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Well at first I wasn't sure how to go about doing this evaluation. Heck, to tell you the truth, I wasn't even sure if any of you cared enough about my opinion to read. But I wasn't going out of town or anything this weekend (4th of July's are usually held at my house and everyone else in the family has to travel, HA!) so I offered to do it, since I'd probably have adequate time.

I thought I'd start off by going down the list and hitting some highlights on the draft picks. I don't feel like all the picks need comments anyway, and plus it would take a ton of time to comment on every player. So I'll just make some comments of guys that I though went either a little early, or guys that stuck around longer than expected. I'm not trying to be critical of anyone, these are ONLY MY OPINIONS. Please keep that in mind. Any player that I don't make a comment on, is not because I like/dislike them, it's probably just that I felt they went about the right time, or as expected. I'll try to follow this up with a seperate e-mail with my "team by team" opinions.

Round 1

1.03 Richard Huntley - I knew this league was high on RB's so I wasn't THAT surprised to see several go early, but I was surprised to see Richard Huntley taken before Thomas Jones. Huntley has talent, and I'm one who's not real high on Bettis either (just ask Steve), but I think this might have been a little bit of a reach.

Round 2

2.05 Jermain Fazande - this is a nice pick if Fazande winds up being a go to guy, but the Charges used 7 RB's last season (maybe more, but I counted at least 7). I know they like him in SD, but I just see him splitting too many carries to merit this pick...probably could have waited at least another round IMHO.

2.07 Jake Plummer - really starting to push the envelope in terms of time it takes for him to develop. I thought this was a pretty big reach considering the guy threw 24 INT's last season and only 9 TD's. I know there were several circumstances that contributed to that, but we didn't seem to be on a real QB run and there was better talent available. Could have been gotten later IMO.

Round 3

3.03 Elvis Grbac - I really liked this pick...Grbac performed better than most people realize last year, and with the addition of Sylvester Morris there's no reason to think he can't meet or exceed last years stats. was in just about every performance top 15 last year. Has an outside chance to crack the top 10 this year if Morris can contribute immediately.

3.09 Tim Dwight - I think the arrival of Shawn Jefferson really hurts Dwight's Fantasy value. I think we all like his heart, speed, and talent. I just feel his production wasn't THAT great last year, and might even be less this year. Seems a little high for him IMO.

3.12 Olandis Gary - No questioning his talent, and if he were picked as insurance against Terrell Davis...I wouldn't have a problem with the pick. But to pick him in hopes that he'll be traded??? I just think this pick was made more on emotion and "wishful thinking" rather than rational thought.

Round 4

4.01 Herman Moore - Injuries really held him down last year and if he can come back healthy, I think this is a GREAT pick. I've never been REAL high on Moore, but this could be the comeback player of the year. The only problem is can Batch get healthy, and throw enough balls to keep Moore, Morton, and Crowell ALL happy?!

4.06 Jeff George - I've always been a fan of George, and even when people were questioning whether or not his head was screwed on right, NO ONE was questioning his ability to throw the football. But with several STARTING qb's left it seems a bit of a reach to grab a backup here.

4.07 KC Defense - Time to criticize myself here. In hindsight, I probably picked these guys a round or two too early. I clearly let my emotion for having a team I wanted cloud my overall vision...but I'm still happy with my draft. I'm just saying I might have got them a little early. As they might not have been the first defense taken otherwise.

Round 5

5.03 Peerless Price - REALLY like this pick...If he can get his routes down, he could crack the top 15. At this point in the draft, I'd call that a steal. Especially since you KNOW defenses will be looking at Moulds.

Round 6

6.02 Titan Defense - I probably should have taken my defense my next pick after this....this was probably going to be the first defense to go. No surprise really, right? Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20.

6.08 Michael Basnight - Might have been a bit of a reach, especially considering the Bungles have Keaton too. Dillon could also regain his senses and stop listening to his agent. This pick was made more by necessity. Could pay dividends in the long run, but definately in the "high risk" category.

Round 7

7.06 Sean Dawkins - I remember when he left the Saints to go to Seattle. I thought he would produce when every other owner in the league I was in at the time was saying that he sucked. Even though he's a FA I think he'll have a job before the season starts. This is a "wait and see pick". Could have GREAT value if he goes to a team like the Jets who are in need of a WR with some size. If he goes to a team that already has a couple of good WR's then his value goes down significantly, but he should still produce some.

