NFL Draft Kit: Experts PPR Mock Draft

Brad Evans, Yahoo! Sports
I'm a tad despondent. It's fueling my Fireball habit, really. My first two picks (Jamaal Charles and Peyton Manning) were strong building blocks, but my lack of potency at WR leaves a great deal to be desired. Kendall Wright is a solid PPR asset, but can he finish in the 5-7 TD range? Hakeem Nicks was 10 levels below atrocious last year, will he be re-born in Indy? Can Brandin Cooks live up to the hype, filling the receiving void left by Lance Moore and Darren Sproles? Too much uncertainty. Instead of selecting Shane Vereen in Round 3, going best-on-the-board at WR would've been the savvier move.

STEAL OF THE DRAFT (SOD):Drew Brees, a perennial 5,000-yard, 35-TD passer, in Round 4 was an insane value. Typically in "expert" exercises, elite QBs drop like rocks, which frankly is just silly.

REACH OF THE DRAFT (ROD):Ben Tate will be a colossal bust in Cleveland. I simply don't understand the adoration for the guy. He's injury prone and will be pushed heavily by rookie Terrance West. He's simply not worth a Round 4 pick.

Scott Pianowski, Yahoo! Sports
I probably should have waited on quarterback, as you can always get a solid value there, no matter your price range. Cam Newton has no wideouts to throw to, and no one knows how long he'll continue to be a major running factor. I also relied on veterans (the old Ibanez All-Stars theme), perhaps to a fault. That often works in baseball, but football in many pockets is a young man's game.

SOD: I liked Brandon Funston snagging Cecil Shorts in the middle of the seventh round, a No. 1 receiver on a team that should chuck it a fair amount. Other recommended picks: Marshawn Lynch in the second round (PPR or not, a steal), Alfred Morris, Fred Jackson, Riley Cooper.

ROD: I see the case for Jordan Reed, but a sixth-round ticket sucks all the value out. Other pans: Sammy Watkins (sixth is too early), Tavon Austin (I don't trust the Rams), Trent Richardson (even in a near-perfect setup, can't play).

Dalton Del Don, Yahoo! Sports
I love Eddie Lacy this year, and while Rob Gronkowski's health is in question, his upside is that of a top-10 player. I imagine Bishop Sankey goes a lot higher than where I grabbed him (Round 6) come August. I really don't understand why anyone would take a quarterback before the seventh or eighth round.

SOD:Dez Bryant at 19 was a steal, and while Marshawn Lynch gets dinged in PPR, he was terrific value at 22.

ROD:Darren Sproles gets a boost in PPR, but the 31-year-old looked to be in decline last season. He seemed like a reach in the early fifth.

Mike Doria, RotoWire
Much can change between mid-May and Week 1, but I'm good with having Adrian Peterson as the foundation of my team, and there's some PPR upside with the rest of my backs. I almost went with Matt Forte at No. 4, which I suppose was on my brain when I chose his potential backup with my last pick. We only went 13 rounds, so if we were to play this league out, I'd have to stock my bench with players from teams other than New England, plus I'd be on the lookout for some wideout darts to secure.

SOD:Brandin Cooks has big-play potential in the Saints offense. Bishop Sankey should outshine Shonn Greene in the Titans backfield and Charles Sims is a sneaky PPR dart.
ROD:Rob Gronkowski in Round 4 looks a little risky at this stage, given his injury woes. David Wilson probably could have been had later due to his injury concerns, along with the presence of Rashad Jennings.

Chris Liss, RotoWire
I think a good case can be made for Calvin Johnson at No. 3 in a PPR format, but when I took Alshon Jeffery and Aaron Rodgers in Rounds 3 and 4, I knew RB would be dicey. And it was – Ray Rice could be suspended, and David Wilson is coming back from a serious neck injury. But that's going to be a theme of my drafts this year – strong in the passing game (I also nabbed Jordan Cameron) and will figure out the running game as I go.

SOD:Drew Brees in Round 4 was great considering I was 50-50 on him and Rodgers, who I took 13 picks earlier. I also liked Keenan Allen, Michael Floyd, Cordarrelle Patterson and Bishop Sankey where they went.

ROD: I thought Terrance Williams was early in Round 5 for PPR, given he's not a volume guy. And I'd be shocked if Julian Edelman comes close to repeating what he did last year when he was only their No. 1 WR as a emergency last resort.

