The Big Lead » 2008 NFL Draft Bonanza

Commenter Draft: We Lost, But It Was Close

TheBigLead — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:55:33 +0000

Our commenter draft competition against the newspaper beat writers who drafted for Sports Illustrated came down to the final pick of the first round. Amazingly, both sides had a total of 33 points after 30 picks, and the New York Giants draft pick was going to decide the victor.

Ralph Vacchiano of the NY Daily News correctly nailed the Giants taking Miami safety Kenny Phillips, and SI topped TBL, 38-34. (Trades were not factored in. Too messy.) Be honored, commenters – you made it interesting. Would the following commenters stand at your desk and take a bow for nailing picks accurately: Mike NYC, YYSA, Bottomless Chips, and Blazers. A job well done.

Hope you feel like talking about the draft, because we’ll have plenty of draft-related posts today.

Recapping the Commenter NFL Draft

TheBigLead — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:45:21 +0000

Was it as fun for you as it was for us? Our commenter draft went off surprisingly clean yesterday – except that three people didn’t show up on time, and we had to pick for them. The SI draft you guys are competing against? Judge for yourself. Much of the Top 10s differ, so a winner could be determined early. We’ll have the final tally Monday morning and either celebrate or mock one another. After the jump, just a look at few of the strangest disparities (and there are many).

Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy State
TBL: Not drafted
SI: 8th pick to the Baltimore Ravens
Fact – The first time we even heard this guy’s name was last week. It’s all a smokescreen. He’s no Top 10 pick.

Keith Rivers, LB, USC
TBL: 31st to the New York Giants
SI: 10th pick to the New Orleans Saints
The Giants would do back flips if he fell to them.

Jeroyd Mayo, LB, Tennessee
TBL: 24th pick to the Tennessee Titans
SI: 15th pick to the Detroit Lions
We all know the Lions don’t draft defense.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State
TBL: 10th pick to the New Orleans Saints
SI: 19th pick to the Philadelphia Eagles
Longest name in the draft, right?

Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma
TBL: Not Drafted
SI: 21st pick to the Washington Redskins
The difference between Chad Johnson and Malcolm Kelly is quite significant.

The 2008 NFL Commenter Draft (Done, Finally)

TheBigLead — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:02:30 +0000

As predicted, this has been a debacle. Still, we think we’ve got a shot at taking down the challenge from the fellows at Sports Illustrated. They’re doing their draft right now as well. We hope to wrap this up in the next hour or so, posting picks every few minutes, so keep hitting refresh. Also, we’re totally farming this out to an ambitious intern or two next year. (We’ll start emailing all the intern applicants next week. Thanks for the patience.) Here goes nothing. (Gulp)

