2016 CRFL Mock Draft

EDIT: Updated 5/5

The 2016 NFL Draft is over. We are 3 days away from the annual CRFL Rookie/Free Agent Draft. Below is my final mock draft.

I've made several changes. This is my best guess at what I think each team does in this first round. We'll find out this weekend if I'm close, or if the typical chaos is too crazy to predict.

Without any further delay, this is what I think should happen in the 1st round of the 2016 CRFL Draft.

1st Round

1.01. Gem State Bruins selects...RB Ezekiel Elliott DAL (Ohio State)
Just when I thought the trade frenzy was over with, the #1 overall pick gets traded again. Le'Veon Bell is back in Hawaii and Gem State is now on the clock. This is a very easy decision, Zeke will play for the Bruins. A young RB trio of Gurley (21), Elliott (20), and David Johnson (24) should ensure the Bruins are a factor in the title race for years to come.

1.02. Huskerfan selects...WR Josh Doctson WAS (TCU)
Huskers will have a dilemma with this pick. I've been told Husker wants to move back after Derrick Henry was drafted into a RBBC in Tennessee. I'll edit this pick if the Huskers are successful in doing so. For now, the Huskers will opt for the best talent available. 

1.03. Brucey's crew selects...WR Laquon Treadwell MIN (Ole Miss)
Bruce made a huge trade in the 2015 off-season for three 2016 1st round picks. Going into Saturday they now have FIVE total for the 1st round. He'll take a potential stud WR here. I'm guessing that, as a Redskins fan, he'll be a little disappointed that Doctson went 1.02. Treadwell however, is a great consolation prize.

1.04. Badgerhawks select...WR Eric Decker NYJ (Free Agent)
The Hawks have several needs and have made a few questionable 1st round decisions in the past. I'm projecting an autopicking of the top free agent available. 

1.05. Brucey's crew selects...RB Derrick Henry TEN (Alabama)
Brucey's boys are already back on the clock. Logic suggests he would like to balance WR/RB selections. While Derrick Henry isn't the option most would hope for, he's still the right move here.

1.06. Wind River Bison select...WR Will Fuller HOU (Houston)
The Bison are back in the 1st round after a last minute trade. Wind River has depth across the roster, but could stand to add another RB or WR option. As stated earlier, this rookie RB class is weak so he'll side with a rookie WR.

1.07. Juice Box Heroes select...RB Latavius Murray OAK (Free Agent)
Outside of the dominant Cam Newton, JBH is still seeking top-end talent. They have next to no RB talent at all after the keeper deadline. RB seems like an obvious move here. Unfortunately, no rookies fit the need. They'll take Latavius Murray here, who unexpectedly avoided any real added competition from the draft.

1.08. Gem State Bruins select...WR Corey Coleman CLE (Baylor)
The Bruins sold off a 2017 1st rounder to get back into the fold with this draft. Gem State could stand to add another WR option with Josh Gordon no sure thing to return. Coleman makes perfect sense in that case.

1.09. Brucey's crew selects...WR Michael Thomas NO (Ohio State)
The talent haul continues for the crew. Michael Thomas is expected to replace longtime possession WR Marques Colston in New Orleans. Great value at 1.09.

1.10. The Valley Bulls selects...WR Sterling Shepard NYG (Free Agent)
In a late surprise, the Bulls gave up a 2017 1st round pick to sneak into the end of the 1st in this draft. The best rookie available at this point is Sterling Shepard. Time will tell if he is a worthy investment. 

1.11. Brucey's crew selects...RB Ryan Mathews PHI (Free Agent)
The crew have a ton of early round selections, giving them the luxury of taking a high-end free agent for depth purposes. Philadelphia neglected to select a RB in the early rounds after weeks of being projected to land Zeke Elliott. Suddenly free agent Ryan Mathews will be in demand. 

1.12. Brucey's crew selects...QB Carson Wentz PHI (North Dakota State)
The 1st round raid is over. Time to take a flier on a high-upside QB? Philip Rivers and Drew Brees aren't getting any younger.

