For this fantasy mock draft, I've chosen to base each player's chosen landing spot via Bleacher Report's first two-round NFL mock of draft season. Matt Miller is plugged in on the happenings of draft possibilities, and this mock draft should include an accurate list of players now that the deadline to declare has passed. Miller indicated earlier that Bryce Love might be returning to school.
2018 CRFL Mock Draft
1.01. The Valley Bulls select...RB Saquon Barkley CLE (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 proclamation, 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. Coldwater Cards select...WR Calvin Ridley ARI (Alabama)
The Cards very clearly entered the second half of the 2017 season with the intention of losing. That tanking was successful and lands them here at 1.02, with two more 1st round picks later in the round. Much like the Bulls, the Cards are bad and should draft with the BPA (best player available) strategy in mind. ESPN's Mel Kiper was quoted as saying that Ridley is far and away the best WR in this draft. Ridley will serve as the base for the Cards rebuilding project.
1.03. Tri-State Raptors select...RB Derrius Guice SEA (Louisiana State)
The Raptors traded Dak Prescott away in order to retain their original draft pick from Connell Conquistadors. The Raptors 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. The combination of Guice + the current QB depth (Garoppolo, Luck, Winston) should help the Raptors be semi-competitive early on. Guice could blow up in Seattle too.
1.04. Wind River Bison select (via Kaneohe Ikaika Warriors)...WR Courtland Sutton BAL (Southern Methodist)
The Bison had a shocking 2017 campaign. The loss of David Johnson killed the season, even with Alvin Kamara becoming a star. Jordan Howard was traded away to improve WR depth with T.Y. Hilton, but that position is still rather sketchy for Wind River. Courtland Sutton could be this year's Corey Davis and ascend into the top 10 of the NFL draft. In this scenario, he becomes Joe Flacco's go-to WR.
1.05. Brucey's crew selects...RB Ronald Jones PIT (Southern California)
The Crew aren't a weak team, but could stand to add depth at RB and WR. In Miller's mock draft, this wild scenario means that Le'Veon Bell has picked up his football and gone elsewhere. Jones would become the do-it-all RB for the Steelers.
1.06. Wind River Bison selects...WR Christian Kirk DAL (Texas A&M)
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. Coldwater Cards select (via Spokane Spartans) select...RB Sony Michel OAK (Georgia)
The Cards already grabbed Calvin Ridley with the second pick in this draft. Here they balance out their haul with a RB. Michel was part of the dominant RB tandem at Georgia with Nick Chubb, and he could very well be this year's Kareem Hunt. Oakland would be a great landing spot.
1.08. Gem State Bruins (via Connell Conquistadors) select...WR DJ Moore CHI (Maryland)
The Bruins were involved of the blockbuster trade of the off-season in the CRFL, sending Leonard Fournette to the Conquistadors for two 2018 1st round picks and one 2019 1st round pick. This is the earliest of those picks. Moore would look to become Mitchell Trubisky's primary target, and the Bruins would hope he becomes the heir to A.J. Green on the fantasy roster.
1.09. Huskerfan (via Vito's Vikings) select...RB Kerryon Johnson IND (Auburn)
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 Johnson here and hope this improves depth.
1.10. Gem State Bruins (via Huskerfan) select...QB Josh Rosen NYG (UCLA)
We're running out of skill position players for this mock draft (especially at RB and WR). The Bruins are really high on Rosen and take a flier on the UCLA Bruin in the hopes that he can become an asset to the Gem State Bruins.
1.11. Wind River Bison (via Northern Lights) select...QB Josh Allen NYJ (Wyoming)
The Bison achieved their draft goals of improving their WR spot. Mission accomplished. They'll use this pick to draft a favorite of theirs: Wyoming's Josh Allen.
1.12. Coldwater Cards (via Gem State Bruins) select...RB Mark Walton SF (Miami)
The Cards, like the Bison, are picking for a third time in this 1st round. This is the pick acquired in the Fournette trade back in the early fall. Walton is the last remaining RB available from the first two round of Miller's mock draft. Ridley, Michel, and Walton would be a crazy good haul.
-----------
Disclaimer: yes, yes...I know. Everything will change by May 2018, but this is a fun exercise in the time being. The Valley Bulls are still on the clock...
