The goal of Draftageddon is to draft a team of Big Ten players that seems generally more impressive than that of your competitors. Along the way, we'll learn a lot of alarming things, like maybe Maryland is good? Full details are in the first post.
PREVIOUSLY ON DRAFTAGEDDON
- Everyone not grabbing dual-threat senior QBs grabs defensive linemen
- Seth takes Venric Mark in front of just about everyone
- Nothing terribly remarkable happens
- BISB takes all the guys I want
- A ridiculous amount of time is spent discussing the merits of one particular interior lineman from Rutgers
- WILDCARD TIME as Brian takes a quarterback despite already having a quarterback.
- Peppers drafted in WILDCARD TIME II.
- Someone drafts an Illinois defender! I know!
- BISB goes Maryland crazy, reminds us all that he has Kurtis Drummond eighty-five times.
- GUAAAAARDS!
- The transitive property of MSU corners and Wisconsin RBs, and Phil Steele goes Heiko.
CURRENT SITUATION
ROUND 23 - PICK 2 (Ace): Tony Jones, WR, Northwestern
O: QB Connor Cook (MSU), RB Ameer Abdullah (NE), WR Devin Funchess (U-M), WR Tony Jones (NW), SLOT Levern Jacobs (MD), SLOT/RB Dontre Wilson (OSU), TE Maxx Williams (MN), LT Brandon Scherff (IA), LG Kaleb Johnson (RU), C Chad Lindsay (OSU), RG Jordan Walsh (IA), RT Tyler Marz (WI)
D: WDE Shilique Calhoun (MSU), SDE Andre Monroe (MD), NT Darius Kilgo (MD), DT Adolphus Washington (OSU), OLB Chi Chi Ariguzo (NW), OLB Matt Robinson (MD), CB Desmond King (IA), CB Darian Hicks (MSU), S John Lowdermilk (IA), S Jarrod Wilson (U-M), HSP Earnest Thomas III (IL)
ST: KR Dontre Wilson (OSU), PR Ameer Abdullah (NE)
…in the animal kingdom
While Brian is trying to convince you a stat he came up with that indicates Ohio State's safeties were anything but a massive pile of suck last year is TOTALLY LEGIT, YOU GUYS, I'll go ahead and nab my possession receiver. Tony Jones recorded 55 receptions last season, more than any other returning receiver in the conference. He posted a very respectable 68.8% catch rate and averaged 7.7 yards per target; both marks well surpass those of Kenny Bell (59.1%, 6.6 YPT). (BiSB, before you scream "BUT TOMMY KELLOGG TURFTOE THE EIGHTH!"—take a look at the respective passing numbers for the Wildcats and Huskers. Yeah. Yikes.)
Sure, Jones' numbers were bolstered by being one of Northwestern's main targets on screens, but he can do a lot more than run after the catch (though he's pretty good at that). He's a very solid route runner—here he is torching 2014 second-round pick Stanley Jean-Baptiste off the line for an easy touchdown:
His scoring reception amid a sea of bodies at Penn State may have been even more impressive. He catches the ball well, blocks with enthusiasm, isn't afraid to go over the middle, and can line up wherever; all of that was on display when he lit up Syracuse for nine catches, 185 yards, and a TD last season. From watching film, I get the impression he had a much better rapport with Unstoppable Throw-God Trevor Siemian than the departed Kain Colter, as well, so he could see an uptick in his numbers now that the throw-first quarterback is taking over full-time.
Take a look at my veritable panoply of skill players. In my not-so-humble opinion, only Brian's lot comes remotely close, and he's ostensibly playing Josh Ferguson in the slot (or out wide?) while using one of his skill spots on Christian Hackenberg. Imagine all the things I could do with that group. Imagine me winning this thing...
Wait, you don't have to imagine that. It's happening, and there's nothing a pair of Northwestern safeties can do about it.