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Pre-Draft Power Rankings: 1st-6th

The annual jinx has arrived: the CRFL power rankings...pre-draft edition. The players included are keepers only at this point in the off-season. I will split these rankings into two posts, starting with teams 1st-6th place teams. There is no doubt someone on this list will fail to reach expectations in 2016, but nonetheless here is where I think things stand as of now.

1. Gem State Bruins (2015: 9-4, CRFL Champions)

Keepers: QB Andrew Luck, RB Todd Gurley, RB Le'Veon Bell, RB David Johnson, WR Odell Beckham, WR Julio Jones, WR DeVante Parker, WR Josh Gordon, TE Rob Gronkowski

Analysis: The Bruins, who were the Boise Bears in 2015, won 8 of their last 9 to win the franchise's second CRFL championship. After several trades this off-season, an already stout team has become even more so. Bruins as defending champs are #1 in this poll by default, but certainly warrant the respect. If Josh Gordon manages to come back from his 2-year debacle of a suspension, a tough team will become a brutal outing this fall.

2. Kaneohe Ikaika Warriors (11-2, Basin Conference Champions) 

Keepers: QB Aaron Rodgers, RB Adrian Peterson, RB Devonta Freeman, RB Matt Forte, WR Antonio Brown, WR DeAndre Hopkins, WR Mike Evans, TE Gary Barnidge

Analysis: Three-peat denied. The Warriors, despite injuries to key talent and unexpected struggles from Aaron Rodgers, still went 11-2 and cruised to the championship. Arguably still the league's top team, the Warriors made several trades this off-season. They shipped off Le'Veon Bell, but gained Devonta Freeman and the 2016 1.01 pick, which the Warriors will use on RB Ezekiel Elliott. The Basin Conference has grown in difficulty, but Kaneohe is still the favorite to win the conference.

3. Northern Cardinals (9-4, 2nd place in Basin Conference)

Keepers: QB Tom Brady, RB Eddie Lacy, RB Jamaal Charles, WR Allen Robinson, WR Dez Bryant, WR Sammy Watkins, TE Eric Ebron

Analysis: The Digital Plumbers have exited the league after being, to be blunt, far and away the luckiest team in 2015. Their luck meter on Fleaflicker was through the roof. Then why are they #3 in this poll? Because the new owner, who has changed the team identity to the Cardinals, has transformed the team. With a WR corps as good as any in the league, and a top-flight QB in Brady, the Cardinals are a serious threat to unseat the Warriors if Eddie Lacy and Jamaal Charles come through. 1.06 pick could provide a potential top rookie for depth, likely at RB.

4. Wind River Bison (8-5, 3rd place in Basin Conference)

Keepers: QB Derek Carr, RB Doug Martin, RB Lamar Miller, RB DeMarco Murray, WR A.J. Green, WR Randall Cobb, WR Doug Baldwin, TE Greg Olsen

Analysis: After years of fantasy football purgatory, the franchise formerly known as the Paniolos left Hawaii for Wyoming and found immediate success with their best season ever. Things are still looking up for 2016. With a stacked group of RBs and WRs, alongside X-factor Greg Olsen, the Bison are another team looking to challenge the Warriors in the Basin Conference. Expect this conference to be the most competitive in 2016.

5. Brucey's crew (5-8, 6th place in Cascade Conference)

Keepers: QB Drew Brees, RB Jeremy Hill, RB Ameer Abdullah, WR Demaryius Thomas, WR Alshon Jeffery, WR T.Y. Hilton, TE Jordan Reed, TE Jimmy Graham

Analysis: Yes, I know. This ranking on the surface looks suspect, but let me explain. Brucey's crew has historically been one of the better teams in the CRFL. They suffered a brutal, and maybe even unlucky 6-game losing streak to end the season at 5-8. After some off-season moves, the Crew figures to be better at QB but lacks RB depth. Here is the reason I rank them 5th: on top of the decent talent this team already possesses, they have EIGHT picks in the Top 20, including FIVE 1st round picks. If the Crew does their due diligence with pre-draft research, they'll reload and improve fast.

