Pitt Panther Power rules in my 2009 Rookie Fantasy draft

Derek Kinder Pitt WR - My 10th round selection

Anyone who loves NFL fantasy football should play Action PC Football. It is an opportunity to run a complete team, complete with 50 to 55 man rosters.

There are many dedicated Action PC Football commissioners and they all have different wrinkles to the way their leagues are run. I myself run two leagues the BBFL (Britball Football League) and the AMFL (Art Monk Football League).

One League I am in called the KRFL (Knute Rockne Football League) has a TEN round Rookie Draft in May. Yes TEN rounds of rookies, OK it is a 24 team league, but drafting ten rounds of NFL Rookies (who will not play in the league until 2010) is quite taxing even for a devoted NFL fan like me.

The task for me was made even more difficult due to two additional factors. I inherited a team that picked 23rd of 24 in every round, and I also had NO 1st or 3rd round pick.

So with that set of problems, and a disadvantage of not getting to watch NCAA College Football here in England, here are the 8 picks I did make. Feel free to add any useful comments about my selections and thoughts ……..

Overall Pick #47 Connor Barwin LB/DE Cincinnati (Drafted by Texans pick 46)

I hope this guy turns into the new Mike Vrabel, its great he can play so many positions.

Overall Pick #95 Rashad Jennings RB Liberty (Drafted by Jaguars pick #250)

This guy can become the #2 RB in Jax, Fred Taylor is gone and there is a big gap behind MJD.

Overall Pick #119 Nate Davis QB Ball State (Drafted by 49ers pick #171)

Yes he rides the pine for a year, but is Shaun Hill or Alex Smith the real future of the Red and Gold?

Overall Pick #143 AQ ShipleyC Penn State (Drafted by Steelers pick #226)

Gotta love my NittanyLions, what with the 08 Superbowl OL seen as one of the worst ever.

Overall Pick #167  Glover Quin CB New Mexico (Drafted by Texans #112)

I got some value here, and Quin could become the nickel back right away.

Overall Pick #191 Stryker Sulak DE Missouri (Drafted by Raiders pick #199)

This guy has pipe cleaner arms but is a good honest pass rusher.

Overall Pick #215 LaRod Stephens-Howling RB  Pitt (Drafted by Cardinals pick #240)

I’m hoping La-Rod becomes a Darren Sproles type returner and utility back.

Overall Pick #239 Derek KinderWR Pitt (Drafted by Bears pick #251)

Kinder has some jets – check out this touchdown below. If he makes it through camp he could be a #3 or #4.

As always I welcome your thoughts………..

Rashad Jennings – Biggest bargain in the 2009 NFL draft?

Jennings dropped all the way to the 7th round

When the Jacksonville Jaguars let Fred Taylor go this offseason they made a loud and clear announcement that Maurice Jones-Drew was THE number one running back on the team heading into 2009.

MJD is great fun to watch and has a work ethic and a slight chip on his shoulder (due to his size), making him a great franchise back.

MJD has produced good numbers on the ground and pretty spectacular through the air, but he has been supported by Taylor every step of the way.

It was clear the Jags needed to get some form of support act for MJD, either through free agency or in the 2009 NFL Draft.

With their first two selections Jacksonville played it very sensibly by drafting Eugene Monroe and Eben Britten, two extremely solid offensive tackles.

Monroe and Britten will immediately help to clear the path for MJD, but it was the selection of Rashad Jennings, the running back from Liberty at pick #250 in the 7th round of the 2009 NFL draft, that interested me the most.

Jennings could be the MJD support act, along with the rather active and athletic running back/full back Greg Jones.

Jennings was predicted to go anywhere from the 2nd to the 5th round by many experts, so for the Jags to get Jennings in the 7th round must have felt like Santa Claus had started early in Florida this year.

This guy was the leading rusher in the 2009 Senior Bowl but he still slipped down to pick #250, Jennings also helped Liberty to go 10-2 in 2008.

I’m sure the Jaguars did not expect Jennings to fall in their lap so late, but it does leave me thinking why did 31 other teams decide not to call his name before pick #250.

I have a good feeling about Jennings showing those other teams that they made a big mistake. Jacksonville will be a much improved team in 2009, with the likes of Torry Holt and Mike Walker stepping up at WR, Marcedes Lewis doing the do at TE and David Garrard showing he still has plenty left in the tank.

Whilst MJD will be the star of the show I can see Rashad Jennings getting 300-400 yards rushing and 4-6 touchdowns.

Any stats around this mark will be seen as great production for a 7th round pick, but I get the feeling for Jennings he will want a lot lot more.

Anyone else have any thoughts on Jennings?

Gotta love Torry Holt’s mutant finger!

Holt doing what he does best

In this world of wide-mouthed wide-receivers there are some that have better skills talking to the media than they do on the field. Recently acquired Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Torry Holt fortunately is not one of them.

Holt who owns a Superbowl winners ring is one class act who will hopefully get the opportunity to deliver a few good seasons in the Florida sunshine, and maybe even get a few playoff wins.

Holt  had a remarkable career in St Louis, with 869 (5th active in NFL, 11th all time in NFL) catches for 12,660 (5th active in NFL, 14th all time NFL).

So what is his secret? Is it his super human fitness? NO. Is it the fact he has missed just two games in 10 seasons of football? NO. Is it the supporting cast he had over that decade, including the likes of Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce and Marshall Faulk? NO.

The answer is his mutant hand. Yes Torry Holt has a mutant finger that is capable of bending in any direction, and in his own words ‘the ability to scare little children’.

You want to last a decade being hit by crazy psycho safeties – the key is a mutant finger.

Don’t believe me? Check it out HERE .