Yet another draft in the books.  The theme of this year's draft was missing persons, as Chris Heywood was MIA for the duration and Byron and Hall were both missing at various intervals.  Following a detailed investigation, it was determined that Chris was attending a Donald Trump rally in Connecticut, Byron was proving that neither snow nor rain nor a football draft would prevent him from his duty, and Hall was distracted by something shiny.

Before we touch on the 2015 draft, we'll recap the 2014 draft.  For starters, the 2014 draft may go down in WMFFL history as the draft with the worst first round picks ever.  One would think that the first round would represent the "cream of the crop" of available players, but it started with Josh's spectacularly awful first pick of unproven RB Toby Gerhart (who totaled a whopping 326 yards last year with a super 3.2 YPC), followed by Marc's almost as awful pick of RB Knowshon Moreno (who I think greeted me at my local Chili's yesterday).  In fact, of the first round picks from last year, perhaps the only people picking even somewhat well were Warren (taking Randall Cobb), Matt (Matt Ryan), and Chris (Alfred Morris).  The rest of the fantastic 1st round picks, and their 2014 stats, are listed below.

Brian - Zac Stacy (293 yards, 1 TD.  66th best RB)

Tim - Ray Rice (Zero 2014 stats.  He should be playing for a prison team)

Ann-Marie and Joel - Keenan Allen (783 yards, 4 TDs.  48th best WR last year)

Mike - Andre Ellington (660 yards, 3 TDs.  26th best RB)

Hall - Rashad Jennings (639 yards, 4 TDs.  27th best RB)

Byron - Pierre Garcon (752 yards, 3 TDs.  56th best WR)

Tom - Andre Johnson (936 yards, 3 TDs.  29th best WR)

While this single year is certainly not a comprehensive analysis of all first round draft picks throughout our history, it tells us that last year's first round picks were either an incredible failure by almost everyone, or the first round picks don't matter as much as it may seem (Josh made one of the worst picks after all, and went on to win the whole thing).

2014 Predicted Finish: 6-8

2014 Actual Finish: 9-4-1  (I blew the prediction on this one.  Who would have thought that two players from the Steelers would carry Josh late in the year.)

2014 Results: Josh rode solid defense and a streaking offense to his third title, finishing second overall in total offense, and going 5-1 to close out the season.

Best Pick: Jarvis Landry

Worst Pick: Vincent Jackson and Sean Lee (tie)

Team his season depends on: Pittsburgh

Draft Grade: D

Predicted Finish: 7-6-1

Summary: Tim used to be the clear winner in the name-change game but, with 3 different names in 3 straight seasons, Josh has decided to challenge him (Josh clearly doesn't believe that the luck of Joe Gibbs brought him his title) but he may decide to switch back after this season.  There wasn't much I liked about his draft picks, from picking Vincent Jackson in the 2nd (a terrifically inconsistent player with a rookie QB) to Sean Lee in the 4th (a guy who can't stay healthy and has been moved to the weak side).  As long as Roethlisberger, Bell, and Lynch can stay healthy, Josh will still win enough  games to be in contention but, in the end, his poor group of WRs, lack of quality depth at RB, and weakened LBs and DBs will be too much to get him back to the playoffs.  On a positive note, his team will field a top-notch DL.

2014 Predicted Finish: 9-5

2014 Actual Finish: 7-6-1  (My prediction was close but should have been closer.  Who can predict ties in this friggin league?)

2014 Results:  Matt started the season strong, going 4-1-1 in his first six, but faded down the stretch, going 1-4 in his final five.

Best Pick: Eli Manning

Worst Pick: Golden Tate

Team his season depends on: Detroit

Draft Grade: B

Predicted Finish: 7-7

Summary: Matt has done good things with his team in the past few years and has proven to be a fine manager, but his team lacks the truly exceptional player to build around.  His draft selections were fine, if unspectacular, but he appears poised for yet another mediocre season.  He has a pair of very good QBs, a fine RB and TE, and the best LB core in the league but, much of his season will depend upon if Golden Tate can put up numbers close to last year's and if one if his other RBs will step up and perform (with oft-injured Foster and time-sharing Bell and Ellington, that will be tough).  His WR group is a concern with aging Steve Smith (who loves to fade late in seasons) and unproven wideouts Nelson Agholor and John Brown.  He has one of the best DLs in the league and could sport one of the best overall defenses in the league.