6. Raptors (5-8, 5th place in Basin Conference)

Keepers: QB Ben Roethlisberger, RB LeSean McCoy, RB Thomas Rawls, RB Jonathan Stewart, WR Jordy Nelson, WR Donte Moncrief, WR Michael Floyd, TE Travis Kelce

Analysis: Yes, another Basin Conference team. Yes, their 2015 overall record shows 5-8, but the Lynch Mob finished only 30 points forced behind Huskerfan. With new ownership and a few excellent additions in LeSean McCoy and Thomas Rawls, if Jordy Nelson stays healthy this team could make noise in a conference that seems to be getting crowded with contenders this off-season. Drafting for depth will be important, but this is a team all-in on winning in 2016 after selling its 2017 1st round draft for the rights to Thomas Rawls. They'll need to draft well to compete for the conference crown.

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I'll have rankings for the teams below the red line sometime this week...

Mock Draft Update 4/15

The Rams-Titans blockbuster trade has shaken up the 1st round of the NFL Draft, leaving every franchise in the Top 15 shuffling their draft sheets to form new contingency plans. The CRFL saw yet another move as well, with the Wind River Bison re-entering the first round at 1.08 after having just left it.

Below is the latest edition of the 2016 CRFL mock draft. I'm sure something big will happen any minute after this post goes live.

1st Round

1.01. Kaneohe Ikaika Warriors selects...RB Ezekiel Elliott PHI (Ohio State)
Warriors recently traded for Devonta Freeman to bolster RB depth, but need an heir to Adrian Peterson after trading Le'Veon Bell away. Elliott fits the bill and is a dynasty superstar in the making.

1.02. Huskerfan selects...RB Derrick Henry BAL (Alabama)
Huskers will have a dilemma with this pick, could go either way at RB or WR, but I think RB is a slightly bigger need. Henry will be a top pick simply based on the volume he would receive in Baltimore.

1.03. Brucey's crew selects...WR Laquon Treadwell MIN (Ole Miss)
Bruce made a huge trade in the 2015 off-season for three 2016 1st round picks. FIVE total for the 1st round. He'll take a potential stud WR here in Laquon Treadwell.

1.04. Badgerhawks select...WR Eric Decker NYJ (Free Agent)
The Hawks have several needs and have made a few 1st round decisions in the past that went against the grain. We'll see that again here by opting for a free agent.

1.05. Brucey's crew selects...WR Josh Doctson CIN (TCU)
Brucey's boys are already back on the clock. In my opinion, Doctson could shock fantasy owners. I believe he is the best WR talent in this draft. A better landing spot could see him skyrocket into the Top 2.

1.06. Northern Cardinals select...RB Kenneth Dixon NE (Louisiana Tech)
The Cardinals are back in the 1st round after a last minute blockbuster before the keeper deadline. Their trading barrage didn't end there. After sending their 1.08 to the Bison in order to upgrade at WR, a young RB seems like the obvious choice here. I'm told the Cardinals are high on Dixon out of La Tech.

1.07. Juice Box Heroes select...RB C.J. Prosise MIA (Notre Dame)
Outside of the dominant Cam Newton, JBH is still seeking top-end talent. They have next to no RB talent at all after the keeper deadline. RB seems like an obvious move here. Prosise can run and catch very well, leaving some to wonder if he is this year's David Johnson.

1.08. EDIT: Bison pick 1.08 after trade. Wind River Bison select...WR Will Fuller HOU (Notre Dame)
The last few weeks have been a trading whirlwind for the Bison. After acquiring Josh Gordon, he immediately gets his reinstatement denied. To get back into the first round, they swap WRs with the very team that gave them Gordon in the first place. Suddenly WR appears to be more of a need than RB on the Wind River. They'll gladly take a 1st round WR here.

1.09. Brucey's crew selects...WR Michael Thomas CLE (Ohio State)
The talent haul continues for the crew. Thomas is the final Top 35 prospect available and Brucey will have no problem taking him this late. Thomas could be the top receiving target in a Hue Jackson system.

