PPFFL Draft 2007

The 2007 draft was held amid much fanfare yesterday and was witnessed by literally a few die hard fans of the PPFFL. The newest team in the league, The Bouncers, shocked the world when they pulled the slip of paper that held the key to the 1st pick in the draft. Conspiracy theorists are saying that Jack, who had been fiddling with the slips prior to the draw, palmed the slip, thereby cheating. A quick investigation showed this wasn't the case, and the draft proceeded without incident. The complete draft order was The Bouncers, The Outlaws (formerly The Spongebobs), The Dragons, The Maestro (formerly Plan Z), the Kellogg Krushers (formerly the Cyhawks), and The Dominator.

Following are the official rosters for each team, with commentary from NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper, Jr. The round in which each player was picked is in parenthesees.

The Bouncers
QB: Peyton Manning - Ind (1)
QB: Alex Smith - SF (8)
RB: Shaun Alexander - Sea (2)
RB: Marshawn Lynch - Buf (3)
RB: Ahman Green - Hou (13)
RB: Lorenzo Neal - SD (14)
WR: Marvin Harrison - Ind (4)
WR: TJ Houshmanzadeh - Cin (5)
WR: Donald Driver - GB (11)
WR: Isaac Bruce - StL (12)
TE: Jeremy Shockey - (6)
TE: Aaron Walker - StL (10)
D: Baltimore (7)
K: David Akers - Phi (9)

Mel says: Not a bad draft for a first time team run by kids who are all younger than 10... Grabbing Peyton Manning #1 was a no-brainer... Added some solid veteran talent with Harrison, Alexander, and Shockey...May have been a reach to take Lynch #3, but the kid has the potential to become a star...Does the #12 pick also come with a cane or a walker? Because it seems like Isaac Bruce may need it...Very puzzling use of the last pick to take Neal when Laurence Maroney, Travis Henry, and Cedric Benson were still on the board.

The Outlaws
QB: Carson Palmer - Cin (1)
QB: Tony Romo - Dal (4)
RB: Larry Johnson - KC (2)
RB: Willie Parker - Pit (3)
RB: Rudi Johnson - Cin (10)
RB: Chester Taylor - Min (14)
WR: Torry Holt - StL (5)
WR: Laveranues Coles - NYJ (6)
WR: Chris Chambers - Mia (12)
WR: Jericho Cotchery - NYJ (13)
TE: Ben Watson - NE (8)
TE: Eric Johnson - NO (9)
D: San Diego (7)
K: Steven Gostkowski - NE (11)

Mel says: Great draft in the backfield, with Palmer, and the Johnsons forming a solid nucleus...Wide receiver could be a question mark...Puzzled by the decision to draft 2 Jets receivers when they don't have a QB who can throw the ball outside the numbers...Aggressively took the Chargers defense in round 7...Who can criticize a team that takes Tony Romo? He's good for solid entertainment week in and week out for the whole season.

The Dragons
QB: Donovan McNabb - Phi (3)
QB: Phillip Rivers - SD (9)
RB: LaDainian Tomlinson - SD (1)
RB: Frank Gore - SF (2)
RB: Brian Westbrook - Phi (5)
RB: Marion Barber, III - Dal (10)
WR: Terrell Owens - Dal (4)
WR: Reggie Wayne - Ind (6)
WR: Jerry Porter - Oak (12)
WR: Marques Colston - NO (13)
TE: Vernon Davis - SF (8)
TE: Todd Heap - Bal (14)
D: Chicago (7)
K: Jason Elam - Den (11)

Mel says: Great move grabbing the '06 PPFFL MVP with the #3 pick...Looks like an overdraft of TO in the 4th...made up for it by absolutely stealing Colston in the 13th...Very savvy drafting of tight ends by the former tight end...Good thing for the rest of the owners that punters aren't involved...Questions will linger about the health of the 2 Eagles that were drafted early on...Someone put another cane on order, because it looks like Elam might need one, too.

The Maestro
QB: Drew Brees - NO (1)
QB: Tom Brady - NE (2)
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew - Jac (3)
RB: Adrian Peterson - Min (6)
RB: Joseph Addai - Ind (9)
RB: Jamal Lewis - Cle (12)
WR: Larry Fitzgerald - Ari (4)
WR: Randy Moss - NE (7)
WR: Darrell Jackson - SF (10)
WR: Lee Evans - Buf (13)
TE: Tony Gonzalez - KC (5)
TE: Jason Witten - Dal (11)
D: Buffalo (14)
K: Adam Vinatieri - Ind (8)

Mel says: I really like this draft...Nobody has better depth at QB...Not even this noted QB killer can jinx Brees and Brady, can he? Nice value pick getting Lewis in the 12th...Could be the steal of the draft if the Browns find 5 fat guys who can actually block...Randy Moss is poised to put up huge numbers and will be killed execution-style live on NBC if he so much as thinks about criticizing ultra-hot and can-do-no-wrong QB Tom Brady...Can Jones-Drew remain focused on football after already being inducted into the Fantasy Hall of Fame?

