“Dim Sum” started off the Draft nicely by grabbing Manning with the second overall pick. Although the pick surprised other coaches, it wasn’t a reach at all at the second spot. Many slotted other top-level RB’s at this spot, but Manning has been an FFL mainstay for almost the whole decade. He will provide a weekly starter at the most crucial FFL spot in the lineup without leaving any doubts. As for the rest of the backfield, questions linger. The top two RB’s on the roster (according to draft spots) are Benson and Lynch, which doesn’t seem to put the fear into opposing coaches too much. Benson is finally given the starting job on the Bears after backing up the departed Thomas Jones, and he has yet to firmly grasp the role and make himself into a solid FFL starter. Lynch is a rookie that had a poor pre-season, but should gain form within the first three or four games. He has breakaway speed and solid power, but needs experience. Backup RB McAllister is a solid player, but as the only backup on the roster, he may end up starting more than planned. Gates and Crumpler form a solid FFL TE duo, and serve no need for any additional backups at that position, barring any injuries. This team’s receiving corps appears to be solid as far as starters are considered, but finding a solid backup might be something that needs to be done through the Signings.

Several of the other FFL coaches created some buzz around Pajela’s roster immediately after the conclusion of the Draft. The RB Duo of Jackson & Henry will provide firepower throughout the season, and will likely serve as the weekly lineup. Jones adds solid depth at RB, and may even challenge for one of the starting spots in some weeks, or if one of the other two go down with injuries. If McNabb can stay healthy this season and avoid any lackluster play early on, the backfield on this roster appears solid. Adding Boldin in the 4^th Round was a solid pick as well, but the trend couldn’t continue as Brown, Jackson, Clayton, and Chambers are far from locks for the other two spots at WR. Although he was the last WR to be taken on this team, Chambers may end up being the most productive among the four. That is, unless, McNabb stays healthy throughout the season and Brown becomes his main target in the passing game. The TE spot is solid with Shockey and Miller, and taking Bell and Taylor provide even more insurance at RB. The only glaring spot that may need some shoring up as the season moves along will be at the WR spot.

Urbanes started off his draft with Gore, whom he coveted since the end of last season. Gore tore up the league out of nowhere last year then claimed himself as the next “great one” at the start of training camp this season. Gore set 2,000 yards as his goal this season, but he missed all of camp with a broken hand, which could affect him early in the season. Urbanes then opted to deal up to take McGahee in the second round, giving up a 3^rd and 8^th round pick to do so. That deal could prove costly, if McGahee fails to produce, or if losing out on a chance to grab a top-level WR at the 3^rd round spot weakens his WR play. Speaking of WR play, “The Adonis Urbanes” roster at that spot doesn’t seem too strong this season. Glenn may be lost for the season due to injury, and Edwards has been inconsistent. However, Holmes looks like he might break out this season, and become the main man in Pittsburgh. If Houshmandzadeh can play as he did last season, and either Marshall or Hackett break out this season, the WR might not be all that weak. The strength of this team is at the QB position where Bulger and Roethlisberger form a dynamic duo that should be free of Signing needs for the remainder of the season.

Cheng has always been known to grab QB’s early and stockpile them onto his roster. This season was no different, as he opted to take two QB’s within the first four rounds. With Brees and Leinart, he has one of the most solid QB Duos in the league, but taking Rivers in round 8 may have been an unnecessary addition, especially considering that he could have added another starting WR to his roster at that spot. As solid as his QB spot appears, his RB spot does not appear even close at this point. Taking Brown in the second round might have been a reach, considering that he wasn’t given the starting job by the Dolphins until the final few days of camp. The other starting RB spot seems unclear at this point as well, as Jacobs enters his first NFL season as a starter, and both Jackson and Betts are far from guarantees at this point as well. The receiving corps may need shoring up as the season progresses, since they do not have a solid trio of starters as you glance at the roster. Harrison and Moss appear to be fairly clear-cut, but the rest will be a weekly coach’s decision. Perhaps another coach may lose his/her starting QB and Cheng would have a shot at dealing one of his QB’s for a solid WR later on in the season.

