Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Mock Draft [Part Two]

Here is the second part--picks 33-64--of my mock draft of Quiyk's Fantasy Extravanganza (although not really because according to some of the GMs, there has been a rule change that prevents retired players from being drafted. So I guess I'm just doing this for kicks now.). Players are listed in order of their overall pick, with round number, position and fantasy team listed below. Enjoy!


33. Audrey Wright
R5 Position: fC Fantasy Team: A

Team A closed out the fourth round by taking a second male beater which raised the concern that Team A still didn't have a female chaser. Additionally, Vanessa Goh, Sarah Holub and Melissa White were all off the board, having been drafted already. Taking Audrey Wright with the thirty-third overall pick, Team A's GM fills one of the female chaser spots, but will have to wait until the late sixth round or early seventh to draft again.

34. Becca DuPont
R5 Position: fC Fantasy Team: B

35. Alex Browne
R5 Position: mC/K Fantasy Team: C

Even though Browne is only handling the quaffle, he should be considered a top utility pick for this draft. A fantastic option to back up Chris Morris at keeper, Browne has proved with the Lost Boys that he can play very well off-ball, getting open and making the extra pass.
36. Kifer Gregorie
R5 Position: mC/S Fantasy Team: D

37. Porter Marsh
R5 Position: S/mB Fantasy Team: E
Photo by Kat Ignatova/IQA Staff
First player drafted primarily for his seeking abilities.

38. Lauren Carter
R5 Position: fB Fantasy Team: F

39. Adam Richardson
R5 Position: mC Fantasy Team: G

40. Kenny Chilton
R5 Position: mC/S Fantasy Team: H

41. Michael Parada
R6 Position: K Fantasy Team: H

42. Craig Garrison
R6 Position: K Fantasy Team: G

43. Eric Reyes
R6 Position: mC/K/S Fantasy Team: F
What's going to be one of the more interesting things about this draft is how GMs explain drafting traditional keepers in the later rounds. GMs are likely going to build their team around a ball carrier that they take in the first or second round. By the time the sixth round rolls around, there will be several really appealing names still on the board, but taking a second ball carrier could hurt a team's perceived chemistry. In the cases of Michael Parada, Craig Garrison, and Eric Reyes, the first male quaffle player drafted to each of their respective teams is not necessarily a full-time ball carrier. Parada is paired with Daniel Daugherty--who is fully capable of running an offense and playing keeper, but also did play chaser last World Cup sometimes when Zak Hewitt played keeper. There are similar cases for Garrison's fantasy teammate Drew Wasikowski and Reyes' fantasy teammates Simon Arends or David Demarest. 
The GMs should clearly present three ways their offense can function. 
  1. Let the early round picks (Daugherty, Wasikowski, Arends/Demarest) run the offense with the later round keepers (Parada, Garrison, Reyes) on the bench. The GMs could easily explain that the styles of these players are too close and would clash. The early round picks were picked in the early rounds for a reason. 
  2. Use the later round keepers as back ups for the early round picks.
  3. Slide the early round picks over to the first chaser spot and put in the later round keepers. This way you can have both players on the field at the same time. The early round picks are versatile players. Maximize their versatility and put in another big name player. If a GM can draft players like this and successfully argue this point, they will win. Voters like seeing big names.
44. Chris Rhodes
R6 Position: mB Fantasy Team: E

Some players are going to be drafted unusually high because of potential teammates. In this case Baylor beater Chris Rhodes is united with his Baylor teammate Brittany Ripperger on Team E. By giving Ripperger a partner she knows, Team E continues to build a strong defensive team.

45. Missy Sponagle
R6 Position: U Fantasy Team: D

46. Katrina Bossotti
R6 Position: fB Fantasy Team: C

47. Sam Keegan Adlis
R6 Position: mC/S Fantasy Team: B

I love the idea of putting a younger player as the first backup chaser (would that be the fifth man because we are only considering quaffle players or the eighth man???) on a team whose starting chaser line is loaded with experience--Augie Monroe, Paul Williard, Kedzie Teller and Becca DuPont. Sam Keegan Adlis is going to be a steal in this draft, but having a lesser known chaser like Adlis start is probably not a good idea if a GM intends to get the most votes.

48. Steve DiCarlo
R6 Position: S/mC Fantasy Team: A

49. Max Havlin
R7 Position: mB/mC Fantasy Team: A

With their next set of back-to-back picks, Team A passes on a second female chaser, and stays loyal to the mantra beating and seeking wins fantasy tournaments. Steve DiCarlo becomes the second player drafted primarily for his seeking abilities and picking Max Havlin gives Team A a third male beater to work with. With a very deep female chaser pool, Team A snags two multi-position players that probably wouldn't be on the board by by their next round of picks.

50. Brendan Stack 
R7 Position: K/mC Fantasy Team: B

Brendan Stack gets picked by Team B to primarily back up Augie Monroe, but Stack has proven that he can also slide over to chaser. 

51. Devin Sandon
R7 Position: mC Fantasy Team: C

I've always wanted to see Kody Marshall and Devin Sandon play together. Marshall is the stronger tackler, but Sandon has more experience putting a team on his back. Both scrappy, small chasers and good passers, I'd bet that they'd develop chemistry pretty quickly. 

52. Scott Axel
R7 Position: mB Fantasy Team: D

53. Kaci Erwin
R7 Position: fC Fantasy Team: E

Team E continues to make picks based on defense after selecting Aryan Ghoddossy, David Fox and Brittany Ripperger in earlier rounds. Erwin is the best tackling female chaser still on the board.

