Big Ten Draftageddon: Informative Portion

What the hell was this? Draftageddon is the MGo-version of those preseason all Big Ten articles it is mandatory that sports site generate. If we had titled it "Top 100 players in the B1G" and written one line about each guy it would be great clickbait and nobody would learn anything. So instead we activated our competitive natures, had the MGoStaff draft four 26-man teams, and learned waaaay too much.

Full details are in the first post. This is the "what have we learned" post.

PREVIOUSLY ON DRAFTAGEDDON (two rounds/post)

1. Devin Gardner, plus Braxton Miller, Brandon Scherff, Randy Gregory, Michael Bennett, Joey Bosa, Shilique Calhoun, Carl Davis, Stefon Diggs
2. Devin Funchess and Jake Ryan, plus Kurtis Drummond, Venric Mark, Jason Spriggs, Chi Chi Ariguzo, Melvin Gordon, Trae Waynes
3. Frank Clark, plus Ameer Abdullah, Kenny Bell, Taiwan Jones, Christian Jones, Noah Spence, Maxx Williams, Rob Havenstein
4. Blake Countess, plus Andre Monroe, Donovan Smith, Taylor Decker, Sojourn Shelton, Desmond King, Darius Hamilton, Theiren Cockran
5. Darius Kilgo, Shane Wynn, Brandon Vitabile, Jack Allen, Austin Blythe, Kaleb Johnson, Kyle Costigan, Dallas Lewallen
6. Matt Robinson, Mike Hull, Corey Cooper, Devin Smith, Jeremy Langford, John Lowdermilk, Jordan Lucas, Christian Hackenberg
7. Jabrill Peppers, Desmond Morgan, and James Ross III, plus Connor Cook,  Adrian Amos, Steve Longa, Jack Conklin, Tyler Marz
8. Dontre Wilson, Louis Trinca-Pasat, Nate Sudfeld, Tre Roberson, Tevin Coleman, Earnest Thomas III, Jeff Heuerman, Ibraheim Campbell
9. Jarrod Wilson, plus Adolphus Washington, Deon Long, Marcus Rush, Eric Murray, Sean Davis, Josh Ferguson, Tony Lippett
10. Levern Jacobs, Pat Elflein, Jake Cotton, Warren Herring, Zac Epping, Chad Lindsay, Doran Grant, Michael Rose
11. Darian Hicks, Tyler Kroft, Michael Caputo, Corey Clement, Kevin Snyder, Jordan Walsh, Michael Geiger, Traveon Henry
12. Willie Henry and Matt Wile, plus Tony Jones, Ed Davis, RJ Williamson, Brad Craddock, Dan Voltz, Andrew Donnal
13. Joe Bolden, plus Dan Voltz, Andrew Donnal, William Likely, Mike Sadler, Jesse James, Macgarrett Kings Jr., Cameron Johnston, Quinton Alston, Kyle Prater, C.J. Brown
14. BiSB won the vote, Seth won the photoshop contest

Supplemental Left Behind series by BiSB: offense (defense not posted yet)

GUYS WE DRAFTED (VISUALIZED)

I thought you might appreciate seeing who did and didn't get drafted from among each teams' starters.

Click any to access the giant PDF of all 14 teams plus ND.

It doesn't tell you when they were drafted or by whom, or how big of a hole the non-draftees are, e.g. Maryland's defense looks like Michigan's at a glance, but Michigan has tons of quality LBs while Maryland has one of moderate value. Ohio State is strongest up front on both sides of the ball. Iowa is strong down the middle.

[Jump for are we homers, overrated rivals, deep positions, most overrated dudes, and answers to pretty much every other clickbait thing this offseason because we're nothing if not a thorough bunch]

THINGS WE LEARNED

Other than we're very serious when it comes to defending our selections, we discovered some important lessons about Michigan's conference rivals and former rivals and somebodies we used to know. I did a little Q&A with Brian, Ace, BiSB and myself which follows:

We took two Michigan offensive players in the first three rounds, and 8/11 starters (Morgan/Bolden counted once) on defense (plus the kicker). Which Wolverines, if any, were on the bubble, or would have been as good or better picks than people taken? So…Is Michigan better than we realized or are we homers?