It looks like a year of experience has done well for Costanzo. After making a few head-scratching picks last season, he fared much better this season, especially tabbing Addai with the 8^th overall pick. Adding Bush and Holt in the next two rounds also was a solid move, considering that RB’s were being taken in bunches at that point of the draft. However, as the draft progressed, there were a few picks that were made which did not seem to be within the market value. Colston might have been available a round or two later, as well as Davis. Branch, likely would have been available possibly several rounds down the line, as his role in Seattle is likely to reduce this season with his poor showing in camp. The QB position also looks slim at this point, mainly because Smith is not living up to his NFL Draft status, and his play as been less than average to this point. Pennington has yet to have a healthy season and this season indicates no different, as his line has become weaker with free agency departures and trades.

The two-time FFL Champ started off the draft strongly with the Alexander/Westbrook selection. Both backs are primed for big years, and should be mainstays at their spots for the whole season. However, the next two selections were puzzling, as she took two QB’s back-to-back for some unforeseen reasons. Both Kitna and Romo are solid FFL starter material, but it probably wasn’t the best value picks that were available at that point, since she needed to add a starting WR at that point, whether it was with her third or fourth round pick. She then followed up by taking her starting WR corps with the Driver, Johnson, & Moss picks, but there isn’t much depth at that position unless Curtis breaks out this season with a new team. One sleeper pick that could do well is Droughns, since the starting RB on his team (Jacobs) is prone to injury, and if that follows pattern, Droughns could see more playing time than anticipated. The rest of the roster looks decent at this point, but the strengths and weaknesses of this roster appear much clearer than any of the other rosters.

Like usual, King decided to deal away all of his Signings on Draft Day, going with his long-standing philosophy of building his team solely through the Draft. By dealing up to the 6^th spot from the 8^th spot in the first round, King was able to land monster RB Johnson and still land “Fast Willie” Parker in the second round. The duo will form a very productive backfield this season, and could set pace for the whole roster for King. His QB situation is a bit murky, however, after losing out on landing either Kitna or Romo, both that might have been better options. The receiving corps is not as strong as his were in previous title years, but Williams is a star in both the NFL and FFL. If Porter can regain some of his old 2005 form, he may end up producing more than expected. Furrey is also a sleeper here, after leading the NFC in receptions among all WR’s last season, he still doesn’t seem to get the respect that should be going his way. If this team can stay healthy, it may perform fairly well, but if any injuries hit this roster, King will have to do some serious maneuvering and dealing to fill his holes after dealing away all of his Signings and his 19^th Round pick in the Draft.

Lattin started off his draft by taking one of the more intriguing players, Maroney, whom most are expecting big numbers from this year. However, his shoulder injuries remain a concern, but Lattin is hoping that he’s fully recovered and ready to motor. The Palmer pick in the second round was solid, and landing both Maroney and Palmer in the first two rounds is a great start to any draft. The Owens, Johnson, and Ward trio also appear to be a lock for every week, and Curry and Horn should provide adequate depth. Johnson is a player that I felt dropped quite a bit in the draft, and all biases aside, Curry could also have a solid year under a new coaching staff. The real steal in this roster could be either Jordan or Manning, although Manning may not see much starting time with this roster as Palmer appears to be a lock at the QB spot. As a whole, the roster seems solid, but lacks a bit of depth at the WR spots, and if Clark goes down, Lattin will have to use a Signing on a TE, where there doesn’t seem to be too many productive players available.

Bulanon was a part of wheelin’ and dealin’ on draft day as usual, and he landed himself multiple picks again this year. He started off by adding a solid RB in Johnson, then was able to land two bona fide stars at WR in Fitzgerald and Smith, the latter attained with one of the picks involved in the dealings. With the addition of Evans, the WR trio seems set for the rest of the season as the dynamic trio of Fitzgerald, Smith, and Evans could be the key to the season for Bulanon. The backfield looks strong as well, with Johnson and James leading the way. However, if Peterson is able to see significant playing time, he’ll be too tempting to leave out of the starting lineup. He could also be a key player in future trade talks as he is surely going to generate interest from other coaches. Even TE Witten will add firepower as he dropped from where I predicted, but his numbers should be solid this season. The only question mark is at the QB position where Cutler is likely the starter, but he is inexperienced and could be inconsistent as the season moves along.