1 Miami Dolphins (Mike NYC) – Jake Long, OL, Michigan. Always start the re-building process with the o-line, but do you think Jake Long might be having nightmares if either the Jets or Pats select Vernon Gholston?
2 St. Louis Rams (YYSA) – Chris Long, DE, Virginia. A safe investment that will make an immediate impact lining up opposite of Leonard Little.
3 Atlanta Falcons – (Atlanta Sports Fan) – Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU. Must take the hometown hero.
4 Oakland Raiders – (Spencer096) – Vernon Gholston, DE, OSU. Virtually limitless potential, inconsistent collegiate career, and more importantly, a glamorous position … sounds like an Al Davis kind of player.
5 Kansas City Chiefs – (outofbounds) – Branden Albert, OT/G, Virginia. I can’t take McFadden because then LJ might hold out again.
6 New York Jets – (Bruce Wayne) - Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas. He may have more kids than Shawn Kemp, but he’s still the best player on the board and any Jet fan will tell you the Jets need an offensive threat in a HUGE way.
7 New England Patriots – (Bottomless Chips) – Sedrick Ellis, DE, USC. Piolichick won’t give a $40MM rookie deal to a skill player or LB, but will to a lineman.
8 Baltimore Ravens – (ZBuckner8) – Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College. Matt Ryan gets all Ravens fans off suicide watch with Kyle Boller being the starting QB right now, and Ryan be ready to start from the get-go
9 Cincinnati Bengals – (Nick Papageorgio) – Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida. Since I couldn’t draft a new head coach (I hate you Marv!), I guess defense is the easy pick here; eat a dick, Chad.
10 New Orleans Saints – (HunchPunch) – Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State. Because the Saints’ secondary closely resembled toast, and the Reggie Bush CB conversion is going to take another year, the Saints pick Cromartie to shore up and have someone to put on the elite WR’s in the NFL.
11 Buffalo Bills – (Stop Mike Lupica) – Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State. The Bills need a target for JP Losman, besides Lee Evans.
12 Denver Broncos – (Blazers) – Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State. The best OL prospect left on the board was too much for the Broncos to pass up.
13 Carolina Panthers – (Jay) – Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt. I believe that the other tackles currently on the Panthers’ roster besides Jordan Gross were playing in Arena Football League 5 this time last year.
14 Chicago Bears – (beaverbeliever) – Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh. Should settle in right away at RT. Bigger man who should be a force in the ground game that Chicago likes (tries?) to run.
15 Detroit Lions – (kcmo boy) – Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois. I think he will be a good pro and the lions need help in the backfield.
16 Arizona Cardinals – (tribalsportsaffliction) – Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas. The Arizona Cardinals select to have the next four Super Bowls take place at University of Phoenix Stadium, which will help offset the contract paid to Edgren James in 2006, along with the draft rights to Run DMC’s sidekick and Arkansas’ other tailback, Felix Jones.
17 Kansas City Chiefs – (Jay) – Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas. The Chiefs had better find somebody to cover receivers like a blanket if they’re not going to have Jared Allen in the opponents’ backfield next year.
18 Houston Texans – (Moneymike) – Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida. He’ll own Peyton Manning.
19 Philadelphia Eagles – (Gonzo) – Kenny Phillips, S, Miami. Since Brian Dawkins has yet to be sent to the glue factory for being over the age of 30, Phillips will ease the transition when that time comes.
20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – (Benji) – DeSean Jackson, WR, California. Built for speed, not for comfort.
21 Washington Redskins – (MJH5821) – Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson. Unable to give away all their meaningful draft picks of the near future for a 30-year old cancer, the Redskins bolster their woeful pass rush with the most talented remaining DE.
22 Dallas Cowboys – (Shrutebag) – Jonathon Stewart, RB, Oregon. An MBIII clone, last time I checked Barber was pretty good.
23 Pittsburgh Steelers – (TBL!) – Dan Connor, LB, Penn State. No way David Garrard rips out the heart of Steelers fans on that fourth down scramble with Connor, a hitting machine, patrolling the field.
24 Tennessee Titans – (Big Nas) – Jerod Mayo, LB, Tennessee. Local kid, can fill a void in the middle and is a smart player.
25 Seattle Seahawks – (JMorris) Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina. Kentwan Balmar is a defensive tackle, and the Seahawks need a defensive tackle.
26 Jacksonville Jaguars – (PE) – Limas Sweed, WR, Texas – The Jags aren’t looking at WRs but are shocked to to find Sweed still around; Del Rio trusts his defense more than his offense and is dazzled by Sweed’s vitals.
27 San Diego Chargers – (CousinsofRonMexico) – Gosder Cherilus, OL, Boston College – All the mock drafts I looked at showed the Chargers picking an offensive lineman, so this is the androgynous sentence that justifies my choice of this (probably?) skilled lineman.
28 Dallas Cowboys – (Shrutebag) Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona – Four-year starter, Thorpe Award winner, All-American.
29 San Francisco 49ers – (TBL!) – Brandon Flowers, CB, Virginia Tech. He swore to them in his pre-interview that he was no Deangelo Hall.
30 Green Bay Packers – (TBL!) – Early Doucet, WR, LSU. The secondary is aging, but getting the offense some weapons for young Aaron is critical to year one After Favre.
31 New York Giants – (TedKerwin) – Keith Rivers, LB, USC. This is both a best player available and a need pick for the Giants, and he will challenge for the weakside LB position immediately and add speed to the special teams.

Update on the Commenter NFL Draft

TheBigLead — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:15:27 +0000

Commenters, you’re on notice: A challenge has been extended. Tomorrow, we’re going to have – or rather, attempt to have – the NFL Commenter Draft. Turns out SI.com is doing something similar – but we won’t spoil their mock draft idea. SI’s results should be posted sometime tomorrow. Just know that their drafters follow football much closer than you probably do. (Mock draft hater Frank DeFord is not participating, that much we can say. But he may have called you a lemming!)

Here’s the challenge: Based on this point system (one point for picking offense/defense right, two points for picking the correct position, or five points for getting the player right), we’ll see who can accumulate more points – you clowns, or the folks SI has drafting. Nothing’s on the line – except pride and bragging rights for at least 340ish days. After the jump is our draft order, and the plan is to get an email list going TODAY, just so things run smoothly tomorrow.

If you’re on this list, EMAIL us with this in the subject: [Your Handle] and what pick you are. We hope to send out a mass email to these people this afternoon. YYSA, you’re on the clock. Remember – your pick and ONE sentence why. Not two. Not a paragraph. ONE SENTENCE. A few people have asked – NO TRADES.