----INTERLUDE----
Seth: ...says the guy who drafted "I only do cover 2" Lowdermilk like 10 rounds ago, has an Illini in a coverage role, and is gambling on a new starter as a starting corner.
And no I'm not just grumpy over the ruination of my plans to draft both OSU Smiths and Northwestern Jonesii.
Ace: The guy whose best offensive player may very well be his backup running back should probably stay out of this.
BiSB: Kurtis Drummond things.
Seth: The Team The Team The Team
Ace Sadly, Seth's head coach, Motivational Poster, couldn't quite compel his team to score any points, though probably not for lack of trying.
Brian: I'd just like to point out that the guy who "might" be my slot receiver had five fewer catches than Tony Jones and is extraordinarily better at not being boring as heeeeeeeellll.
BiSB: Brian's stats conclusively demonstrate that Northwestern was really good at allowing plays of between 10 and 19 yards. This might well correlate to super-awesome safety play because Kovacs. But then again, 19 yards is many yards for one play. But Northwestern gave up 256 yards per game. Their Defensive S&P+ ranking on passing plays was #73 in the country. This was 9th in the conference, ahead of only Indiana, Purdue, and Illinois. Only one player has been taken from those other three defenses combined. This is your safety tandem. We get it; the pickings are slim at this point. But, yeah, the end result may indicate that you should have gone safety instead of backup quarterback in Round 13 (though I appreciate you doing so).
Ace, BUT TOMMY KELLOGG TURFT... oh, right. You addressed that. But I would point out that Bell's numbers in '12 were MUCH better than his numbers in '13 (as well as much better than anything Jones has put up). A little quarterbacking stability in Lincoln will put Bell back where he should be. Plus, you can't doubt AfroThunder. Wait... NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
(And speaking of Joneses, Northwestern has FIVE Joneses on its roster: Christian, Daniel, Joseph, Malin and Tony. This means nothing, but is worth noting.)
[After the jump: MGoBlog Fantasy Theater, featuring the stars of Ace's offense]
ROUND 23 - PICK 3 (BiSB): Willie Henry, DT, Michigan
O: QB Devin Gardner (UM), RB Jeremy Langford (MSU), RB Tevin Coleman (IU), WR Kenny Bell (Neb), WR Shane Wynn (IU), WR Deon Long (MD), TE Tyler Kroft (RU), OT Donovan Smith (PSU), OT Jack Conklin (MSU), OG Pat Elflein (OSU), OG Zac Epping (MN) C Austin Blythe (Iowa)
D: DT Louis Trinca-Pasat (Iowa), DT Willie Henry (UM), DE Joey Bosa (OSU), DE Noah Spence (OSU), LB Jake Ryan (UM), LB Mike Hull (PSU), LB Kevin Snyder (RU), CB Sojourn Shelton (Wisky), CB Jabrill Peppers (UM), S Kurtis Drummond (MSU), S Sean Davis (MD)
ST: Bell (KR), Peppers (PR)
Fuller
I am required to select a defensive lineman, so select a defensive lineman I shall. At this point in the draft, I've got two choices for my remaining DT spot: an unspectacular plugger/chugger who won't embarrass the family (Minnesota's Cameron Botticelli comes to mind), or a boom-or-bust type who will do something that ends up on a highlight reel one way or another. Henry is very much the latter. Watch this play and tell me what to think of him. He stands straight up at the snap, eats a block, gets blown the hell off the ball by my left tackle Jack Conklin, and then something happens and he's pasting Connor Cook in the ribs for a two yard gain. That's Henry; his technique alternates between good enough and not good enough, but he's talented and strong enough to make plays either way.
Henry has some major tricks in his bag. He's really strong. He has great strength.His muscleness is very impressive, as is his pushitude. He uses his hands well and has a great first step off the snap. He's also REALLY strong. He even lost a few pounds in the off-season, and looked awfully nimble and quick in the Spring Game. The only thing standing between Henry and a breakout year is some consistent technique. He can play the nose or the 3-tech, and he makes a perfect complement to the less spectacular but more fundamentally sound Louis Trinca-Pasat. Throw in Joey Bosa at SDE and Noah Spence at WDE, and I REALLY like my defensive line.
