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Being a copycat who can't come up with anything original, and also someone who hasn't done much in the way of press the last couple of seasons, I was greatly inspired by Jester's initiative that's caught on like the plague here.
Here's a summary of the Vermont Mountaineers' 2020 draft:
1.7 Jimmy Krykhtine, LDE, Washington State
Pre-Camp: 40/59
With lots of minor holes to fill, and one big, I certainly had options with my original 1.4 pick. However, the guys I was interested in to fill my gaps weren't really top 5 material in my mind, so when I got the chance to get two third rounders and the 1.7 I took it. One of the guys I was looking at was 21-ranked Strong Safety Tommy Alexander, and lo and behold, my trade-partner grabs him with the 1.4!! Very frustrating. I do get a solid defensive end to either replace or double with Gene Sullivan. This bolsters my defensive line even more, which already has last year's first rounder Juan Barlow on the right side, as well as Ernest Lang, Dusty Klepfer and Charles Robins as defensive tackles.
2.3 Rickey Lowe, SLB, Maryland
Pre-Camp: 21/35
Slight disappointment, but hopefully he'll go up come training camp. Popularity supposedly no longer has a connection to creepers, and I hope this is true. I had a great need at SLB and I was hoping for a starter. At 21/35 he's not a starter on a team where my other SLB is rated 37/37, which is a disaster. I was going through several outside linebackers to find the best fit and eventually picked Lowe. I retrospect, I should have gone with one of the others. He does, however, have very good combine numbers and my scouts had him as Very Underrated. We'll see.
3.6 Irvin Tillman, FL, Texas Christian
Pre-Camp: 23/51
A hidden gem among a multitude of receivers available at this stage. Adding to a flanker-corpse which featured surprise performer Quentin Snyder (based on ratings he was a huge surprise) from last year's draft, Tillman looks set to see lots of playing time. If the ratings stray true, Tillman could very well be starting in a year or so.
3.7 Marshall Stokes, RDE, Memphis
Pre-Camp: 26/59
I had two defensive ends retire for me this off-season, and I needed some backups. Stokes, however, could do even better down the line. He adds to an already solid staff of defensive ends and will be an excellent complement to Krykhtine in a few years. We'll see if the ratings stand after TC. As a sidenote, I added a defensive end mentor for my two rookies too. This means I have 5 DEs going into camp.
4.5 Wayne Segura, NT, Wisconsin
Pre-Camp: 21/42
I wanted to add a fourth defensive tackle to the team for depth reasons, and Segura was, in my mind, the best available here. His combines don't stand out, nor do they appear too low, and his ratings looked solid. Not so strong, but I'll definitely use him as a depth tackle, moving him to the left side.
5.4 Chester Simmons, QB, Florida
Pre-Camp: 10/48
It's tradition for me to pick a QB late in the draft and keeping 4 on my roster all year. I pretend it's a smart move but it still hasn't paid off. Other than Long Passes, he's got solid bars and will challenge Williamson for the all important kick holding job during pre-season! He scored a big blue 80 on the position drill, so I expect him to be a star within 5 years!
6.3 Toby Preston, WR, Kentucky
Pre-Camp: 16/43
Not having a clear draft strategy, I continued to add players where I need to fill holes. I played a 24-rated WR in every game I could last year, so there was a definite need here. My second receiver of the draft and hopefully he'll be an immediate contributor. Great speed and route running is what I expect from this guy, after an excellent 40-time and a good position drill.
7.4 Kelvin Negrelli, OLB,
Pre-Camp: 15/50
Numbers-wise this guy's a steal in the 7th round, now lets see how it translates to real ratings. Immediately switched to SLB despite his weight, hopefully he can bulk up some during TC.