7.08 Mike Cloud - The first (of MANY) Chiefs RB selected is Cloud??? I'm a big Chiefs fan and I can tell you that the Chief's haven't recently given many of it's smaller backs a good chance (see Greg Hill & Rashaan Shehee). I'm not even sure why they've bothered to draft these guys the way they misuse them. HC Gunther Cunningham likes to pound the ball and at about 5' 10", and about 205 lbs, Cloud just seems like not much more than a 3rd down, change of pace guy. It's a shame too, because I really think Cloud has a lot of ability...perhaps if he were on a different team, he'd get a chance to showcase it.

7.11 Kordell Stewart - ooooouuuuggggghhhhh! What can I say? I have NEVER, and I mean NEVER like Kordell. I would say more, but I think that's enough....I'm obviously biased here.

Round 8

8.02 BAL Defense - I really like this pick... I think the Ravens will be one of the top 3 DEF in our scoring system. They are a BIG play defense. They seem to get a lot of Turnovers and sacks despite not being able to keep the other team out of the endzone. A good Playmaking defense, but haven't learned to play together yet. If they ever do, they could dominate with the talent they have.

8.04 Doug Flutie - I love the little guy, and though a lot of people harp on his size - I think this might be little high for him because #1 he's not a starter anymore, and #2 he's not exactly a spring chicken. Although there aren't many Starters left at this point in the draft, so this owner might have just been thinking that Rob Johnson won't get the job done and Flutie will wind up playing again. Not a terrible pick, but certainly "iffy" IMO.

8.05 Doug Chapman, MIN - A perfect example of just how RB crazy this league seems to be. MIN is a pass oriented team and to pick this guy when there is talent at other positions still available (or even better back up RB's to be had) seems questionable to me.

8.07 Travis Prentis, CLE - See Chapman (above). I mean come on...at best he'll probably be 3rd string RB. Could probably be gotten much later in the draft.

8.12 Charles Johnson - The Eagles were written off by so many people, so early in the year last year - that I'll be most of us didn't even realize that they won 5 games. Now you take out Doug Pederson (yuck!) and start off the season with McNabb (who got some experience late last season) and I think you are automatically a couple of games better. I'm not putting them in the playoffs or anything, but the Eagles should be much more viable fantasy material this season and Johnson and McNabb have been working together in the offseason. I had him targeted myself for my 9th round pick...but alas.

Round 9

9.06 Terrence Wilkins - EXPLOSIVE in the return game, but I don't think he holds much fantasy value. At 5-8" and 179# I just don't see him seeing a lot of time at WR. E. G. Green is my favorite to be the #2 guy despite his injury problems. They think HE is too small and he's 5-11" -190#. Pathon will probably wind up rotating in and out with Green with Wilkins stayin in a KR/PR role and being the #4 guy at best.

9.09 Garrison Hearst - I think we all want to wish everyone the BEST in coming back from injuries. But Hearst's injury might be the hardest. His leg has healed but the problem now is poor circulation which is leading to necrosis (decaying) of the bone tissue. It's the same type of problem that Bo Jackson had. It's not that the initial injury hasn't healed that is the problem...the problem is the lack of adequate circulation. He should be fine for everyday life, but his continued life in the NFL is a BIG question IMO. Great pick if he's responded to therapy and can make a comeback, but definately a "risk" pick.

9.10 Jerry Porter - Even though he's a rookie and EXTREMELY raw. He's probably the 2nd best WR on this team behind Tim Brown. If he can grasp the offense at all, he should see plenty of action. Good pick IMO.

Round 10

10.09 PHI Defense - I really like this pick just considering some of the defenses that went before it. Nice pick. This defense is VERY underrated.

10.11 Rickey Dudley - I know there are still a lot of people who don't like him that much. Myself, I think it just took him a little longer to develop than it probably should have...but now that he's finally shown what he can do...I like this pick. After Gonzales (obviously), and Walls (though he is aging), this is the best TE IMHO.