Ace: Neither, really. I don't think any of the Michigan selections were major reaches; it's distinctly possible Desmond Morgan ends up being the most regretted pick among the Wolverines taken, and he's definitely better than a few of the other linebackers we drafted. So we're not homers. I think we went in thinking the defense is going to be quite good—something I think we've all been saying—and the offense has two outstanding skill players and a five-very-large-men-sized question mark up front; the picks reflected this.

Brady approves of us taking more Michigan guys, also approves of how Brian prefaced his answer.

BiSB: I think the number of Michigan players was a fair representation of the talent on the team. Truth be told, you actually could have made a case for Raymon Taylor over Will Likely or Darien Hicks, Freddy Canteen over Macgarrett Kings, or Jake Butt over Jesse James. Desmond Morgan and Jabrill Peppers were stretches for where they were taken in the draft, but both deserved to be taken somewhere (Morgan for his production, Peppers for EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE plus he can fill in at ANY OTHER POSITION in case of injury). Willie Henry was the 8th DT taken, so I stand by that one over, for example, This-Is-The-Year-He-Breaks-Out-No-Really-We’re-Serious-This-Time Lawrence Thomas.

Michigan is going to be really good defensively this year, and they have some very strong offensive pieces. Embrace the optimism, folks. It’s way more fun than the alternative.

Brian: Well, we took zero OL and no one else on offense; I think it's pretty easy to make a case that ten Michigan players would reasonably be all Big Ten if those teams went four deep. I didn't see any Michigan players go off the board and think "boy, that's a reach." So we're not homers.

But that doesn't mean Michigan is better than we realized. We didn't just avoid Michigan OL, we ran away from them. Maybe Glasgow was on someone's board. No one else even approached it. Michigan has a lot of nice pieces and then the biggest problem area in the conference that doesn't belong to Purdue.

Guys on the bubble: Taylor, Lewis, Norfleet, Glasgow, Butt. Taylor probably gets picked but we're worried that Jourdan Lewis steals his job, and Norfleet probably gets picked except for the surfeit of Norfleet types in the league this year—Norfleet types who have actually been used. I did think about Glasgow, because he was relatively good for a sophomore a year ago.

Seth: I think it's more about this team being sound in areas the conference is generally weak. Funchess and Gardner were taken high because they're blue chips at respective positions with just two full-fledged stars available. You also wouldn't expect position-switching Jake Ryan to be the first LB off the board, or for Ross and Morgan to join him so soon after. Countess isn't the 2nd best CB in the conference in a normal year, and in that normal year Peppers happens late in the draft as nickel pickup, not when we're still fitting out our starting kits. Jarrod Wilson was taken 7th among safeties, but that's after Brian, BiSB, and Ace all shot themselves in the face with worse ones. Matt Wile is a good bet because the kickers suck.

The only Michigan players not drafted from relatively weak fields were the two DL; Frank Clark was one among many very good DE options, and the way the DTs played out Willie Henry in the 23rd round was the first that was any kind of risk. So Michigan isn't MICHIGAN but the Big Ten is worse than those MICHIGAN's faced even in the recent past.

2. Are we overrating rivals (16 Spartans, 13 Buckeyes) or is this correct?

Ace: This seems correct to me. There's good reason the top teams get a ton of dudes drafted: even if they weren't impact players last year, they're probably going to be better than their positional counterparts on non-contenders, save for the occasional Ra'Shede Hageman. Both Ohio State's offense and Michigan State's defense have proven good enough that they can simply fill in the gaps and proceed as planned.

BiSB: If you look at the reason so many Sparties went, it was because (a) people took fliers on MSU defenders late (Ed Davis, Darian Hicks, RJ Williamson), which is pretty understandable given what we’ve all witnessed, (2) they had both a kicker and a punter taken, both of whom are really good, and (d) they’re the reigning Big Ten champs. As for Ohio State, they have skill players coming out the Buckeye on offense and a defensive line from which EVERYONE was going to be picked.

Brian: It is correct-ish. Collectively I think we overrated MSU's offense, but at this point they are plug and play on D.

Seth: Theiren Cockran is Will Gholston minus the hype and Brian took him in the 9th round, but I was surprised Eric Murray fell to me after the run on corners, and that the manballicious among us kept skipping Epping until late, so if anything we've been underrating the only rival who comes with hardware (not counting cabin schlock).