(One note for the end of the year is to look back and decide whether Henry or Maurice Hurst Jr. was the correct boom/bust Michigan DT to take here. I flipped a coin, discovered it was a button, and then just decided t go with the older dude who has looked promising in live action.)
Ace: I'll readily admit Tony Jones is a little boring. But between Abdullah, Funchess, Jacobs, and this guy...
...I think my team is plenty exciting.
BiSB: That play only went for 16 yards. Wisconsin's safeties must be AWESOME.
Seth: Plenty exciting…
[Ace's offense, 30 seconds to snap...]
Brandon Scherff: Rawwr, me and Maxxx just killed some safety just now, hey why are you guys all the way back there?
Jordan Walsh: Duh, slorry boss. I didn't realize duh play waz started.
[25 seconds to snap...]
Connor Cook: Guys do you have a second to talk?
Tyler Marz: Alright let's huddle up. Who am I blocking this time?
Ameer Abdullah: Ungh, let's try starting with "anybody."
Kaleb Johnson: You can't talk to me like that, I coulda been an NFL draft pick!
[20 seconds to snap...]
Dontre Wilson: Cook, can you once, you know, run around or do a zone read? They're just putting a cover corner on me and I feel totally useless!
[Funchess and Jacobs return]
Funchess: MAN, we've been getting that seam ALL DAY, get it downfield!
: I don't know that sounds dangerous. We should ask coach.
: Ask me, I could have been in the NFL this year.
[15 seconds to snap…]
: Who am I blocking?
: Okay guys, okay. Coach says we can run I-Right Off Tackle. Dontre, you're fullback.
: What?
: C'mon! I am owning these safeties! One just wants to discuss Keynesian economics, the other's just standing there…
(
)
: You might drop it then where will we be?
: I won't!
: Duh, shouldn't we line up boss?
[10 seconds to snap…]
Chad Lindsay: [huff huff] Sorry [huff] not quite used to these [huff huff] fast paced offenses. [Huff]. Whew. Guy could get hurt doing this. Anybody else really cold?
: Dude I thought Urban makes you guys hurry up.
: Oh. [huff] Right. Well I don't really play.
: Yeah, Coach just was like "you can pick out any car you want and take the semester off so long as you don't go to that school up north." Lol! More like "That $chool up my butt!" Coach made that up. He's so smart.
: Who am I blocking?
: Wait aren't we a zone offense?
: We don't zone in the NFL.
[5 seconds to snap...]
: Guys I'm scared.
[2 seconds...]
: Move over Brandon I'm left tackle.
: Dude over there we're running to your side!
[defense shifts]
[1 second...]
: Hey what was the play by the way?
: Hike!
: Oh hello there, linebacker, fancy meeting you here.
[Later...]
: So you see, Heiko, the design of the play was fine but we really need to have 11 guys executing or it doesn't work.
[/scene]
Ace: Oh, fergodsakes, Seth. Here's your version:
[20 seconds to snap...]
Mark: Help me, I'm broken.
Sudfeld: Is it my turn to play?
Roberson: Should I be lining up at receiver? I should probably be lining up at receiver.
Clement: Why the f*** am I on the bench?
The rest doesn't matter, because your offense sucks.
BiSB: It'll be fun when three different guys try to snap the ball.
Ace: ...and two different guys try to catch it.
Seth: Everyone on my offense was recruited for, and has performed well in, the roles they'll be playing. It's cohesive, Al. Also we just ran five plays just now.
