1st Round (11th): LeSean McCoy, RB, Eagles
If I were there…: Same. Gets almost all the carries for an explosive offense. Not worried about Ronnie Brown stealing carries; in fact, might help keep McCoy fresher.
2nd Round (14th): Frank Gore, RB, 49ers
If I were there…: Same…probably. Love having two stud backs to rely on, but with WR Fitzgerald sitting there I might have gone with him.
3rd Round (35th): Peyton Hillis, RB, Browns
If I were there…: Hmm. If I would have went RB there, probably would have been DeAngelo Williams instead. Depending on my 2nd round pick, might have went WR (most likely Bowe).
4th Round (38th): Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers
If I were there…: Ugh. Injuries scare me – he was constantly questionable last year and always plays the late games (limits your options). TE is deep this year, would not have taken a TE this high. I probably would have went QB with Schaub or Romo.
5th Round (59th): Brandon Lloyd, WR, Broncos
If I were there…: Not thrilled with having a journeyman coming off a career year as my #1 WR. Running backs were getting thin here though, so going WR (even if I took one earlier) here was probably the right move.
6th Round (62nd): Kenny Britt, WR, Titans
If I were there…: I love the talent, hate the off-field stuff and QB. Would not have taken Britt here. Would rather have Rice or Boldin. The TE run started here, too, so it’s possible I could have gotten Gates two rounds lower than I did and if not, still gotten an elite option like Finley or Witten.
7th Round (83rd): BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, Patroits
If I were there…: Tough call. Law Firm put up some numbers last year, but with New England you just don’t know how they are going to divvy up the carries from week to week – or even quarter to quarter. Plus, he’s my fourth running back in seven rounds. However, this is the point of the draft where talent starts to fall off, so he was probably the best pick.
8th Round (86th): Eli Manning, QB, Giants
If I were there…: Same (assuming I didn’t draft a QB earlier). Solid fantasy starter but not elite.
9th Round (107th): Pittsburgh D/ST
If I were there…: No, no, no. I never draft a D/ST before the last two rounds. Way too unpredictable from year-to-year and there are always options on the waiver wire. I tend to play matchups through the beginning part of the season, then try to latch onto a good D/ST later.
10th Round (110th): Marcedes Lewis, TE, Jaguars
If I were there…: I almost never carry two TE’s, especially if I have an elite option like Gates. For his bye or injuries, I’ll play matchups. At this point, I would have taken a flier on someone like his teammate Rashard Jennings or maybe some young player whose role could increase (Roy Helu, Jason Snelling, etc.)
11th Round (131st): Jay Cutler, QB, Bears
If I were there…: Not a horrible pick for a back-up QB. Would rather have had RB Woodhead or perhaps taken McCoy’s handcuff in Ronnie Brown.
12th Round (134th): Matt Cassel, QB, Chiefs
If I were there…: What??? Three QBs through twelve rounds? Sometimes, I won’t draft two depending on who’s available. Could’ve had an elite D/ST here (3 rounds lower), or taken another young guy with upside (Delone Carter, Jonathan Baldwin, Jerome Simpson).
13th Round (155th): James Jones, WR, Packers
If I were there…: Not a bad pick, but I think he’s more of a WR4 for the Packers and probably fifth in their passing game pecking order. Pickings were slim here, but there were other WRs with more upside that I would have taken a chance on (Baldwin, Simpson, Danario Alexander).
14th Round (158th): Ricky Williams, RB, Ravens
If I were there…: Same. Might be a wasted pick, but at this point we have no idea how the Ravens will use him. If he becomes McGahee version 2.0, then he might be a bye-week replacement just for the potential vulture TD’s.
15th Round (179th): Mark Sanchez, QB, Jets
If I were there…: Wow. Four QBs? I mean, it’s a 15th round pick so chances are he’s going to be cut anyway but I would have taken a flier on someone like Jacoby Ford.
16th Round (182nd): Neil Rackers, K, Texans
If I were there…: Same. Don’t care about K, will probably have 5-6 different ones on my team over the course of a season.