3. What's the conference's weakest/deepest position?

Brian: Weakest: safety. There was very little I was excited about at any point after Drummond went. For a guy like Campbell to slip so far after his career and then for people to be like "eh" when he got drafted was 1) correct and 2) demonstrative of the lack of impact at the position.

Strongest: defensive end. Those guys absolutely flew off the board early and I still got a second team ABT player from a year ago and a guy with 7.5 sacks and NFL upside.

Seth: Safety, but less obviously, linebacker had a cliff after Jake Ryan, and that's a Jake Ryan trying out a new position that mitigates some of his greatness. I went in thinking Hull was good too until the PSU folk started hand-waving on him. Also quarterbacks; the reason I tried to pull an Indiana is 2nd tier QB options were Hackenberg (Henne '05), and Cook (Griese '96).

Defensive end was the obvs in strengths, so I'll mention tight end. Weapons like Jake Butt and Connor Cook's binky Josiah Price didn't sniff a pick because we only got through 1/3 of the dangerous Nittany Lions. One of us (probably Ace) might have gone with 2TEs instead of plumbing the depths of Maryland's roster to fill our spreads.

Ace: The weakest has to be safety. Brian drafted both Northwestern safeties and it wasn't batshit, even if his made-up stat to justify it was. QED.

The strongest also seems pretty clear: defensive end. Seth got Marcus Rush, a guy he drafted in the 7th round two years ago without getting widely mocked, in the 17th round, and that made sense. Since everybody is going to answer DE, I'll throw this out there: I think there's more talent at corner, especially in the sophomore class, than we thought (or at least I thought) heading into this.

BiSB: The deepest position is either DE or RB. We left CJ Olaniyan on the bench, along with David Cobb and Ezekiel Elliot. There are also a ridiculous number of good centers this year, which is less exciting because… centers.

The weakest position is probably offensive tackle. I guess quick-footed 6’7” 320 pound smash-ballerinas don’t grow on trees. There MAY have been 8 quality starters (if you want to include Donnal, which I don’t, and then you’re probably down Erik Magnuson and worse. Kicker is also hilariously weak; Sam Ficken is the third best kicker in the conference, which NOPE. Originally I thought defensive tackle would be shallower, but there are some solid if uninspiring next-tier guys like Keith Bowers, Willie Henry, Warren Herring, Cameron Botticelli, Vincent Valentine, and Chris Carter.

4. Where do the two new members fit in the Big Ten pantheon?

Seth: Maryland right now is a little scarier than where I think they'll wind up; they've got talented receivers but the guy passing to them was Mr. Irrelevant and you'll note we fled from their OL faster than ours. Eventually they'll settle into a (historically) Michigan State-like punctuated mediocrity. Rutgers comes in like a.... (have we used up this meme yet? No. No we haven't) ... WRRRREREEECKING BAAAAALLL!!!

BiSB: Maryland is a real team, but not a great one. They have holes on the offensive line and in the secondary, but they also have some really nice pieces, especially at receiver and along the defensive line. I see them fitting in about where Penn State was last year; too incomplete to compete for a conference title, but with enough talent to make things interesting in any given game. Rutgers sucks. We knew this. We continue to know it.

Ace: I'm a little more worried about Maryland, which has that scary receiving corps and a solid front seven. They've got their fair share of issues, but they also have more high-level talent than I expected. Rutgers fits snugly into the basement, like everyone expected.

Brian: Maryland seems to have some quality players, as does Rutgers. But as discussed above, their holes are pretty big. Gary Nova, you guys. And Maryland is waving around at various holes.

5. (Most underrated dudes) Who was your biggest steal? What picks made by the other guys really impressed you/screwed with your plans?

Ace: I still can't believe Ameer Abdullah, a legit Heisman candidate, dropped into my lap in the fifth round. Thanks, Seth. I also thought Andre Monroe and Matt Robinson dropped further than they would've if we'd seen them in the Big Ten last year.

Brian made one of the better picks of the early rounds by recognizing the gap between Trae Waynes and everyone else at corner. He was going to be my next pick, but I was stupid enough to get cute and grab Ariguzo—whom I really like, but in retrospect I doubt Brian would've drafted that early—first before Brian's back-to-back picks. The other "DAMN YOU" moment for me came when BiSB picked up Louis Trinca-Passat, an underrated cog in Iowa's great run defense, just as I was readying to pick a three-tech; I guess I'll settle for former five-star Adolphus Washington.

