Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Super Early 2018 CRFL Mock Draft: Fall Edition

The CRFL trade deadline has come and gone. The order of the standings will inevitably shift in the coming weeks, but owners of the picks can't begin to change again until trading reopens. There are always two races in every fantasy season: 1) the race for the league championship and 2) the chase for draft position for teams not realistically contending for a championship in a keeper league. Why not take a very, very early look at what might be come the 2018 CRFL Draft?

For this mock draft, I've chosen to base each player's landing spot via Draft Wire's three round mock draft.

2018 CRFL Mock Draft

1.01. The Valley Bulls select...RB Saquon Barkley SF (Penn State)

A lot can and will change between now and May 2018, including who might be picking #1 overall. What is unlikely to change is who will be taken #1 overall. Saquon Barkley is being hyped up to be potentially better than recent Top 5 RB picks Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette. VERY bold, but the Bulls will be hoping the hype is real. The Bulls would likely see a lot of offers for the 1.01, but whoever owns this pick should stick with it and draft Barkley.

1.02. Wind River Bison select...WR Courtland Sutton ARI (Southern Methodist)

The Bison have taken a huge tumble in 2017, largely thanks to David Johnson's season-ending injury. With Johnson, Jordan Howard, and Alvin Kamara in the fold, the Bison have no need at RB, but do need WR talent badly. Sutton would help fill that hole.

1.03. Schrute Farms selects...RB Derrius Guice WAS (Louisiana State)

The Farms traded Dak Prescott away in order to retain their original draft pick from Connell Conquistadors. The Farms just might be the worst team in the league, but two early wins this season leave them picking at 1.03 for now. They won't complain too much, nabbing Guice with this pick.

1.04. Coldwater Cards select...WR James Washington BAL (Oklahoma State)

The Cards made a controversial trade early in the season, parting with Leonard Fournette in exchange for DeVante Parker, who has since been injured, and 1st round and 3rd round draft picks. Not a meager return, but Fournette has been dominant since and would have served as the franchise cornerstone. Nonetheless, they'll draft grab the best player available in Washington with two picks available later in the round.

1.05. Brucey's crew selects...RB Damien Harris TB (Alabama)

The Crew aren't a weak team, but could stand to add depth at RB and WR. I'm guessing Harris would be replacing a cut Doug Martin in Tampa in Draft Wire's scenario. He would become the lead back for Brucey too.

1.06. Connell Conquistadors select...RB Nick Chubb MIA (Georgia)

The Conquistadors have been a dreadful team since joining the league, but are well-managed. Maybe too well-managed. This team is poor, but occupies to the 1.06 spot thanks to said solid management. Chubb wouldn't be a bad consolation prize with Jay Ajayi now in Philadelphia. 

1.07. Connell Conquistadors (via Gem State Bruins) select...WR Christian Kirk GB (Texas A&M)

Looks who is on the clock again! Connell acquired this pick at the deadline, shedding off excess QB depth to do so. The wise move leads to another top prospect going to Connell. A player of Kirk's talent with Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball is an enticing combo. 

1.08. Wind River Bison (via Kaneohe Ikaika Warriors) select...QB Josh Allen LAC (Wyoming)

The Bison grabbed Courtland Sutton earlier in the round, and will be itching to draft local Wyoming hero Josh Allen with this pick. Allen would likely begin his career on the bench behind Philip Rivers to learn the ropes, but that won't stop the Bison from selecting him.

1.09. Huskerfan (via Vito's Vikings) select...RB Ronald Jones NYJ (Southern California)

To this point, considering the dominance of rookie RBs like Kareem Hunt and Leonard Fournette, Huskerfan has to be a little disappointed with how Christian McCaffrey has played to this point. In fact, Huskerfan briefly put McCaffrey on the trading block before the deadline, but no deal was reached. He'll draft Ronald Jones as insurance. 

1.10. Northern Lights select...WR Dante Pettis SF (Washington)

The Light have announced their presence, rising as one of the top teams in the league. There isn't really any weakness in the team, but T.Y. Hilton and Jarvis Landry have been inconsistent. Dante Pettis becoming Jimmy Garoppolo's #1 receiving target in Kyle Shanahan's offensive system? Sounds like an amazing value this late.

1.11. Coldwater Cards (via Spokane Spartans) select...RB Bryce Love OAK (Stanford)

As alluded to earlier, the Cards made a big mistake departing with Leonard Fournette. This pick will begin to plug that hole at RB. Love figures to the centerpiece at RB in an offense built to last with the Oakland/soon-to-be Las Vegas Raiders.

1.12. Coldwater Cards (via Gem State Bruins) select...QB Josh Rosen CLE (UCLA)

The Cards have their clock reset and pick again. This is the pick acquired in the Fournette trade. Marcus Mariota has struggled in 2017, leaving the QB position exposed. They'll hope Hue Jackson turns Josh Rosen into a superstar and add depth at another position of need.

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Disclaimer: yes, yes...we know. Everything will change by May 2018, but this is a fun exercise in the time being. The race for the #1 overall pick continues.