-- What you've all been waiting for. Let the grades fly. TEAM ODYSSEUS RB Luke Staley (Rd 1, pick #6)
LB Kyle Van Noy (Rd 2, pick #15)
DB Derwin Gray (Rd 3, pick #26)
DL Jim Herrmann (Rd 4, pick #35)
WR Margin Hooks (Rd 5, pick #46)
WR Mark Bellini (Rd 6, pick #55)
LB Leon White (Rd 7, pick #66)
WR Andy Boyce (Rd 8, pick #75)
DB Brian Mitchell (Rd 9, pick #86)
TE Itula Mili (Rd 10, pick #95)
RB Matt Bellini (Rd 11, pick #106)
DL Brett Kiesel (Rd 12, pick #115)
QB Marc Wilson (Rd 13, pick #106 )
Draft Grade: A
Pulling Marc Wilson in round 13 and Matt Bellini in round 11 were unbelievable selections for Team Odysseus. Both picks are leading contenders for most valuable picks of the draft. Overall there are very few holes in Odysseus' draft. Going Staley and Van Noy in rounds 1 and 2 is as strong a base as a team can build on, but I’ll nitpick and say Derwin Gray (round 3) probably could've been found a few rounds later. Picking up Leon White all the way down in round 7 more than makes up for it though. The only thing preventing Odysseus from an A+ is the Mili pick. With Chris Smith still on the board, and with the Odysseus wide receivers being perhaps the weakest element of his team, to miss on the superstar tight end was a major muff in an otherwise strong draft.
TEAM HENDERSON
DL Jason Buck (Rd 1, pick #7)
QB Robbie Bosco (Rd 2, pick #14)
RB Curtis Brown (Rd 3, pick #27)
WR Eric Drage (Rd 4, pick #34)
DB Tim McTyer (Rd 5, pick #47)
LB Brady Poppinga (Rd 6, pick #54)
LB Kurt Goiveia (Rd 7, pick #67)
DB Andrew Rich (Rd 8, pick #74)
WR Kaipo Mcguire (Rd 9, pick #87)
RB Kalin Hall (Rd 10, pick #94)
TE Chris Smith (Rd 11, pick #107)
WR Devon Blackmon (Rd 12, pick #114)
DL Chris Hoke (Rd 13, pick #127)
Draft Grade: A-
The audience gasped when Brian tabbed Jason Buck as his first rounder ahead of legends like Hall, Unga, Hudson, Van Noy, Hoffman, and Jamaal. He explained the reasoning behind the choice as a belief that BYU's drop off in talent from the top tier defensive lineman to the second tier lineman was significantly larger than the fall off between other positions. I'm surprised by the choice but can accept it more readily than the other round 1 lineman selection we'll address at the bottom of this list.
Team Henderson found great value with Drage in round 4, a receiver who is in contention for 3rd best in BYU history (along with Reno Mahe and Margin Hooks). He found great value in Andrew Rich in round 8. He even found solid value with Chris Hoke in round 13. But none of those picks were as tremendous as grabbing Chris Smith in round 11. Not only is that one of the best picks of the draft, it also elevated Henderson's pass catchers from pretty dang good (Drage, Brown, Kaipo, Blackmon) to excellent (Drage, Smith, Brown, Kaipo, Blackmon). And man does the defense deserve some respect here: Buck/Hoke at DL, Poppinga/Goiveia at LB, and McTyer/Rich at DB. Overall it's hard to find holes in this squad.
TEAM HANSEN
WR Austin Collie (Rd 1, pick #5)
TE Jonny Harline (Rd 2, pick #16)
RB Jamal Willis (Rd 3, pick #25)
WR Reno Mahe (Rd 4, pick #36)
LB Fred Warner (Rd 5, pick # 45)
RB Lakei Heimuli (Rd 6, pick #56)
QB Steve Sarkisian (Rd 7, pick #65)
LB Cameron Jensen (Rd 8, pick #76)
DB Tom Holmoe (round 9, pick #85)
DB Rodney Rice (round 10, pick #96)
WR Ross Apo (round 11, pick #105)
DL Byron Frisch (round 12, pick #116)
DL Romney Fuga (round 13, pick #125)
Draft Grade: A-
No one invested more early draft picks on skill position players than Team Hansen, who spent his first 4 picks on WRs, RB, and TE. There are five players in BYU history who gained more than 3,800 yards receiving and rushing yards during their careers (Harvey Unga, Curtis Brown, Jamaal Williams, Jamal Willis, Lakei Heimuli). Team Hansen has two of them. In the last 26 years two BYU players have gained at least 900 yards receiving and 12 TDs in one season (Austin Collie, Jonny Harline). Team Hansen has both of them. With the strongest offensive supporting cast in the league Hansen could afford to wait on QB, but surprisingly he didn't, tabbing Sarkisian in round 7. That wasn't the only weird pick from Team Hansen. Jonny Harline was a stud but to see him go with pick #16, while Dennis Pitta, Gordon Hudson, and Chris Smith were still on the board - the only thing you can call it is a reach.
