If you followed my draft advice for the first round your in good shape for your second pick. Don't forget that its a snake draft so we will now start with the team that selected Matt Forte in the first round. Also my mock draft does not resemble my player rankings it is based on depth at each position, who each team has already selected and other strategic factors. If you would like my player rankings just post a comment and let me know.
In the second round it is time to start selecting players who will have some risk, but very high upside specifically at the running back position. Cam Newton is the only quarterback that should be selected in the second round and it is the round where wide receivers and tight ends will begin to come off the board.
11. Cam Newton (selected Matt Forte in the first round) - There are many running backs left with very high upside, but since you already selected Forte in the first round, you have a great opportunity to get the last of the elite quarterbacks as a great compliment to your previous selection. The only knock on Newton is that he's coming into his sophomore year which is known to be a difficult adjustment year for many quarterbacks, but if he plays anywhere close to the level he was at last year you will have a great first two round selections. Last year Newton scored more fantasy points then both Brady and Stafford and although his rushing touchdown total may slip a little he still has tons of upside and is still worth a high second round pick.
12. Darren McFadden (selected Matthew Stafford) - McFadden is by far the toughest player to rank in this years draft. Sometimes I wonder if rocket science actually is any harder than ranking McFadden. McFadden has the potential to be the number one fantasy back this year making everyone else kick themselves for passing up on him. On the other hand, he also has the likelihood of getting injured in his next preseason game and out for 4-6 weeks, if your lucky. In McFadden's four seasons in the league he has never played in more then 13 games and theres no reason to believe that the trend will be any different this year. Someone once told me that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. If you draft McFadden this year you may very well fit the definition. That being said, in the games that McFadden has played in, in the past two seasons he is averaging almost 16 fantasy points per game on an astounding 5.2 yards a carry. I'm feeling a little insane and I think that this is the year McFadden stays healthy. If your feeling it with me then McFadden is a great selection at the 12th pick, but if you decide to pass up on him and let someone else take him I don't blame you. Draft with caution.
13. Demarco Murray (selected Chris Johnson) - If a player is ever compared to one of the all time greats, Emmit Smith, I'll always feel good drafting him on to my team. Last season, before Murray got injured, starting with his break out game against the Rams, he averaged over 14 fantasy points per game. There are two question marks with Murray, one being his injury susceptibility and the other that over the last four games Murray played in he only averaged 55 yards rushing and scored no touchdowns. If that is the Murray you get this year then you will look back and regret passing up on some of the elite tight ends and the elite wide receivers. If you get the running back we saw carve up the Rams defense for 253 yards then Murray will be a steal this late in the draft and pairing him with C. Johnson will give you a dangerous running back tandem. Like I said with McFadden, draft with caution (which will be a theme with many of the second and third round running backs), but I really like the upside.
14. Marshawn Lynch (Drew Brees) - At this point I would have liked to take Larry Fitzgerald before Lynch, but this year it will be very difficult to find two starting running backs if you don't take one until the third round. Last season Lynch ran and caught for an unbelievable 1400 yards and a combined 13 touchdowns. If you get that kind of production from Lynch this season he will have excellent value in the middle of the second round. The problem is you don't know which Lynch your going to be drafting. In 2009 and 2010 combined Lynch didn't get to the 1400 yard mark which he exceeded last season. Additionally, last season was a contract year for Lynch and surprisingly, not really, players tend to reach their potential in their contract seasons. If Lynch decides to take it easy and turn in a 2009 or 2010 kind of performance you may be kicking yourself come mid season, but if he reaches the numbers he is capable of you have a top 5 running back topped off with an excellent quarterback.
15. Ryan Matthews (Calvin Johnson) - Matthews has a similar profile as the previously discussed player, Darren McFadden. He has a lot of upside, but his injury concern must scare anyone thinking about drafting him this season. Before Matthews got injured in the preseason it seemed to be the consensus that he was a lock to be a top five fantasy pick this year. Then on his very first carry in the preseason Matthews broke his clavicle and is going to miss the rest of the preseason and possibly one or two games in the regular season. That said, his injury, unlike many other running backs coming into this season, shouldn't effect his running ability. He's able to stay in shape while he recovers from his injury and should be able to return to the field at almost the same level he had reached when he got injured. When you draft him you need to know that he is very injury prone but if he is able to stay healthy for the rest of the season he should be a fantasy star. Last season he finished 9th among all running backs in fantasy points while his backup Mike Tolbert also scored 10 touchdowns. Tolbert is now in Carolina and Matthews is prepared to be the workhorse back. He has lot of upside and lots of risk. (Draft with Caution.)
16. Larry Fitzgerald
17. Jimmy Graham
18. Rob Gronkowski
19. Julio Jones
20. Brandon Marshall
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