Brian: Having Trae Waynes and Melvin Gordon drop to me in the fourth and fifth was a totally lolwut moment. Thanks, Seth! Other than that, Jeff Heuerman was terrific value late. Ditto Josh Ferguson. 50 catches last year! 50!

We're impressed with Donovan Smith, mostly from one video, sure, but when it's bloggers trying to speak intelligently about other peoples' offensive linemen… [photo: Mike Pettigano/WE ARE! 2014]

There were a number of picks that I was sure I was going to get to make before they were snaked out from under me; I'll go with PSU OT Donovan Smith, who I watched annihilate Randy Gregory on film only to see BISB swoop in. I'll also give a shout for Caputo again. He's that S/LB hybrid that you love to have at the nickel.

BiSB: If you ask me, I won this draft in rounds 15-17, where I stole Louis Trinca-Pasat, Tevin Coleman, and Deon Long. I also really liked Donovan Smith in the 7th round; the kid is going to be a star. Same with Sojourn Shelton in the 8th. I LOVE MY TEAM.

As for others who foiled my plans, Seth got a steal with Adrian Amos in the 13th round. I also gambled that one of Ameer Abdullah or Melvin Gordon would fall to me in the 5th, and I was mistaken.

Seth: I screwed up some early picks but I was kicking ass late. In a draft weak on safeties and linebackers I got Amos and Longa right after BiSB took Peppers. Caputo and Murray were around far too long. And waiting to the end to take a TE paid off. But I'm going with Amos, because he's at least very good and potentially a star, and look what happened at safety after that.

What killed me was the three immediately preceding my worst pick. I'd hoped that Bennett/Gregory would force Calhoun to go next and then a run on DL. But Stefon Diggs, Devin Funchess, and Kurtis Drummond disappeared instead; that's when I talked myself into Venric Mark.

6. Who's the crappiest player we drafted (kickers not included)?

Ace: I remain completely unconvinced that Michael Rose is going to be get so much better than he was when I ripped him in the Nebraska FFFF that he was worth a pick. Rose got plenty of playing time before Nebraska's defensive statistical improvement, which came against Michigan's woeful running game, MSU's uninspiring one, Zach Zwinak, Mark Weisman, and a Georgia team with approximately 37 injured starters. Perhaps I'm too focused on this...

...but, man, he's got a long way to go from there. [S: Ace wrote this hours before Rose's injury was announced]

Seth: Things got ugly at the end. The right side of Brian's OL is gonna get torched against the edge rushers we picked, but there's some potential non-starters all over the place, and among the starters there's Michael Rose and Macgarrett Kings.

BiSB: If we’re talking crappiest player, sorry Brian, but Andrew Donnal and Traveon Henry are duking it out for that title. CJ Brown is also not great, but for a compensatory 27th rounder, meh. But if we’re talking biggest stretch, I’d say Darian Hicks or Ed Davis, who haven’t done much of anything and were selected almost exclusively on their school’s reputation. Guys like Jabrill Peppers and Quinton Alston were also drafted solely on reputation, I suppose, but I worry we’ve placed a little too much faith in the magical powers of Pat Narduzzi.

Brian: Will Gholston.

I'm not quite sure who but I feel like one of the Maryland defenders is going to be ruthlessly exposed by the Big Ten. Macgarrett Kings is so mediocre as a slot receiver, and I wouldn't be surprised if Chad Lindsay didn't even play for OSU. Yeah, four games at Alabama. Also chased off by Saban. If he was any good he would still be at Alabama. Michigan was desperate for him because of their situation.

7. Who's the best player nobody drafted?

Ace: At least one of us is going to realllllly regret not taking Ezekiel Elliott. We were smart enough to take Wisconsin's backup running back, but not to take Ohio State's starter?

Brian: Probably Graham Glasgow. I couldn't take him for political reasons but I honestly feel like he's going to be an ABT quality lineman this year. Also: various remaindered PSU TEs, Jourdan Lewis.

Seth: C.J. Olaniyan. They shoved Anthony Zettel to 3-tech to make room for Olaniyan at SDE, and if they had any kind of DTs they'd have C.J. their rush end. DE is just so stacked in this conference right now; only one drafted I'd consider Olaniyan over is Cockran.