All in all the final two rounds really rounded off what I see as a band-aid draft. I had several small wounds in need of healing and I managed to fill most of them. No player truly stands out as a future superstar, which is a bit frustrating given the high pick I entered the draft with. In retrospect, I guess I should have stayed at 1.4 and nailed that SS stud when I had the chance
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Here's a summary of the Vermont Mountaineers' 2020 draft:
1.7 Jimmy Krykhtine, LDE, Washington State
Pre-Camp: 40/59
With lots of minor holes to fill, and one big, I certainly had options with my original 1.4 pick. However, the guys I was interested in to fill my gaps weren't really top 5 material in my mind, so when I got the chance to get two third rounders and the 1.7 I took it. One of the guys I was looking at was 21-ranked Strong Safety Tommy Alexander, and lo and behold, my trade-partner grabs him with the 1.4!! Very frustrating. I do get a solid defensive end to either replace or double with Gene Sullivan. This bolsters my defensive line even more, which already has last year's first rounder Juan Barlow on the right side, as well as Ernest Lang, Dusty Klepfer and Charles Robins as defensive tackles.
2.3 Rickey Lowe, SLB, Maryland
Pre-Camp: 21/35
Slight disappointment, but hopefully he'll go up come training camp. Popularity supposedly no longer has a connection to creepers, and I hope this is true. I had a great need at SLB and I was hoping for a starter. At 21/35 he's not a starter on a team where my other SLB is rated 37/37, which is a disaster. I was going through several outside linebackers to find the best fit and eventually picked Lowe. I retrospect, I should have gone with one of the others. He does, however, have very good combine numbers and my scouts had him as Very Underrated. We'll see.
3.6 Irvin Tillman, FL, Texas Christian
Pre-Camp: 23/51
A hidden gem among a multitude of receivers available at this stage. Adding to a flanker-corpse which featured surprise performer Quentin Snyder (based on ratings he was a huge surprise) from last year's draft, Tillman looks set to see lots of playing time. If the ratings stray true, Tillman could very well be starting in a year or so.
3.7 Marshall Stokes, RDE, Memphis
Pre-Camp: 26/59
I had two defensive ends retire for me this off-season, and I needed some backups. Stokes, however, could do even better down the line. He adds to an already solid staff of defensive ends and will be an excellent complement to Krykhtine in a few years. We'll see if the ratings stand after TC. As a sidenote, I added a defensive end mentor for my two rookies too. This means I have 5 DEs going into camp.
4.5 Wayne Segura, NT, Wisconsin
Pre-Camp: 21/42
I wanted to add a fourth defensive tackle to the team for depth reasons, and Segura was, in my mind, the best available here. His combines don't stand out, nor do they appear too low, and his ratings looked solid. Not so strong, but I'll definitely use him as a depth tackle, moving him to the left side.
5.4 Chester Simmons, QB, Florida
Pre-Camp: 10/48
It's tradition for me to pick a QB late in the draft and keeping 4 on my roster all year. I pretend it's a smart move but it still hasn't paid off. Other than Long Passes, he's got solid bars and will challenge Williamson for the all important kick holding job during pre-season! He scored a big blue 80 on the position drill, so I expect him to be a star within 5 years!
6.3 Toby Preston, WR, Kentucky
Pre-Camp: 16/43
Not having a clear draft strategy, I continued to add players where I need to fill holes. I played a 24-rated WR in every game I could last year, so there was a definite need here. My second receiver of the draft and hopefully he'll be an immediate contributor. Great speed and route running is what I expect from this guy, after an excellent 40-time and a good position drill.
7.4 Kelvin Negrelli, OLB,
Pre-Camp: 15/50
Numbers-wise this guy's a steal in the 7th round, now lets see how it translates to real ratings. Immediately switched to SLB despite his weight, hopefully he can bulk up some during TC.
All in all the final two rounds really rounded off what I see as a band-aid draft. I had several small wounds in need of healing and I managed to fill most of them. No player truly stands out as a future superstar, which is a bit frustrating given the high pick I entered the draft with. In retrospect, I guess I should have stayed at 1.4 and nailed that SS stud when I had the chance
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