rank higher - Chad Johnson, Booker, all the Big 3 TE's for a big gamble. Pick #4 of Stallworth is another gamble that may pay off big or may be a second year WR with inconsistent play and the occasional hamstring twinge. I actually like the RB3 more than the RB2 and yet Onterrio Smith is a gamble too - obviously. His quarterback I did like - Hasselbeck (6) is a great value pick there and could be a nice payoff. To be honest, this draft gets a C because it could be anything between an "A" to an "F" this year with potential busts - or studs - at every position except for Moss. Man. This is the last guy to make it back to the hotel room at Harrah's Casino! You have to think he wanted Charles Rogers too!
12	RB - RB - WR - WR - WR Plan Grade: B+	I like the way this team came together. Going Green and then Taylor is an aggressive play that may pay off well. Was able to get two very nice WR in Johnson and Booker at 3rd and 4th. While the WR3 pick at 5th seems too early to backup the position, got away with it by landing Garcia who had incredibly fell to the sixth round. I have seen him go in the second this season (though that was too early). Did a very nice job with McMichael, Janikowski and ATL and has depth at all positions except probably QB and RB which are the two highest scoring positions. This alone kept the grade in the "B" range. If Chad Johnson and Booker can hold their own and Green and Taylor explode to their apparent potential, this could be a sleeper team in the league. But if Garcia has any problems or either Green or Taylor flop, then this team will have a hard time challenging for the title. As it worked out, probably made about the most out of this draft position in my view though I would have liked earlier backups for QB and RB and perhaps Shockey/ Gonzo at 4 instead of Booker.

* Grading reflects how well drafting plan worked out plus more than a little personal opinion.