Jeff Erickson, RotoWire
My possible regret about this draft was not taking the "punt RBs" strategy far enough, though I am happy with the slot where I got C.J. Spiller in the second round. But I really wanted to get three WRs, an elite TE and an elite QB with my first five picks and chickened out. I came pretty close, though, with three WRs in the first four rounds. As my feel for the RB pool firms up closer to drafts that count, I'll be even more comfortable with this strategy.

SOD: While that stability at QB is under-appreciated, I like the price Dalton paid to get Colin Kaepernick.

ROD:Andre Ellington didn't play more than 33 snaps in any game last season. While his role might be bigger this year, and it's a PPR league, I still can't spend a third-round pick on him.

Brandon Funston, Yahoo! Sports
Far be it for me to be the first person to come out of an expert draft not claiming to love his team. I do think I assembled a quality squad. I thought the PPR aspect downgraded Marshawn Lynch (No. 22 overall) much too harshly (and, hey, he had 34 catches last year, which is not nothing). My regret was taking Golden Tate ahead of Titans rookie RB Bishop Sankey in Round 6. Sankey can be a three-down back behind a really good offensive line, and all he has to do is beat out Shonn Greene. I like his chances.

SOD: I like Pittsburgh WR Markus Wheaton at No. 125 overall. That's a team that puts up impressive passing-game numbers, and it lost Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery, who combined for 113 catches, 1,339 receiving yards and 16 TDs. That's a lot of production, and Wheaton is in a position to absorb a big chunk of it.

ROD: Apparently Erickson wasn't a C.J. Spiller owner last year, otherwise I doubt he'd have taken him with the No. 21 overall pick. Spiller's proven to be untrustworthy, be it general production, consistency or health. He has averaged a mere 4.5 TDs in his first four seasons, and with Fred Jackson still around his TD upside remains stunted. And with Buffalo having traded for Bryce Brown and rumored to have tried to get Carlos Hyde in the draft, it's obvious Buffalo does not view Spiller as a bell cow.

Justin Sablich, New York Times
I couldn't be happier with this team from a PPR standpoint, considering my running backs combined for 190 receptions and 1,522 receiving yards in 2013, and my first two wideouts both eclipsed 160 targets and 100 receptions. It was tough passing on Jimmy Graham in the first round, but I believe DeMarco Murray can outdo last season's sixth-place PPR finish among running backs with ex-Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan now on staff in Dallas. Being able to land Jason Witten in a PPR format, and in the seventh round, was also fortunate. He has averaged 125 targets and 87 catches the last three seasons.

SOD:Danny Woodhead is coming off a career-high 76 catches and a 12th-place PPR finish among backs. He'll easily out-produce the RBs that went before him in the third and fourth rounds in this scoring format.

ROD:Carlos Hyde in the seventh is too early for me considering he's an unproven rookie who joins a crowded backfield of Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and Marcus Lattimore.

Vlad Sedler, RotoWire
My team feels boring (no rookies) but solid. I was locked in on Jimmy Graham at No. 9 and happy to get him there – consider him my top receiver and expect similar results to last year's. He could even see an uptick in targets with Marques Colston declining and Brandin Cooks adjusting to the NFL. I got great value on Doug Martin in Round 2 – lanes will open with a veteran QB and big WR/TE targets. I took Wes Welker in Round 3 after Pierre Garcon went one pick ahead – a great PPR target with Eric Decker gone. Robert Griffin in the seventh will be a common theme to my drafts this summer (I like filling 2 RB/2WR first and won't be spending 1-3 round picks on QBs this year). I love Griffin another year removed from injury, getting a full year out of Jordan Reed and adding DeSean Jackson.

SOD:Markus Wheaton will step in as Pittsburgh's new Mike Wallace (deep threat), and I don't trust Martavis Bryant, Darrius Heyward-Bey or Lance Moore, who are complementary guys. Wheaton was my next pick there, and I cursed aloud when Liss scooped him up. I also liked Kaepernick in Round 9 – more weapons, a full year of Michael Crabtree and his running ability make him a great value.

ROD: I love DeMarco Murray and understand taking him there since he wouldn't have been available on the way back, but I'm always worried about his health and ability to hold up in back-to-back seasons. And there's a point in the draft where Rob Gronkowski is worth a shot, but it's only a matter of time before something happens to the knee again. I can't risk passing on healthy WR2 options with upside at that point in the draft.