54. Keri Callegari
R7 Position: fC Fantasy Team: F

55. Hank Dugie
R7 Position: mC Fantasy Team: G

56. Amanda Nagy
R7 Position: fB/fC Fantasy Team: H

Amanda Nagy is one of the best female utility players in the draft, and I'd have her going a little higher, but I think after only half a season, some people still have doubts about how well she can beat. Nagy could go much higher if a GM has been convinced by her performance with the Lost Boys with the black headband.

57. Devon McCoy
R8 Position: mC/K Fantasy Team: H

58. Keir Rudolph
R8 Position: S Fantasy Team: G

59. Michael Powell
R8 Position: mC Fantasy Team: F

60. Matthieu Gregorie
R8 Position: mB Fantasy Team: E

61. Trent Miller
R8 Position: mC Fantasy Team: D
Photo by Lauren Carter
I liked the pairing of Baylor's Trent Miller and Stephen Bell on Team D. Miller and Bell are both lanky players that are always looking to pass. With their heads up, Miller and Bell are good at recognizing when defenses aren't set and often push their teams into the transition. Each player is becoming increasingly important his teams' success too.

62. Hai Nguyen
R8 Position: mC Fantasy Team: C

63. Savannah Allison
R8 Position: fB Fantasy Team: B

64. Beissy Sandoval
R8 Position: fC Fantasy Team: A

After waiting until the end of the eighth round, Team A's need for a second female chaser is finally satisfied.

Teams
Half way through this mock draft, let's check in on how the teams are looking. Positions in parentheses indicate non-starting roles.

A
Zach Luce K
Remy Conatser mC
Audrey Wright fC
Beissy Sandoval fC
Asher King Abramson mB
Kody LaBauve mB
Steve DiCarlo S (mC)
Max Havlin (mB/mC) 

With the three-monster of Abramson, LaBauve and Havlin, the big LA ball carriers should be able to find driving lanes. With solid pickups at female chaser and an elite seeker in DiCarlo, Team A really  needs to focus on building chaser depth in the next rounds.

B
Augustine Monroe K
Paul Williard mC
Kedzie Teller mC
Becca DuPont fC
Andy Abayan mB
Savannah Allison fB
Sam Keegan Adlis (mB/S)
Brendan Stack (K/mC)

With the first quaffle player selected in Monroe, Team B has built a fast and explosive chaser line around him that includes a captain of a final four team, two members of the number one team in the country and a member of Team USA. Team B's strength is probably their experience, and they could use some good back-ups at beater, as well as a true seeker.

C
Chris Morris K
Kody Marshall mC (S)
Alex Browne mC (K)
Melissa White fC
Jacob Adlis mB 
Katrina Bossotti fB
Devin Sandon (mC)
Hai Nguyen (mC)

The Texas three-some of Morris, Marshall and Adlis highlight this team as well as multi-talented chaser Melissa White. Team C filled the first two spots on their bench with male chasers so look for different positions to be selected next.

D
Stephen Bell K
Sean Pagoada mC (mB/S)
Kifer Gregorie mC (S)
Missy Sponagle fC (fB)
Scott Axel mB
Mollie Lensing fB
Brandon Scapa (mC/mB/S)
Trent Miller (mC)


All of the utility players on this roster make Team D formidable. With Bell, a keeper with tons of endurance, running the offense, D has so many options to switch around their lineup and give it a different look. Although Team D is yet to have a player whose primary position is seeker, Pagoada, Gregorie and Scapa have all come up in the clutch this season.

E
Tony Rodriguez K
David Fox mC (K)
Aryan Ghoddossy mC
Kaci Erwin fC
Chris Rhodes mB
Brittany Ripperger fB
Porter Marsh S (mB)
Matthieu Gregorie (mB)

Team E is the team I was building around an Emerson style 1-2-2-1 zone--a strategy I think a few GMs will use. Rodriguez, the shot blocker, and Fox, the hard hitter, should be strong in the back on defense and UT stars Ghoddossy and Erwin can throw anyone to the ground if they manage to get through Ripperger and company.

F
David Demarest K (mC/S)
Simon Arends mC
Eric Reyes mC (K/mC)
Keri Callegari fC
Peter Lee mB
Lauren Carter fB
Harry Greenhouse S (mC)
Michael Powell (mC)

Built around chaser versatility, Team F is looking good. Although the focus clearly has been on chasers and keepers, F's beating corps looks pretty good with first round pick Lee and Carter. Taking a beater in the first round and then shifting the attention to chasing has given F lots of freedom in the later rounds.

G
Craig Garrison K
Drew Wasikowski mC
Adam Richardson mC
Sarah Holub fC
Chris Seto mB
Hope Machala fB
Keir Rudolph S (mC)
Hank Dugie (mC)

With an offense headed by Wasikowski and Garrison and a defense with Seto and Machala, Team G is looking good. Jumping to take an elite seeker in Rudolph, Team G should look for a utility player in the next few rounds to compensate for the selection of Rudolph.

H
Michael Parada K
Daniel Daugherty mC (K)
Jake Tieman mC
Vanessa Goh fC (fB)
Colin Capello mB (mC)
Amanda Nagy fB (fC)
Kenny Chilton S (mC)
Devon McCoy (mC)

Despite waiting until the third round to take a traditional ball carrier, Team H picked up Daugherty and Parada--the king of fantasy tournaments. Throw in Chilton, Goh and the power chasers, and there's a nice offense to go behind the beating pair of Capello and Nagy. Team H might lack the offensive explosiveness to compete with some of the other teams now. Taking a third keeper-like player wouldn't be stupid.

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