2014 Predicted Finish: 8-6

2014 Actual Finish: 4-10  (My prediction was not even close.  Injuries are always the X-factor.)

2014 Results:  This was a season best forgotten by Byron.  Decimated by injures and the suspension to Adrian Peterson, Byron limped out of the gate by winning his first game then losing eight straight.  He made a bit of a comeback at the end of the year, going 3-2 in the final five but was subsequently destroyed in the Toilet Bowl.

Best Pick: Navorro Bowman

Worst Pick: Kevin White (already dropped as of press time)

Team his season depends on: KC and Minnesota (tie)

Draft Grade: B

Predicted Finish: 5-9

Summary: In recent times, Byron has lived and died by his big three of Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, and Calvin Johnson and with one suspended and the other two oft-injured, the loss showed in his win total.  By again banking on these three, including Peterson who's now hit age 30, Charles who's been burdened by nagging injures, and Johnson who hasn't played a complete season in 3 years, he's put himself out on a limb again this year.  The depth behind them is suspect with two rookie RBs and a slew of unproven WRs.  His TEs are in good shape with Jimmy Graham but, again, a rookie (who isn't starting) is backing him up.  The defense is subpar although Bowman may prove to be one of the steals of this years draft. 

2014 Predicted Finish: 7-7

2014 Actual Finish: 5-9 (I thought Tim would manage to break even, not even close.  Guess that's what happens when you draft Ray Rice.)

2014 Results:  The gradual decline for Tim continues, after going 9-5 and making the playoffs in 2011, Tim's team has recorded a worse record each year since, and 2014 was his worst year in 5 years.  He went 2-7 in his first nine games, enough said.

Best Pick: C.J. Mosley

Worst Pick: Steven Hauschka (it's not the pick, it's taking a kicker in round 5)

Team his season depends on: Dallas

Draft Grade: B+

Predicted Finish: 8-6

Summary: Tim had 19 picks in this years draft and he put most of them to good use, building quality depth and selecting several players that could be league leaders by year's end.  He'll field a solid QB, two solid starting RBs, and two top WRs along with quality depth at each position, though his WR depth could be better.  His defense could be better and he'll have to lean on his LB corps and juggle some DL and DB players to make the playoffs but, he is in a good position to do so.  If Joseph Randle can emerge as the top dog in Dallas, he'll be in good shape to make a push. 

2014 Predicted Finish: 6-8

2014 Actual Finish: 8-6 (Aaron Rodgers, Demaryius Thomas, and Rob Gronkowski could have carried almost any team last year.)

2014 Results: Hall stayed the course last year and pulled out 3 straight wins to close out the season, unfortunately he ended up being in the most competitive division in the league last year and missed the playoffs.

Best Pick: Amari Cooper

Worst Pick: Sammy Watkins

Team his season depends on: Green Bay

Draft Grade: C+

Predicted Finish: 7-7

Summary: Hall will live and die by his top three players, which typically spells doom in fantasy world without quality depth, which he lacks (see the Norsemen's review above).  He's entirely lacking of a decent starting RB and may have to rely on a, thus far, unimpressive rookie.  On the WR front, Demaryius Thomas is clearly a top-notch WR but Peyton Manning will be 39 this year and has looked shaky in preseason.  Gronk will reign at TE and may be his best receiver this year, as long as he stays healthy.  On defense, Hall lacks any depth but has a decent combination of higher level and middle tier players at all three defensive positions.  It should be noted that the only reason I put Hall at 7-7 and Byron at 5-9 is I have more faith in Rodgers to stay healthy all season than any of Byron's big 3 (and Rodgers alone will buy Hall at least 2 wins).

2014 Predicted Finish: 5-9

2014 Actual Finish: 8-6 (Andrew Luck and JJ Watt dominated.)

2014 Results: Brian finished his first season in fine form, with a top QB in Andrew Luck and the best overall defensive player in the league in JJ Watt (who ended up being a fine offensive player for him as well).  He started the season 6-3, but stumbled slightly in the end and went 2-3 to close out the year.  Brian fielded the top team in total points last season, with his defense carrying the team throughout.

Best Pick: DeVante Parker 

Worst Pick: Colin Kaepernick

Team his season depends on: Indianapolis

Draft Grade: B-

Predicted Finish: 8-6

Summary: Brian lacks top tier talent at several positions but with the amount of points JJ Watt generates at a typically low scoring position, he can make up that gap.  He sports a solid RB in Lamar Miller and has potential depth in Carlos Hyde and Jonathan Stewart.  At wideout, DeSean Jackson will benefit from his new QB, Mike Wallace has potential in an improving MIN passing attack, and Andre Johnson may shine in his new home.  There are question marks at TE but his defense is a solid bunch and should prove to be one of the best in the league again this season.