Brian: Seth's offense:
QB: noodle armed wobbler-tossers who will be exposed as Big Ten adapts to Indiana tempo
RB: spectators
WR: guy less effective than TE on his own team, screen guy overrated by obscure statistical metric
OL: meh
ROUND 23 - PICK 4 (Seth): Matt Wile, PK/P, Michigan
ROUND 24 - PICK 1 (Seth): Ed Davis, LB, Michigan State
O: QBs Nate Sudfeld and Tre Roberson (Ind), RB Venric Mark (NW), RB Corey Clement (Wis), WR Devin Smith (OSU), WR Christian Jones (NW), LT Jason Spriggs, LG Jake Cotton (Neb), (Ind), C Brandon Vitable (NW), RG Jack Allen (MSU), RT Taylor Decker (OSU).
D: DE Randy Gregory (Neb), DE Marcus Rush (MSU), DT Michael Bennett (OSU), NT Warren Herring (Wis), MLB Taiwan Jones (MSU), WLB Steve Longa (Rut), SAM Ed Davis (MSU), HSP Michael Caputo (Wis), SS Corey Cooper (Neb), FS Adrian Amos (PSU), CB Blake Countess (Mich), CB Eric Murray (Minn)
ST: PK/P Matt Wile (Mich), KR/PR Venric Mark (NW)
Upchurch/Fuller/Upchurch
Most of the good kickers graduated, and I don't plan to be punting very much—save Kornbrath for Ace's Cast of Confused—so I'll do the one smart thing Heiko did last year and snag a guy who does both. As a kicker we don't know much about Wile except that he's been the guy who takes the 45+ ones. On those he's a respectable career 3/6, hitting from 48, 49, and 52, and missing from about the same ranges. With Gibbons out against KSU Wile made two short ones. In high school he was 19/25 with a long of 49 and was invited to the Army game.
On kickoffs last year Michigan tried to subvert the new 25 yard line touchback rule by having Wile coffin corner it, but after four went out of bounds and Notre Dame nearly returned two more, they abandoned the tactic; it says enough about Wile that they tried. As a punter he averages about 40 ypp the calm way: rarely shanks, no internet gifs.
I did strongly consider Maryland's Aussie shanker-turned-Groza-finalist; Craddock was nominally recruited as a punter but the best of my internet scouting couldn't turn up more than a 23-yarder he attempted last year, and he's in no danger of emerging from a pile of mediocre scholarship punters the Terps apparently acquired to get Ferentz to sign off on their admission. I'd rather live with Wile, who has a longer leg anyway, and save the draft pick (says the Seth in recognition of the fact that drafting Craddock and declaring him your punter means you don't have a punter).
On to the SAM I'll likely deploy probably rarely given nobody drafted a fullback or more than one tight end. I could go into a lengthy explanation of 6'3"/230 Davis with coach quotes and NFL expectations. Or we could all watch Braxton Miller get sacked!
And watch Braxton Miller get sacked again!
Dingers!
Carlos Hyde was one of the better blocking RBs in the conference. On one of those Davis beat him, on the other he had to choose between Bullough and Davis, and decided to lay a useless arm on Davis. Next shark tooth.
Davis rotated into the lineup increasingly last season as a third down blitzer or when Denicos Allen needed a spell. This year he steps into Allen's role full-time. Poke ToC's Vannini about defensive players (...in new roles, presumably) to watch and he mentions Davis before Trae Waynes:
SI: Which players from the defense should fans keep an eye on?
CV: Junior Ed Davis will slide into one of the outside linebacker spots. He came on late last season, finishing with four sacks and 17 tackles in the pass-rushing role Allen mastered. In the secondary, Trae Waynes will move into the top cornerback spot. He had three interceptions and five pass breakups opposite Dennard as a sophomore last fall. As for the other corner spot, sophomore Darian Hicks appears to have the edge. He impressed in the spring game and could end up starting.
My base defense against your offenses is that nickel with Caputo, but Davis will make a nice attack piece to slot in when it's time for you to take a Kornbrath. Given the numbers Allen produced in that role, Davis will have a chance to pile up some gaudy TFL and sack stats which I can add to the narrative later this season when explaining how I thoroughly kicked your asses.