1.10. Huskerfan selects...RB Alex Collins CAR (Arkansas)
Huskers are one of two teams with multiple 1st round picks, and they'll use their final one on Collins here. After Collins leaves the board, the remaining RB pool starts to reach flier status. Collins could eventually succeed Jonathan Stewart as the starting RB in Carolina.

1.11. Brucey's crew selects...WR Corey Coleman DAL (Baylor)
The crew already have an impressive haul at this point in the draft. Adding Coleman this late? What a steal. 

1.12. Brucey's crew selects...QB Carson Wentz LA (North Dakota State)
The 1st round raid is over. Time to take a flier on a high-upside QB? Philip Rivers and Drew Brees aren't getting any younger.

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Mock Draft Update 4/9

The keeper deadline has arrived in the Columbia River Fantasy League. The free agent pool is revealed in an off-season where the keeper limit has been temporarily lowered from 12 to 8 in the hopes that the league becomes more balanced in the coming years.

This mock draft will include both rookies and free agents and as usual is based off of the most recent mock draft (4/6) from Walter Football. The Northern Cardinals have returned to the 1st round after making a blockbuster trade earlier in the week.

1st Round

1.01. Kaneohe Ikaika Warriors selects...RB Ezekiel Elliott PHI (Ohio State)
Warriors recently traded for Devonta Freeman to bolster RB depth, but need an heir to Adrian Peterson after trading Le'Veon Bell away. Elliott fits the bill and is a dynasty superstar in the making.
1.02. Huskerfan selects...RB Derrick Henry BAL (Alabama)
Huskers will have a dilemma with this pick, could go either way at RB or WR, but I think RB is a slightly bigger need. 
1.03. Brucey's crew selects...WR Laquon Treadwell MIN (Ole Miss)
Bruce made a huge trade in the 2015 off-season for three 2016 1st round picks. FIVE total for the 1st round. He'll take a potential stud WR here.
1.04. Badgerhawks select...WR Will Fuller HOU (Notre Dame)
The Hawks have several needs and have made a few 1st round decisions in the past that went against the grain. We'll see that again here.
1.05. Brucey's crew selects...WR Josh Doctson CIN (TCU)
Brucey's boys are already back on the clock and take the final WR left in the 1st round of the NFL draft. In my opinion, Doctson could shock fantasy owners.
1.06. EDIT: Cardinals pick 1.06 after trade. Northern Cardinals select...WR Corey Coleman NYG (Baylor)
The Cardinals are back in the 1st round after a last minute blockbuster before the keeper deadline. They'll take Corey Coleman here, who could play the Martavis Bryant to OBJ's Antonio Brown role in the big apple.
1.07. Juice Box Heroes select...RB C.J. Prosise NYG (Notre Dame)
Outside of the dominant Cam Newton, JBH is still seeking top-end talent. They have next to no RB talent at all after the keeper deadline. RB seems like an obvious move here. Prosise can run and catch very well, leaving some to wonder if he is this year's David Johnson.
1.08. Northern Cardinals select...RB Kenneth Dixon NE (Louisiana Tech)
The Cardinals sold away risky superstar Josh Gordon for a more stable opportunity in the 1st round. They took Coleman earlier and now select Dixon, giving them an impressive 1st round haul.
1.09. Brucey's crew selects...WR Michael Thomas CLE (Ohio State)
The talent haul continues for the crew. Thomas is the final Top 35 prospect available and Brucey will have no problem taking him this late.
1.10. Huskerfan selects...RB Latavius Murray OAK (Free Agent)
Huskers are one of the two teams with multiple 1st round picks, and they'll use their final one on Murray here. The rookie talent pool for this class is not deep, so taking a free agent late in the 1st round isn't a bad idea.
1.11. Brucey's crew selects...WR Eric Decker NYJ (Free Agent)
The crew have a ton of early round selections, giving them the luxury of taking a high-end free agent for depth purposes. Decker is a solid pickup in this spot.
1.12. Brucey's crew selects...QB Carson Wentz CLE (North Dakota State)
The 1st round raid is over. Time to take a flier on a high-upside QB? Philip Rivers and Drew Brees aren't getting any younger.