1 Miami Dolphins – Taken by Mike NYC
2 St. Louis Rams – Taken by YYSA
3 Atlanta Falcons – Taken by Atlanta Sports Fan
4 Oakland Raiders – Taken by Spencer096
5 Kansas City Chiefs – Taken by outofbounds
6 New York Jets – Taken by Bruce Wayne
7 New England Patriots – Taken by Bottomless Chips
8 Baltimore Ravens – Taken by ZBuckner8
9 Cincinnati Bengals – Taken by Nick Papageorgio
10 New Orleans Saints – Taken by HunchPunch
11 Buffalo Bills – Taken by Stop Mike Lupica
12 Denver Broncos – Taken by Blazers
13 Carolina Panthers – Taken by Jay
14 Chicago Bears – Taken by beaverbeliever
15 Detroit Lions – Taken by kcmo boy
16 Arizona Cardinals – Taken by tribalsportsaffliction
17 Minnesota Vikings – Taken by Mozatta
18 Houston Texans – Taken by Moneymike
19 Philadelphia Eagles – Taken by Gonzo
20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Taken by Benji
21 Washington Redskins – Taken by MJH5821
22 Dallas Cowboys – Taken by Shrutebag
23 Pittsburgh Steelers – Taken by E C
24 Tennessee Titans – Taken by Big Nas
25 Seattle Seahawks – Taken by jmorris
26 Jacksonville Jaguars – Taken by PE
27 San Diego Chargers – Taken by CousinsofRonMexico
28 Dallas Cowboys – Taken by Shrutebag
29 San Francisco 49ers – Taken by jking13
30 Green Bay Packers – Taken by OhJay
31 New York Giants – Taken by TedKirwin

We’re All Set For the Commenter NFL Draft

TheBigLead — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:37:26 +0000

Apologies if you didn’t get the team you requested, but some folks are just quicker to the email draw than others. The next step: hit the war room. Instead of staggering this over the course of several days, we’re going to gangbang the draft NEXT THURSDAY, the 24th (two days before the actual draft). Starting at noon, the commenter selecting for the Dolphins will email us their pick, and we’ll post it. You will trash said commenter for their selection. Five minutes later, we will post the 2nd pick, and then the third, wash, rinse, repeat, etc.

Of course, this means that you will need to be at a computer next Thursday, and if not, then you need a contingency: email us Wednesday and let us know your top five player options (with one sentence for each). Your assignments after the jump.

And fellas – if you want this to be fun, do your own homework. Don’t just look at the usual suspects – ESPN, SI, etc – and bite of their ideas. Check out stats, find out what you deem to be your team’s needs, and take a chance. This won’t be any fun if everyone’s just parroting what the other clowns are saying.

1 Miami Dolphins – Taken by Mike NYC
2 St. Louis Rams – Taken by YYSA
3 Atlanta Falcons – Taken by Atlanta Sports Fan
4 Oakland Raiders – Taken by Spencer096
5 Kansas City Chiefs – Taken by outofbounds
6 New York Jets - Taken by Bruce Wayne
7 New England Patriots - Taken by Bottomless Chips
8 Baltimore Ravens - Taken by ZBuckner8
9 Cincinnati Bengals - Taken by Nick Papageorgio
10 New Orleans Saints - Taken by HunchPunch
11 Buffalo Bills - Taken by Stop Mike Lupica
12 Denver Broncos - Taken by Blazers
13 Carolina Panthers - Taken by Jay
14 Chicago Bears - Taken by beaverbeliever
15 Detroit Lions - Taken by kcmo boy
16 Arizona Cardinals - Taken by tribalsportsaffliction
17 Minnesota Vikings - Taken by Mozatta
18 Houston Texans - Taken by Moneymike
19 Philadelphia Eagles - Taken by Gonzo
20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Taken by Benji
21 Washington Redskins - Taken by MJH5821
22 Dallas Cowboys - Taken by Shrutebag
23 Pittsburgh Steelers - Taken by E C
24 Tennessee Titans - Taken by Big Nas
25 Seattle Seahawks - Taken by jmorris
26 Jacksonville Jaguars - Taken by PE
27 San Diego Chargers - Taken by CousinsofRonMexico
28 Dallas Cowboys – Taken by Shrutebag
29 San Francisco 49ers - Taken by jking13
30 Green Bay Packers - Taken by OhJay
31 New York Giants - Taken by TedKirwin

The Big Lead’s Commenter NFL Draft

TheBigLead — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:00:23 +0000

It will probably fail horribly, but it’s worth a shot: We’re going to have you, the commenter, conduct the first round of the NFL draft. Here’s how it’ll work (in a perfect world) – after reading this post, you will email us (thebiglead@gmail.com) what team you want to draft for. Your email might look like this:

Subject: NFL draft
Body: I want to pick for Tampa Bay. My commenter name is IpeeFreely.

It’s first come, first serve. Around mid-day tomorrow, we’ll mention what teams are left and who is picking for what team. Once every team is accounted for, we’ll post the list. Everyone on that list will email us a one-sentence reason as to why you are picking the player you selected. All of these will be due Friday.

Starting Monday, the plan is to reveal 5-6 picks a day. It might be fun, as long as nobody screws us. If you say you want to pick for the Bears and then never wind up emailing us your selection, we’ll probably make you feel bad about it for a few minutes. Maybe longer.