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We've all be there.
You made your pick and you were happy. "I couldn't believe that [Insert name here] was still there in the [Round#], I was going to pick him in the [Round# - 1]" you say.
And then post TC2 the guy you loved turns out to be more "meh" than you hoped for while someone else drafted a stud at the same position AFTER you.
Call it Draft Envy and while have yet to hit TC let alone TC2 here's my take on the players we all whiffed on this year.
A few quick notes:
QB
No first rounders this year but because it's such an important position I've extended my cut-off to include the 2nd round.
Top picks: 2.3 Pat Gregory (HAR) and 2.5 Kenyon Wolters (MTL)
Better options: 2.7 Emmitt Coles (CLB), 2.27 Carson Carrubba (ARZ) and 3.10 Lester Norris (HOU)
POST TC2 UPDATE: Gregory takes a great leap forward and looks like a wise pick by Hartford at the top of the second round, Hoosier outsmarts us all with his pick of Norris at 3.10 and Ryan Henry (Norfolk, 3.9) looks good as well. Coles meanwhile takes a big hit and tumbles down to 20/26
RB
Pretty much got it right at the top of the draft.
Other notable picks: West Virginia with 3.23
POST TC2 UPDATE: No surprises and both of the top backs should step in a contribute from day 1
FB
No 1st Rounders
POST TC2 UPDATE: No changes
TE
Clearly the best TE in the draft and Portland got it right with Rasolomalala.
POST TC2 UPDATE: Rasolomalala is looking awesome and is making Armic a happy man with his 1.26 selection
WR
Top pick: 1.11 Stoney Lyle (NOR)
Better option: 1.14 Francisco Strong (MUR)
Splitting hairs here with the WR group as all six 1st rounders are 50+ by my scouts but they have Strong as the best of the group.
POST TC2 UPDATE: Strong strengthens his grip on the title of top WR pick in this draft.
C
No 1st round pick but Jeremy picked up a cracking good player at 2.14 that really should have gone in the 1st.
POST TC2 UPDATE: Dawgfan shows us all why he has the silverware on his mantlepiece by correctly picking and scouting Wyatt Boulware. Looked great pre-TC2 but he tumbles to a still decent 29/55. Meanwhile Dissentist show us all how it's done by signing an equally good rookie C off the street (Roderick McCarthy)
G
Orlando and Iowa City got it right but you have wonder if C Wyatt Boulware (2.14) might have been a better option.
POST TC2 UPDATE: I know nothing. Orlando, Iowa City and Vermont all got it right with their picks.
T
No regrets for Armic who used 1.5 on Tim Tolwinski
POST TC2 UPDATE: Armic is still elated over Tolwinski. Shout out to Columbia for unearthing Darren Carpenter (23/61) with pick 4.12
Other notable picks: West Virginia with 2.21
DE
No regrets for Lansing, Tulsa and Las Vegas who pretty much scooped up the top talent at the top of the 1st round.
POST TC2 UPDATE: Lansing claims the top rookie in the draft with Sam Bergeron (61/92). Nice jump by my pick at 2.16 (Stanley Gitler) and Iowa City's pick at 2.32 (Neal Connell)
Other notable picks: Murfreesboro at 3.19 and Pennsylvania at 5.19
DT
Hoosier nailed his pick at 1.8 but hats off to Argot for finding Lonnie Campbell in the 4th round
Other notable picks: Arizona (twice!) with 2.26 + 4.26 and Vancouver with 2.31
POST TC2 UPDATE: Bradley Sparks solidifies his claim as the top DT in the draft for Hoosier
OLB
No first rounders this year and no notable picks. Awful draft year for LBs as a group.
POST TC2 UPDATE: FrozenFlame find the best OLB in the draft at 7.22 in Vernon Shoals (24/50). From now on I'm going to start drafting any LB with the name Vernon (cf Vernon Joseph, OLB, Little Rock)
ILB
Two first rounders this year and Little Rock appears to have got it right at 1.24, no surprises in this round.