Team Hansen did secure a number of defensive gems in the later rounds. An all-time DB in round 10 (Rodney Rice), an all-time tackler in round 8 (Cam Jensen), and all-pro Fred in round 5. It's enough to keep this grade in the A range despite the questionable picks with Sark and Harline.
TEAM DAVIS
QB Steve Young (Rd 1, pick #4)
RB Ronny Jenkins (Rd 2, pick #17)
DB Omarr Morgan (Rd 3, pick #24)
TE Gordon Hudson (Rd 4, pick #37)
LB Rob Morris (Rd 5, pick #44)
WR Jonathan Pittman (Rd 6, pick #57)
RB Brian Mckenzie (Rd 7, pick #64)
WR Ben Cahoon (Rd 8, pick #77)
DB Corby Eason (Rd 9, pick #84)
LB Jordan Pendleton (Rd 10, pick #97)
DL Ryan Denney (Rd 11, pick #104)
DL Lenny Gomes (Rd 12, pick #117)
WR Matt Odle (Rd 13, pick #124)
Draft Grade: B
Personal feelings for Ronny Jenkins (round 2) and Corby Eason (round 9) is the primary hiccup preventing Team Davis from walking out of the draft with an absolute all-star team. Davis chose Ronny because of his "long live 1996" mantra and he chose Eason because he worked with him and fell in love (platonically speaking). Team Davis is a bit weak at defensive line as well, but the chemistry between Young and Hudson coupled with the chemistry of Jenkins and Mckenzie, with Jonathan Pittman and Ben Cahoon catching balls ... that's the type of team that will collectively perform at a level that exceeds their individual parts.
Also I'm giddy at the thought of Rob Morris and Jordan Pendleton side-by-side.
TEAM NEWT
QB Ty Detmer (Rd 1, pick #3)
TE Dennis Pitta (Rd 2, pick #18)
WR Mitch Mathews (Rd 3, pick #23)
WR Todd Watkins (Rd 4, pick #38)
RB Vai Sikahema (Rd 5, pick #43)
RB Fahu Tahi (Rd 6, pick #58)
DB Michael Davis (Rd 7, pick #63)
DB Nate Soelberg (Rd 8, pick #78)
LB Butch Pau'u (Rd 9, pick #83)
WR JD Falslev (Rd 10, pick #98)
DL John Denney (Rd 11, pick #103)
DL Eathyn Manumaleuna (Rd 12, pick #118)
LB David Nixon (Rd 13, pick #123)
Draft Grade: B-
Nobody invested in offense more than Team Newt and it carried Team Newt all the way to the semi-finals of the tournament, despite having the worst defense in the league. Can you imagine Ty Detmer throwing to Dennis Pitta and Todd Watkins? I did. Detmer threw for about 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns in his three tournament games. It didn't matter that his linebackers (Pau'u and Nixon) were outmatched in every game. It didn't matter that Fahu and Vai weren't elite runners. What mattered is that Pitta and Watkins could get open anywhere on the field, and Ty would deliver it anywhere in the field. Am I biased in rewarding offensive picks over defensive picks? Yeah probably. But I love this team. My one gripe? Mitch Mathews cannot be selected before Hooks, Drage, and Reno Mahe. Swap Mathews for one of those three and I think there's a chance Team Newt would have taken the title.