Round 11

11.08 Barry Sanders - Considering his current status as "retired" this might be the biggest reach of the draft (hey look at the dummy! hint: that would be ME). But I made this pick based on two things. #1 was the poor condition of my RB corps. #2 was the several reports that I've heard that Barry will come out of retirement and simply report to training camp. That would mean that the Lions would either have to keep him (AND PAY HIM!!!) or they would be forced into trading him. This makes some sense because of the big contract that they gave to James Stewart. So simply by showing up to camp and still being under contract Barry could "force the Lions hand". Certainly a high risk pick, but like I said when I made it....if it pays off, it should pay off BIG. If not...then it's not going to break my season. Although in hindsight I probably could have gotten him much later, even though this league is VERY RB oriented.

11.09 Shawn Jefferson - IMHO this is a GREAT pick. I'm not really that high on ATL in general - But considering where Tim Dwight went (3.09), this seems like a STEAL!

11.12 Robert Chancey - All I can say here is that the owner must know something about the Chargers running game that I don't. I don't see ANY value here. Might as well take a defense or kicker. This guy would probably have been around in RD 15 to take then.

Round 12

12.01 E.G. Green - could be a REAL darkhorse if he can stay healthy. Has shown good ability for stretches and then gets injured. If he stays healthy, he could be the compliment to Harrison that the Colts really need. Nice pick.

12.09 Moe Williams - Listed at FB, but will also probably replace Leroy Hoard as the goal line back. If true, then this could be a solid pick in terms of TD's. Not sure if he'll get much in the way of yardage though, but at this point in the draft it's a nice pick. Only downside is that MIN could still re-sign Hoard. Oh well, that's the disadvantage of drafting this early...makes your reaches that much riskier (I'm not complaining, I like the extra challenge. More risk = more fun IMHO).

Round 13

13.01 Trung Candidate - Awesome speed? Sure. Fantasy value? umm....NO.

13.02 Paul Edinger - CHI missed a ton of FG's last season, this guy could help tremendously. I know it's not a big deal because we're talking about a PK, but this is a good pick IMO.

13.12 Moses Moreno - I'm sorry but there are still 2nd Stringers to be had if you need a QB. Last I heard he was still in competition for the #3 spot and might not even make the team. We'll probably see Ryan Leaf before we see Moreno. I could be wrong on this one, but I just REALLY don't see any value here. Especially considering the state of the Chargers Offense. I know they were 8-8 last season, but most of that was due to their defense.

Round 14

14.05 Andre Rison - The Chiefs still like Andre despite his lack of production....but let me tell you something as a fan who follows them closely. They like most of their other WR's MORE. Lockett, Larry Parker, and even Sylvester Morris will probably make Rison expendable. And as much as we love him...the Chiefs might actually release him during the "cut - downs". Especially given some recent legal difficulties.

14.08 Frank Moreau - I don't know what it is about this guy...EVEN when I took him I though I might be making a big "longshot" pick. But to my surprise I received an unusual amount of interest about him after the draft. Not necessarily being the centerpiece of a talk....but his name keeps popping up. hmmm??? Maybe it's because the Chiefs like Big RB's and he's the only one in recent years that they've actually drafted?! I don't know...I just got a funny feeling about him. Or maybe that's just something I ate.

14.12 Dennis Northcutt - As good as a season that Kevin Johnson had last year, Coach Chris Palmer told him not to get too comfortable in his position because of this guy and fellow draftee JuJuan Dawson. Of the two, I like Northcutt much more and I feel that he'll be the #2 WR before the end of the season. I know we are talking about Cleveland, but their Passing attack is starting to look pretty good to me. They might not even make it to .500 this year (partly due to a tough schedule) but they could make some Big strides and turn a few heads. One of the guys that could really wind up being a true "sleeper".

Round 15

15.04 Greg Hill - I really like Greg Hill. I don't think he's ever been given a chance, and it's a damn shame. He's a FA right now and should find a home somewhere. although it will probably be as a backup. I don't think this was a good or a bad pick. Just thought that I'd note he doesn't have a team right now and it's hard to determine his value.

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I hope you all enjoyed my slant on the "in-draft" part of my analysis. I will probably follow this up with another e-mail (if you guys want) going over the league on a team by team basis.

Remember all these comments are simply my opinions. I hope none of you took it personally or felt overcriticised as I didn't really look at the team names...only the players and where they went in the draft. I really think that overall, the draft was really good. I'm sure we all made some really nice picks, and probably all of us made at least one "reach" pick (I probably made more than anyone).

-Snowblind