POST TC2 UPDATE: I can't take too much credit here, Donaldson was the highest rated ILB in the draft so it's not like I had to do any work but he took a huge leap up to 55/71. I'd rather be lucky than smart so I'll take it. If you want to give anyone credit give it to the AI who drafted Gage Vogel for Montreal at 3.31 (31/52) or better yet to Beast who found a decent player in Adrian Reeg at 4.16 (25/53)
CB
Vito will have to be hoping for a (big) TC2 bump by Don Clark given the pre-camp rating of the next four guys taken in the next eight picks let alone the five other CBs taken over the next few rounds.
Top pick: 1.20 Don Clark (SLC)
Better options: 1.22 Ralph Raisor (WVA), 1.25 Danny Parker (TEX), 1.28 Levon Reese (ANC), 1.29 Lester Bushon 38/65 (STL), 2.15 Ronald Bishop (PEN), 3.13 Dylan O'Neal (LSV), 4.17 Julian Thomas (CLB) and 4.22 Marty Hodges (WVA)
POST TC2 UPDATE: Like Dawgfan, Vito shows us all why he is hard to beat with Clark surprising us all to actually be this draft's top CB. Norfolk gets another late round steal with Nate Guagliardo(7.9, 27/56)
S
Norfolk and Little Rock took the top two safeties in order, no surprises or regrets.
Other notable picks: Portland with 3.8, St Louis at 2.29, Columbia at 4.14, Dakota at 3.16 and Boston at 4.13
POST TC2 UPDATE: No changes and no regrets.
P
No 1st rounders and no surprises with the guys that were picked
POST TC2 UPDATE: Boston gets a great Punter at 7.13 with Chuck Reynolds (63/82)
K
No 1st rounders and not a good year for Kickers
POST TC2 UPDATE: No changes
Fire away with your comments!
You made your pick and you were happy. "I couldn't believe that [Insert name here] was still there in the [Round#], I was going to pick him in the [Round# - 1]" you say.
And then post TC2 the guy you loved turns out to be more "meh" than you hoped for while someone else drafted a stud at the same position AFTER you.
Call it Draft Envy and while have yet to hit TC let alone TC2 here's my take on the players we all whiffed on this year.
A few quick notes:
1. With the exception of QBs, I've restricted myself to looking at the 1st round only
2. I haven't looked at a players bars, just their FUT rating. Systems that GMs use make a huge difference and sometimes, for example, that 36FUT QB suits your offense more than that guy with a 54FUT rating depending on your overall scheme and gameplans.
3. I haven't looked at what we each could have gotten at an alternative position with our pick. A great example of that is the center picked at 2.14 by Los Angeles who my scouts have rated high enough to have been a top 15 pick.
4. Opinions are based on my scouts and their impressions of the players. If they're listed as better options or notable picks my guys see them as FUT 50+
5. Take it with a grain of salt and expect to see plenty of changes to the list after the next few sims. Misery, they say, loves company and we will all have something to complain about by the time TC2 has come and gone.
5. Take it with a grain of salt and expect to see plenty of changes to the list after the next few sims. Misery, they say, loves company and we will all have something to complain about by the time TC2 has come and gone.
QB
No first rounders this year but because it's such an important position I've extended my cut-off to include the 2nd round.
Top picks: 2.3 Pat Gregory (HAR) and 2.5 Kenyon Wolters (MTL)
Better options: 2.7 Emmitt Coles (CLB), 2.27 Carson Carrubba (ARZ) and 3.10 Lester Norris (HOU)
POST TC2 UPDATE: Gregory takes a great leap forward and looks like a wise pick by Hartford at the top of the second round, Hoosier outsmarts us all with his pick of Norris at 3.10 and Ryan Henry (Norfolk, 3.9) looks good as well. Coles meanwhile takes a big hit and tumbles down to 20/26
RB
Pretty much got it right at the top of the draft.
Other notable picks: West Virginia with 3.23
POST TC2 UPDATE: No surprises and both of the top backs should step in a contribute from day 1
FB
No 1st Rounders
POST TC2 UPDATE: No changes
TE
Clearly the best TE in the draft and Portland got it right with Rasolomalala.
POST TC2 UPDATE: Rasolomalala is looking awesome and is making Armic a happy man with his 1.26 selection
WR
Top pick: 1.11 Stoney Lyle (NOR)
Better option: 1.14 Francisco Strong (MUR)
Splitting hairs here with the WR group as all six 1st rounders are 50+ by my scouts but they have Strong as the best of the group.