Eric Karabell, ESPN
I like this team, which clearly focused on running backs that catch the ball since it's a PPR format. Three of my backs were top 10 in receptions at the position. I was able to wait a long time at QB and still get Russell Wilson, and I see upside in several receivers, though it would be nice to have an elite option. Could Danny Amendola be that guy? No idea how many games he plays, but in a PPR, I had to take the chance after the top 100.

SOD: Non-pass catchers Marshawn Lynch and Alfred Morris always slip too far in PPR. And I just missed getting steals with Andre Johnson and Wes Welker! They'll be fine.

ROD: Nothing obvious, except for several rookies (Mike Evans, Sammy Watkins) going before established, safer veterans. Happens in all drafts.

Andrew Martinez, RotoWire
I feel my team has good balance, as I selected a RB, WR, QB and TE all in my first five picks. I wish I had taken Bishop Sankey instead of Maurice Jones-Drew in the sixth round, as Sankey has more upside because of his youth and situation. I particularly like that I was able to get Drew Brees early in the fourth round, after Peyton Manning went late in the second and Aaron Rodgers went early in the third. Rodgers and Brees are likely much closer than this in terms of production.

SOD:Tony Romo in the middle of the ninth round. Drafted after Tom Brady, Robert Griffin and Matt Ryan, he should out-produce all of them, if he gets back to being the passer we've seen as recently as 2012.

ROD: The reach of the draft was likely Shane Vereen at the start of the third round. He is adept at catching passes, but the Patriots have never shown confidence in him as a rusher. He's a slightly better a fantasy option in PPR leagues than Danny Woodhead, who went two full rounds later.

John Hansen, Fantasy Guru
I'm not doing handstands about my team, but for my first draft of 2014 I'd say things went pretty well. I like the balance between established veterans and young, ascending players. And I held off as long as I could on a QB, and Andrew Luck in the sixth round of a 14-team draft is pretty strong.

SOD:Colin Kaepernick in the ninth of a 14-team draft was pretty larcenous, and I have a feeling my pick of Kyle Rudolph in the 11th will go down as thievery once Norv Turner gets hold of him and this offense.

ROD:Andre Johnson in the third round looks like a shaky pick, despite his huge season in 2013. And as much as I loved what Pierre Thomas did last year, the third round was a little too rich for my blood. I also thought Terrance West in the seventh was a bit much as well.

Nando diFino, Fantasy Sports Network
I love this team. I went in wanting three of my first five picks to be RBs (I ended up with four, because Trent Richardson was too good of a value to pass up in the fifth). I targeted backs who didn't project to be in split-carry situations; Zac Stacy, Arian Foster, Rashad Jennings and Richardson fit that mold. My receivers aren't studs, but I have the likely No. 1's for the Giants, Eagles and Dolphins, as well as a potential breakout in James Jones and a bounce-back sleeper in Steve Johnson. And Jay Cutler has a pass-catching RB, two elite receivers and a tight end with a ton of potential. There's not much I would change with this team. My next five mocks might not look much like this one, but they will likely keep the same theme.

SOD:Maurice Jones-Drew in the sixth could be huge if he wins that job. And if Danny Amendola can stay healthy, he'll deliver way more than ninth-round value (especially in a PPR). I really like Toby Gerhart in the fifth, too. He has a ton of talent and could put up big numbers if things fall the right way.

ROD: Looking at some other mocks, the early ADP might say I reached for Stacy and Jennings, but I wanted to stick with my plan. I think they'll be great. And I don't care. I went out and got my guys!

Tom Kessenich, NFFC
I'm pretty happy with this team. Picking at the turn, I wanted two stud wide receivers at the start, which I got in A.J. Green and Julio Jones. I knew RBs would be tough to come by with that approach, but getting Chris Johnson (who has been top-12 in PPR every year of his career) at the 3/4 turn was great value in my opinion. I think my WRs are strong, and Matt Ryan in the seventh was sensational value. I'm weak at TE, but that's the price you sometimes pay picking at the turn.

SOD: The QB position is very deep but getting Aaron Rodgers (a proven top-three stud) in the third of a 14-team league is a steal.

ROD: I love Eddie Lacy but taking him third overall was a big reach with guys like Adrian Peterson, Matt Forte, Calvin Johnson and Jimmy Graham all on the board.