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Mock Draft Update 3/14

NFL free agency has come and gone, and dramatically changed the fantasy football scene in the process. Lamar Miller is in Houston, DeMarco Murray was traded to Tennessee. Suddenly Miami and Philadelphia have questions at RB.

The CRFL also did another round of trading, leaving the last mock draft looking quite outdated. David Johnson has bounced from Brucey's crew, to Range Lonestars, to ultimately ending up with Gem State Bruins in exchange for a coveted 2017 1st round pick. Northern Cardinals acquired Devonta Freeman and Tom Brady, and Kaneohe is somehow picking #1 overall after sending a plethora of assets to Wind River Bison.

Typically I use Walter Football's mock draft, but it's not up-to-date with recent changes to the draft order. For this mock I'll just project the landing spots myself. Without any further delay...

1st Round

1.01. Kaneohe Ikaika Warriors selects...RB Ezekiel Elliott PHI (Ohio State)
Warriors have an absurd amount of WR talent, but need an heir to Adrian Peterson after trading Le'Veon Bell away for said WR talent. Elliott fits the bill.
1.02. Huskerfan selects...WR Laquon Treadwell DET (Ole Miss)
First WR off the board won't fall farther than this pick. Huskers get another young WR stud in back-to-back drafts.
1.03. Brucey's crew selects...RB Derrick Henry CAR (Alabama)
Bruce made a huge trade in the 2015 off-season for three 2016 1st round picks. FIVE total for the 1st round. He'll take a potential stud RB here.
1.04. Badgerhawks select...WR Will Fuller HOU (Notre Dame)
The Hawks have several needs and have made a few 1st round decisions in the past that went against the grain. We'll see that again here.
1.05. Brucey's crew selects...WR Josh Doctson MIN (TCU)
Brucey's boys are back on the clock already and take the final WR left taken in the 1st round of the NFL draft.
1.06. Wind River Bison select...RB Kenneth Dixon NYG (Louisiana Tech)
The Bison have had a solid off-season, balancing the talent on its roster. They're free to select the best player available here.
1.07. Juice Box Heroes select...WR Michael Thomas LA (Ohio State)
Outside of the dominant Cam Newton, JBH is still seeking top-end talent. They'll have the same hopes for Thomas that they have for 2015 1st round pick Dorial Green-Beckham.
1.08. Kaneohe Ikaika Warriors select...RB Devontae Booker DEN (Utah)
With C.J. Anderson likely gone to Miami, this is a dynamite pick for the Warriors at 1.08, arguably getting two future RB1s in this 1st round. 
1.09. Brucey's crew selects...WR Corey Coleman PIT (Baylor)
The talent haul continues for the crew. There is a lot of receiving talent available, Coleman goes here after the loss of Martavis Bryant to a year-long suspension. 
1.10. Huskerfan selects...RB Alex Collins DAL (Arkansas)
Huskers are one of the three teams with multiple 1st round picks, and they'll use their final one to take a potential RB1 that slips due to going in the 3rd round of the NFL draft.
1.11. Brucey's crew selects...WR Sterling Shepard DAL (Oklahoma)
The crew grab another solid prospect. Shepard should be a worthy rotational fantasy option in Dallas. You're looking for contributors this late in the 1st round.
1.12. Brucey's crew selects...QB Carson Wentz CLE (North Dakota State)
The 1st round raid is over. Time to take a flier on a high-upside QB? Philip Rivers and Drew Brees aren't getting any younger.

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CRFL Keeper Rankings 2/18, Welcome to the Conquistadors

I've recently started to see some off-season keeper/dynasty rankings going up, figured it was time to add our own. Below is a very early list of the Top 50 keepers in fantasy football based purely on my opinion.