Ace:
"Given the numbers Allen produced in that role, Davis will have a chance to pile up some gaudy TFL and sack stats which I can add to the narrative later this season when explaining how I thoroughly kicked your asses."
BiSB: Ace's back seven had me like:
Ace: Says the guy who drafted Rutgers'second-best linebacker, Maryland Ibraheim Campbell, and starting boundary corner Jabrill Peppers. Unless Kurtis Drummond is cloned...
BiSB: Rutgers' second-best linebacker looks pretty good compared to your third linebacker, Guy Picked At Least Two Linebackers After Rutgers' Second Best Linebacker.
Ace:It's almost like I picked an enormous defensive line and a linebacker-ish HSP just for this very issue.
Also, if there isn't an inside linebacker on the board worth drafting instead of—once again—Rutgers' second-best linebacker, the Big Ten might as well just not have a football season this year and save us all the embarrassment. It's not my fault you made that pick and let me wait on linebackers since Seth and Brian already drafted MIKEs.
BiSB: Saying "Rutgers' second best linebacker" is just saying "a linebacker who isn't as good as Steve Longa," who is really good. And while the stench of Rutgers stings the nostrils, it is worth noting that they were good against the run; #22 in the country according to S&P+ ratings. It was the pass defense that was butt, and I'm not asking Snyder to do much in the way of pass defense. He's coming downhill.
Seth:
"The Big Ten might as well just not have a football season this year and save us all the embarrassment"
Come now, let's not dismiss this idea so quickly.
ROUND 24 - PICK 2 (BiSB): RJ Williamson, HSP, MSU
O: QB Devin Gardner (UM), RB Jeremy Langford (MSU), RB Tevin Coleman (IU), WR Kenny Bell (Neb), WR Shane Wynn (IU), WR Deon Long (MD), TE Tyler Kroft (RU), OT Donovan Smith (PSU), OT Jack Conklin (MSU), OG Pat Elflein (OSU), OG Zac Epping (MN) C Austin Blythe (Iowa)
D: DT Louis Trinca-Pasat (Iowa), DT Willie Henry (UM), DE Joey Bosa (OSU), DE Noah Spence (OSU), LB Jake Ryan (UM), LB Mike Hull (PSU), LB Kevin Snyder (RU), CB Sojourn Shelton (Wisky), CB Jabrill Peppers (UM), S Kurtis Drummond (MSU), S Sean Davis (MD), HSP RJ Williamson (MSU)
ST: Bell (KR), Peppers (PR)
Seeing as this is nominally a nickelback spot, how about I take Michigan State's starting nickel from last season? I imagine I could just leave it at that, and the pick would be defensible. Fortunately, there's more to back it up.
Williamson (44 tackles, 17 solo, 3 TFLs, 1 INT, 2 PBUs) can play pretty much anywhere in the back end. He battled Kurtis Drummond (closely, in fact) for the starting free safety spot as a redshirt freshman, played last year at nickel, and is expected to start at strong safety this fall. He could apparently even play a little corner in a pinch. He's got some competition from Demetrious Cox and Jalyn Powell, but Williamson is the frontrunner. When Isaiah Lewis was ejected for targeting on the first drive of MSU's game against Northwestern last year, Williamson stepped in and played well (7 tackles, 1 PBU, Northwestern held to 5.3 YPA and 0 TDs). He's a good size for a nickel corner/HSP at 6'0 and 215.
The coaching staff treated him as a starter last year, even as a nickel. According to Pat Narduzzi, he's "he has all the ability, he's got everything you want to be that guy there" I don't know what that means, but it sounds promising.
Good news, Seth. Your ingenious Wile kicker/punter maneuver has freed up a roster spot with which you can take a third quarterback to replace Roberson.
You know what you need to do. Quit fighting your feelings. Give in to the Stave.