POST TC2 UPDATE: Strong strengthens his grip on the title of top WR pick in this draft.
C
No 1st round pick but Jeremy picked up a cracking good player at 2.14 that really should have gone in the 1st.
POST TC2 UPDATE: Dawgfan shows us all why he has the silverware on his mantlepiece by correctly picking and scouting Wyatt Boulware. Looked great pre-TC2 but he tumbles to a still decent 29/55. Meanwhile Dissentist show us all how it's done by signing an equally good rookie C off the street (Roderick McCarthy)
G
Orlando and Iowa City got it right but you have wonder if C Wyatt Boulware (2.14) might have been a better option.
POST TC2 UPDATE: I know nothing. Orlando, Iowa City and Vermont all got it right with their picks.
T
No regrets for Armic who used 1.5 on Tim Tolwinski
POST TC2 UPDATE: Armic is still elated over Tolwinski. Shout out to Columbia for unearthing Darren Carpenter (23/61) with pick 4.12
Other notable picks: West Virginia with 2.21
DE
No regrets for Lansing, Tulsa and Las Vegas who pretty much scooped up the top talent at the top of the 1st round.
POST TC2 UPDATE: Lansing claims the top rookie in the draft with Sam Bergeron (61/92). Nice jump by my pick at 2.16 (Stanley Gitler) and Iowa City's pick at 2.32 (Neal Connell)
Other notable picks: Murfreesboro at 3.19 and Pennsylvania at 5.19
DT
Hoosier nailed his pick at 1.8 but hats off to Argot for finding Lonnie Campbell in the 4th round
Other notable picks: Arizona (twice!) with 2.26 + 4.26 and Vancouver with 2.31
POST TC2 UPDATE: Bradley Sparks solidifies his claim as the top DT in the draft for Hoosier
OLB
No first rounders this year and no notable picks. Awful draft year for LBs as a group.
POST TC2 UPDATE: FrozenFlame find the best OLB in the draft at 7.22 in Vernon Shoals (24/50). From now on I'm going to start drafting any LB with the name Vernon (cf Vernon Joseph, OLB, Little Rock)
ILB
Two first rounders this year and Little Rock appears to have got it right at 1.24, no surprises in this round.
POST TC2 UPDATE: I can't take too much credit here, Donaldson was the highest rated ILB in the draft so it's not like I had to do any work but he took a huge leap up to 55/71. I'd rather be lucky than smart so I'll take it. If you want to give anyone credit give it to the AI who drafted Gage Vogel for Montreal at 3.31 (31/52) or better yet to Beast who found a decent player in Adrian Reeg at 4.16 (25/53)
CB
Vito will have to be hoping for a (big) TC2 bump by Don Clark given the pre-camp rating of the next four guys taken in the next eight picks let alone the five other CBs taken over the next few rounds.
Top pick: 1.20 Don Clark (SLC)
Better options: 1.22 Ralph Raisor (WVA), 1.25 Danny Parker (TEX), 1.28 Levon Reese (ANC), 1.29 Lester Bushon 38/65 (STL), 2.15 Ronald Bishop (PEN), 3.13 Dylan O'Neal (LSV), 4.17 Julian Thomas (CLB) and 4.22 Marty Hodges (WVA)
POST TC2 UPDATE: Like Dawgfan, Vito shows us all why he is hard to beat with Clark surprising us all to actually be this draft's top CB. Norfolk gets another late round steal with Nate Guagliardo(7.9, 27/56)
S
Norfolk and Little Rock took the top two safeties in order, no surprises or regrets.
Other notable picks: Portland with 3.8, St Louis at 2.29, Columbia at 4.14, Dakota at 3.16 and Boston at 4.13
POST TC2 UPDATE: No changes and no regrets.
P
No 1st rounders and no surprises with the guys that were picked
POST TC2 UPDATE: Boston gets a great Punter at 7.13 with Chuck Reynolds (63/82)
K
No 1st rounders and not a good year for Kickers
POST TC2 UPDATE: No changes
Fire away with your comments!
So far Parker looks like a beast and my tackle...eh...good.
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