Age, talent, production, etc. all come into account with these rankings. Wide Receiver often gets favoritism in dynasty/keeper leagues because they tend to last longer than RBs, and that is evident in these rankings. Here are my observations of the ranked players, CRFL teams, etc. in the first version of this off-season Top 50.

-A shock to nobody in the league, the Gem State Bruins and Kaneohe Ikaika Warriors dominate the Top 20. Expect those two teams to be favorites to win the league again in 2016.

-Todd Gurley: from rookie to #1 RB in fantasy. David Johnson, coming in at 13 went 3.10 overall in last year's fantasy draft. Rookie magic continues to exist.

-New team Range Lonestars went from having a pitiful team to two Top 15 players in less than two weeks on the job.

-Laquon Treadwell and Ezekiel Elliott are the only soon-to-be rookies to crack the Top 50. I think those two are in tier 1 by themselves.

-I was surprised to see how often Brucey's crew came up. That team clearly underperformed at 5-8 last season.

-Jacksonville WR Allen Robinson went from not having a keeper tag going into 2015 to Top 10 in these rankings. His skill set was scoffed at coming out of Penn State. Just goes to show how unpredictable fantasy football can be.

-Rawls at #36 and Lacy #39 are going to be the center of debate all off-season. Lacy was a Top 10 asset this time last year, maybe even Top 5.

-Bortles, Carr, Mariota, and Winston all make my Top 50. The QB youth movement is on.

-LeSean McCoy would be higher on this list if he would quit getting into trouble.

-Only CRFL team to not make this list is the Connell Conquistadors, an early favorite for the #1 pick in 2017. They'll be rebuilding this fall.

1. WR Odell Beckham NYG 

2. WR Antonio Brown PIT

3. WR Julio Jones ATL

4. WR DeAndre Hopkins HOU

5. RB Todd Gurley LA

6. WR Allen Robinson JAC

7. WR Amari Cooper OAK

8. RB Le'Veon Bell PIT

9. TE Rob Gronkowski NE

10. WR Dez Bryant DAL

11. WR Sammy Watkins BUF

12. WR A.J. Green CIN

13. RB David Johnson ARI

14. WR Mike Evans TB

15. QB Cam Newton CAR

16. QB Andrew Luck IND

17. WR Alshon Jeffrey CHI

18. RB Doug Martin TB

19. QB Aaron Rodgers GB

20. WR Keenan Allen SD

21. WR Demaryius Thomas DEN

22. QB Russell Wilson SEA

23. WR Josh Gordon CLE

24. WR Laquon Treadwell 2016 NFL Draft

25. RB Devonta Freeman ATL

26. TE Greg Olsen CAR

27. RB Lamar Miller HOU

28. WR Brandin Cooks NO

29. RB Ezekiel Elliott 2016 NFL Draft

30. WR Jarvis Landry MIA

31. WR Randall Cobb GB

32. WR T.Y. Hilton IND

33. TE Jordan Reed WAS

34. WR Martavis Bryant PIT

35. WR Kelvin Benjamin CAR

36. RB Thomas Rawls SEA

37. QB Blake Bortles JAC

38. RB Adrian Peterson MIN

39. RB Eddie Lacy GB

40. TE Jimmy Graham SEA

41. QB Derek Carr OAK

42. WR Jordy Nelson GB

43. RB Mark Ingram NO

44. RB T.J. Yeldon JAC

45. QB Marcus Mariota TEN

46. WR Brandon Marshall NYJ

47. RB LeSean McCoy BUF

48. WR Michael Floyd ARI

49. WR Dorial Green-Beckham TEN

50. QB Jameis Winston TB


Connell Conquistadors join the CRFL

The final vacant spot in the CRFL has been filled. After being the long-time Vikings, the Connell Conquistadors will take on the difficult task of rebuilding this team.

An ill-advised trade for aging Peyton Manning last off-season leaves the Conquistadors without a 2016 1st round pick, but this team has already made two good trades by shipping out DeMarco Murray and Doug Baldwin to gather more assets and have some roster balance. We're glad to have found a fantasy player excited to take on this challenge.

All spots are now filled in the CRFL.