Ace: Seth's comparisons when he drafted the Sudfeld/Roberson tandem:
Backups you say? I say the Dynamic Duo. The Caped Crusaders. Sherlock and Watson. Walter and Jesse. Stringer and Avon. Lucy and Ethel. Dom Deluise and the little Jewish mouse
: A duuuuuo!
The Walter/Jesse and Stringer/Avon comps held up, at least.
Brian: WHERE'S ROBERSON, SUD?!?!?
Seth:
I wonder how well the readers know the Tim Drake storyline.
ROUND 24 - PICK 3 (Ace): Brad Craddock, K/P, Maryland
O: QB Connor Cook (MSU), RB Ameer Abdullah (NE), WR Devin Funchess (U-M), WR Tony Jones (NW), SLOT Levern Jacobs (MD), SLOT/RB Dontre Wilson (OSU), TE Maxx Williams (MN), LT Brandon Scherff (IA), LG Kaleb Johnson (RU), C Chad Lindsay (OSU), RG Jordan Walsh (IA), RT Tyler Marz (WI)
D: WDE Shilique Calhoun (MSU), SDE Andre Monroe (MD), NT Darius Kilgo (MD), DT Adolphus Washington (OSU), OLB Chi Chi Ariguzo (NW), OLB Matt Robinson (MD), CB Desmond King (IA), CB Darian Hicks (MSU), S John Lowdermilk (IA), S Jarrod Wilson (U-M), HSP Earnest Thomas III (IL)
ST: K/P Brad Craddock (MD), KR Dontre Wilson (OSU), PR Ameer Abdullah (NE)
The missed extra point ultimately didn't matter in the 20-18 loss to N.C. State; the missed 33-yard game-winner did. [via]
I'm very much stretching the definition of "kicker/punter" in order to free up a roster spot elsewhere. Craddock is definitely a kicker—after struggling a bit as a freshman, he broke out as one of the best in the country last season:
However, it's amazing what one year of training, hard work, and dedication can do. In his Sophomore season, Craddock would improve to 84% on FGs, hit 37 of 38 XPs, and get touchbacks on 17.4% of his kickoffs. His career long of 50 yards (which could've hit from 60) came against WVU. The reward for his hard work? A Lou Groza semi-finalist. The fact that he's not on the watch list for the award this season is a crime that you should be irate about.
There's a good reason it took a year for Craddock to settle in as a placekicker: a native of Australia, he never played organized American football until he got to College Park—his strong leg came from a youth playing Aussie Rules Football. Craddock was recruited as a punter, but when Maryland's expected starting kicker went down with a season-ending injury shortly before the season, Craddock won the competition to replace him.
As a result of being thrust into the spotlight at kicker—not to mention also handling kickoff duties—as a true freshman, Craddock has only punted once for Maryland, a 25-yarder as a freshman that I'm gonna go ahead and assume was a Lloyd-style placekicker pooch punt. So, yes, it's a bit of a stretch to place him at punter on my team, but I don't think this offense would be punting much anyway, and now I have an extra roster spot to use. You'll see why I did this when I make my next pick.
Meanwhile, this is great (same link as above):
Craddock complained about having to wear a helmet. He found it distracting. "We don't have them in Aussie rules, and we hit people all the time" [paraphrasing here]. He wants to tackle people more on kickoffs, but has had to be dissuaded to do so by the coaching staff.
I've always wanted Michigan to recruit a crazy Aussie kicker, but I'll settle for having one on my imaginary team.
CURRENTLY CURRENT SITUATION:
[Yes we saved Brian's last picks for next time, which is the last time. Will Brian have to scout someone else's OL or will he just draft Wisconsin backups? Can BiSB's "this position is always good" rule lead him to Caris LeVert? Will Ace pretend Earnest Thomas is a defensive end? Can somebody give Sudfeld a hug? Find out this and things you never knew about punting in the thrilling conclusion.]