Ten Team Dynasty League Mock Draft

            This is the first of my dynasty mock drafts using the fanspeak.com On the Clock mock draft simulator which can be accessed at https://fanspeak.com/fantasyotc/. I typically do not do full dynasty league formats. I personally prefer keeper leagues. The difference is that in a dynasty league you keep every player on your roster and draft the rookie class from year to year. This differs from a keeper league which allows for an owner to keep on a certain number of players from year to year. I prefer keeper leagues because the drafts are more interesting for year to year in my opinion. Of course, I am always willing to try a new style out. This was first attempt at a dynasty league draft this season.

I was awarded the fourth overall pick from an online random number generator website. Since I have not participated in a dynasty league in quite some time I did not really know if I was going to like this or not, but I figured it is a ten man league making it a middle round pick so it would not turn out too bad. I figured I play in keeper leagues constantly so I know the drill.

Le’Veon Bell looked excellent during the later half of his rookie season and should be able to build off his success for years to come.

My strategy was simple: get youth and be good for a long time. Obviously I was heartbroken when Eddie Lacy went third overall. I was sitting there on the clock with a tough choice. I was debating between selecting a running back or either A.J. Green or Demaryius Thomas. I had to go with a running back. Unfortunately, Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch are both too old for my liking. I ultimately had to go with Le’Veon Bell. Bell should get a good work load this season and will be the main guy for the Steelers for years to come.

When my second rounder came up, I once again decided to go with a second year running back. I took Giovani Bernard. It looks like Bernard is going to be the main back in Cincinnati. Being that he is an excellent receiving back definitely helps. The NFL is moving away from the ground and pound style of offense. The future of the star running backs is going to be based on these duel threat backs.

My third round pick had to be spent on a wide receiver. I had a choice between Keenan Allen and Antonio Brown. This was a tough one. Allen is going into his second year, but Brown is the better player. The age difference is not too drastic so I decided it was best to go with the more successful option as my first wide receiver.

My next pick was spent of T.Y. Hilton. My choice was between him and Michael Crabtree. I figured I would go with the younger option here and hope Crabtree would drop to me in the next round. T.Y. Hilton is the future star wide receiver in Indy. Andrew Luck is a better passing quarterback than Kaepernick so it just made sense to go with the guy who will be useful for the longer period of time.

Of course, in the fifth round I did end up getting Michael Crabtree. Crabtree is only 26 years old so he is still very valuable in dynasty leagues. He is just now entering the prime of his career. The injury from last year is a bit concerning, but at this point in the draft there were still a number of good young receivers that would be available for a while.

Nick Foles may emerge as a top five quarterback in the upcoming seasons.

I spent my next pick on Nick Foles. Foles is only 25 years old. He potentially still has over a decade left in him. If he can build off last season’s performance and continue to improve these next couple of years, this could be the steal of the draft.

I then choose rookie running back Jeremy Hill. I like this pick a lot because now I have both the young Bengals’ running backs. Marvin Lewis likes to run the football, which is something too many teams are turning away from. Lewis has been in Cincinnati for a long time and it does not look like that will be changing anytime soon so having both Bernard and Hill in a dynasty league is very appealing.

I took another rookie in the eighth round. This time I choose Sammy Watkins. Watkins was easily the most talent offensive player in this year’s draft. Eventually he will become the number one wide receiver in Buffalo. E.J. Manuel is still young and the two will have their entire careers to build a great relationship. Watkins may not be a starter for me this season, but he will definitely become one in the next couple of years.

I then went with another young wide receiver. I chose DeAndre Hopkins. Eventually Andre Johnson is going to either leave or retire from the Texans. When that happens Hopkins is going to take his place. He showed a lot of talent in his rookie season and he will only continue to improve.

Tavon Austin is a nice sleeper in 2014 and will have a big impact for the Rams’ offense for years to come.

I was a little disappointed when my next pick came up. All the young running backs were gone and there was not a tight end that stuck out to me. I was basically forced to take another wide receiver. Unfortunately, the two guys I would have wanted both went a few picks ahead of me. I was looking at either DeSean Jackson or Emmanuel Sanders. Instead I ended up taking Tavon Austin. I was hoping to get a guy who would be more of an immediate impact player here, but I can always use more long term help.

Now as much as I like the potential of Nick Foles, nobody really knows how he is going to do this season. Tom Brady was still on the board. We all know what Tom Brady is capable of. He had an off year in 2013, but he is definitely worth grabbing here because he could potentially out-perform Foles this season. If he does, I would be able to start Brady and keep Foles around as he develops into a top tier quarterback.

At this point in the draft I have most of my bench spots filled and I still do not have a tight end. So I had to take Eric Ebron. I have been focused on youth this whole time, so there was no way I was going to stop at this point.

I then took Tyler Eifert the following round. This way I would have two first round tight ends that are just beginning their careers. Eifert performed pretty well when he was on the field in his rookie season and more of that can be expected in the years to come.

Unfortunately, I made a fatal error. I now only had two draft picks left. I still needed a defense and a kicker, so I had to take those positions. I only drafted three running backs. This normally would not be a problem, but since Hill and Bernard are on the same team I would not have a running back when the Bengals have a bye week. Not a good thing. However, my solution to this problem is simple. By this point in the season I would know whether or not Tom Brady was worth starting. If he was not starting for me, he would be the one to go. If he was playing well enough to be my full time starter this season, I would be forced to drop one of my tight ends. This is not a huge problem because, once again, I would know who the better one is by this point.

So, after that crushing realization, I reluctantly had to draft my defense and kicker. For my defense I took the Patriots. The Patriots always have a good defense. By this point my favorite defenses for this season were already taken. My choice came down to teams such as the Chiefs, Ravens, Cardinals, Steelers, and Patriots. I had to good with the Patriots because they seem to be the most consistent from year to year.

As for my kicker, I choose Phil Dawson because he was the best on the board.

After my On the Clock ten team dynasty league mock draft my team looked like this:

At 26, Crabtree is a great wide receiver for those beginning a dynasty league. He is old enough to have an immediate impact and young enough to be around for a while.

• QB: Nick Foles
• RB: Le’Veon Bell
• RB: Giovani Bernard
• WR: Antonio Brown
• WR: T.Y. Hilton
• TE: Eric Ebron
• FLEX: Michael Crabtree
• K: Phil Dawson
• DEF: Patriots
• BENCH: Jeremy Hill
• BENCH: Sammy Watkins
• BENCH: DeAndre Hopkins
• BENCH: Tavon Austin
• BENCH: Tom Brady
• BENCH: Tyler Eifert

You can see my results by going to https://fanspeak.com/fantasyotc/share.php?d=8fe8357a30ff77002d554e029e9c9b0a.

All in all, I am not dissatisfied with this team. Yes, I definitely wish I had used some foresight when selecting my bench. I wish I would have grabbed a fourth running back, but it not the worst thing that could happen. After all, I can always grab one next year in the rookie draft. I am happy that I stuck to my original goals throughout the entire draft. I wanted youth and that is what I got. I feel that this team may not be a winner right now, but it definitely has the potential to develop into a perennial playoff contender.