BiSB: Besides the obvious (NORFLEEEEEEEEET), I’d say it’d be CJ Olaniyan or Robert Kugler. I’m surprised a guy with a quality nose tackle (like Brian with Carl Davis or Seth with Michael Bennett) didn’t take Olaniyan as a potential hybrid DE/OLB, giving themselves some flexibility to go to a 3-man front. And I know Purdue is Purdue, which is 100% Purdue than you want in a draft pick, but Robert Kugler is a really good interior lineman who (sorry, Ace) I would have taken over Chad Lindsey or Jordan Walsh in a heartbeat. I’m actually regretting not taking him myself.

8. Who's got the best offense? Defense?Overall? I mean, obviously your team is running the table. So among the rest of the field, who's going to the Rose, who to the Citrus, who to the Outback?

BiSB: For offense, Rose: Brian – Cohesion problems aside, he’s got the highest talent level overall. Plus, Kyle Prater. Citrus: Ace – His receiving corps scares the hell out of me, but he’s weak on the interior line, and I’m not sold on Connor Cook. Outback: Seth – He took a shot at a cohesive group, but while the strategy may have been good, the execution was his downfall. He could have grabbed Mark or Spriggs several rounds later.

And defense, Rose: Seth – Best back seven in the group, and his defense is sound overall. Every position group has reliable playmaking talent. Citrus: Ace – Solid front seven (especially along the line), but that secondary is rather uninspiring. Outback: Brian – As I discussed above, the middle of his defense is pillow-soft. Trae Waynes does not a back seven make.

Chicago's mediocre Big Ten safety.

Overall, Rose: Ace – The most complete team overall on both sides of the ball, with no glaring weakenesses. Citrus: Brian – Northwestern safeties, man. Outback: Seth – The problems with the offense outweigh the talent on the defense.

Brian: I rate Ace's offense the best of the competitors for second place. Funchess, Abdullah, and Scherff are a cut above what the others offer, and while I think Gardner is the most dynamic player on these teams I don't really like the rest of BISB's skill guys. On D, clear edge to BISB: Bosa/Spence at DE, plus Jake Ryan, plus Mike Hull, plus Shelton/Peppers/Drummond. Seth is second; Ace got the Gholston booby trap and has a really undersized DT spot; I think Chi Chi Ariguzo, a really high pick for Ace, is just a guy. Overall: 1. BISB, 2. Ace, 3. Seth

Ace: Brian is the clear choice on offense; given BiSB's and Seth's respective sets of skill players, that could be based on the Miller/Gordon backfield alone and it'd be justified, and Brian also has the best receiver among those three. I don't think his O-line is as good as he thinks it is—again, these are all-star teams, so just going "Wisconsin" doesn't mean an automatic win—but in this case I don't think it matters. BiSB's in second, Seth third.

On defense, I'll go with BiSB despite his secondary not being as good as he thinks it is. That front seven is excellent, and nabbing Williamson late was a great way to salvage taking Sean Davis over Jarrod Wilson (dude, Kurtis Drummond THA GAWD can totally play strong safety). Seth beats out Brian for second because of a better pass rush and not having Northwestern's safeties.

Overall, it's BiSB to the Rose Bowl, Brian to the Citrus Bowl, and Seth to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

Seth: Offense: You guys pay way too much attention to skill players. Brian's on offense are indeed really good (I loved the Ferguson pick), and manball blocking in spreads do work, but he got too into Wisconsin and wound up with just 60% of what you think a typical Wisconsin mauling line is. The book on Braxton Miller is get a pass rush in his face. BiSB's skill guys are almost as good, and his offensive line, while mixed and a bit young, will crush by mid-season. Ace's offense is half-good and too disjointed to tap the talent spikes. 1. BiSB. 2. Brian. 4. Ace.

On defense I'd make fun of Brian's Wildcat safeties more if his cornerbacks ever needed them to do more than hang around the box all day, and Michael Rose more if he was ever going to be on the field. BiSB's defense has holes in the secondary but his pass rush is two OSU DE's and Jake Ryan so he can cover for that. Ace's front four is good but after that it oscillates between "just a guy" and "crap" except Desmond King. 2. BiSB, 3. Brian. 4. Ace

The Garden Supply Rose Bowl Presented by Comcast-Time Warner: BiSB (boo expansion. Bring back Heiko!) Lloyd Carr Underperformance Memorial Citrus Bowl: Brian. Ace ain't going to no bowl.