Kellogg Krushers
QB: Brett Favre - GB (4)
QB: Byron Leftwich - Jac (11)
RB: Steven Jackson - StL (1)
RB: Reggie Bush - NO (2)
RB: Ronnie Brown - Mia (9)
RB: Willis McGahee - Bal (13)
WR: Steve Smith - Car (3)
WR: Calvin Johnson - Det (5)
WR: Devin Hester - Chi (8)
WR: Javon Walker - Den (14)
TE: Greg Olsen - Chi (6)
TE: Dallas Clark - Ind (10)
D: Minnesota (12)
K: Nae Kaeding - SD (7)

Mel says: Definite Big 10 feel to this draft...Puzzling that the defending champ waited so long to take a QB in a league that was dominated by QBs last season...Byron Double Decker Sandwich needs to bounce back, like a tennis ball off of his stomach, in order for this draft to rank in the top half...McGahee is a steal in the 13th when you consider the crappiness of the Ravens' QBs...Might have been a reach taking Olsen in the 6th; after all, he's depending on Grossman to get him the ball...I love the Hester pick...He only has to depend on Grossman for about 1/3 of his touches...Wide receiver could be a problem if Smith loses a step, Johnson does what most Lion receivers do, Hester has punts kicked away from him, and Jay Cutler is closer to Boller than he is to Elway.

The Dominator
QB: Marc Bulger - StL (1)
QB: Matt Leinart - Ari (7)
RB: Edgerrin James - Ari (4)
RB: Clinton Portis - Was (6)
RB: Mike Bell - Den (10)
RB: Julius Jones - Dal (11)
WR: Chad Johnson - Cin (2)
WR: Anquan Boldin - Ari (5)
WR: Deion Branch - Sea (13)
WR: Hines Ward - Pit (14)
TE: Antonio Gates - SD (3)
TE: Kellen Winslow, Jr. - Cle (9)
D: Washington (12)
K: Neil Rackers - Ari (8)

Mel says: The jury is out on this one...Very impressed with the top of the draft, especially getting Ocho Cinco and Gates in the 2nd and 3rd...The Dominator obviously sees something in Mike Bell that not many others see, including Mike Shanahan...Puzzled by all of the Cardinals selected...Not usually a good sign...Washington has not been known for their stout defense lately...How will a team with a noted dead beat dad in Leinart, a guy who supports dog fighting in Portis, and an all around head case in Ocho Cinco do over the course of an NFL season? Can The Dominator stay near the top without #18 from the Colts putting up big numbers every week? As I said, the jury is out.


Well, that's it for the commentary and analysis from Mel. Mel, we can't stress enough how fortunate we are to be able to tap your vast knowledge of all things football. We look forward to possibly seeing you again during the course of the season. Now, please tell Sean Salisbury to calm down a little bit.

Before we wrap this up, a couple of interesting statistics to ponder:

• According to Yahoo Fantasy Sports, the highest ranked players not taken in our draft were Laurence Maroney (#10), Travis Henry (#13), Cedric Benson (#21), Thomas Jones (#29), Roy Williams (#33), Brandon Jacobs (#34), and Deuce McAllister (#37).
• The lowest rated players who were actually drafted are Minnesota's defense (#200, 12th round by the Kellogg Krushers), Greg Olsen (#210, 6th round by the Kellogg Krushers), Buffalo's defense (#213, 14th round by The Maestro), Steven Gostkowski (#215, 11th round by The Outlaws), Aaron Walker (#448, 10th round by The Bouncers), Washington's defense (#729, 12th round by The Dominator), and --SURPRISE!!!-- Lorenzo Neal (#743, 14th round by The Bouncers). In what may be a positive sign for Dave, the Dragons were the only team not to draft someone ranked below the top 200.

Well, men (and boys), that wraps up the draft coverage for 2007. Periodic updates on the league and news around the NFL can be found on this site as we count down the last couple of weeks before the pigskins are once again in the air in stadiums all around the country.

The Commish