TEAM LASERSHEEP
QB Max Hall (Rd 1, pick #9)
RB Harvey Unga (Rd 2, pick #12)
LB Bryan Kehl (Rd 3, pick #29)
DB Dayan Ghanwoloku (Rd 4, pick #32)
WR Glen Kozlowski (Rd 5, pick #49)
WR Aleva Hifo (Rd 6, pick #52)
DB Jenaro Gilford (Rd 7, pick # 69)
RB Fui Vakapuna (Rd 8, pick #72)
TE Tevita Ofahengaue (Rd 9, pick #89)
WR Michael Reed (Rd 10, pick #92)
LB Paul Walkenhorst (Rd 11, pick #109)
DL Hans Olsen (Rd 12, pick #112)
DL Travis Tuiloma (Rd 13, pick #129)
Draft Grade: C+
Team Lasersheep pledges allegiance to the mid 2000s squads. It resulted in 9 of his 11 players hailing from that era, which isn't the worst thing. Team Sheep actually scrapped together a nice WR core (Hifo, Koz, Reed) considering he surrendered very little draft capital (picks in round 5, 6, and 10). Team Sheep didn't score any value picks, and he only blew one pick, but it was a biggie. With Itula Mili and Chris Smith still on the board, Team Sheep went with Tevita Ofahengaue. I don't understand what happened there. Max Hall relied on tight ends as much as any BYU QB. Thumbs up for making Max a first rounder though. Fan by fan we shall change his perception.
TEAM DREW
QB Jim McMahon (Rd 1, pick #1)
TE Matt Bushman (Rd 2, pick #20)
DL Jan Jorgensen (Rd 3, pick #21)
DL Shawn Knight (Rd 4, pick #40)
LB Shay Muirbrook (Rd 5, pick #41)
WR Chuck Cutler (Rd 6, pick #60)
DB Aaron Francisco (Rd 7, pick #61)
RB Mark Atuaia (Rd 8, pick #80)
DB Preston Hadley (Rd 9, pick #81)
RB Hema Heimuli (Rd 10, pick #100)
WR Luke Ashworth (Rd 11, pick #101)
LB Colby Bockwoldt (Rd 12, pick #120)
WR Nick Kurtz (Rd 13, pick #121)
Draft Grade: C
Jim McMahon's legend grows as he becomes the very first player selected in the draft. There's not many stronger ways to start a BYU fantasy team, but Drew stumbled after that stellar start, choosing Matt Bushman in round 2 ahead of guys like Jamal Willis, Curtis Brown, Omarr Morgan, Eric Drage, and Jim Herrmann. Team Drew doubled down on the 21st century picks by grabbing Jan Jorgensen in round 3, the best player with a girl's name in BYU history and a key component to the 2006 to 2009 BYU renaissance. But a player worthy of round 3 selection? More defenders followed (Knight round 4, Muirbrook round 5, Francisco round 7) and by the time round 8 came around Team Drew had managed to surround Jim with Bushman, Chuck Cutler, and Mark Atuaia. Yikes. At the end of the draft the team with perhaps the best BYU quarterback had perhaps the worst surrounding offensive stars.
TEAM MAGATHISLL
QB Brandon Doman (Rd 1, pick #10)
RB Jamaal Williams (Rd 2, pick #11)
DB Kyle Morrell (Rd 3, pick #30)
TE Daniel Coats (Rd 4, pick #31)
WR K.O. Kealaluhi (Rd 5, pick #50)
DL Bronson Kaufusi (Rd 6, pick #51)
LB Kelly Poppinga (Rd 7, pick #70)
WR Mitchell Juergens (Rd 8, pick #71)
DL Shaun Nua (Rd 9, pick #90)
WR Kelly Smith (Rd 10, pick #91)
RB Manase Tonga (Rd 11, pick #110)
LB Alani Fua (Rd 12, pick #111)
DB Jack Damuni (Rd 13, pick #130)
Draft Grade: C
Brandon Doman in the first round? I loved the Domanator but this is a bit early for my tastes. Granted there was pressure to grab a QB after the early run in round 1, but still you had Bosco, Sarkisian, Beck, and Wilson available at the time Magathisll picked up Doman. All that being said, I adore the Doman-Williams combo. I can see the option runs in my head and they're very good - though not as good as the Doman-Staley combo because I never fully trusted Jamaal's catching ability at BYU after the Virginia incident.
Daniel Coats in round 4 was another shocking pick, but I feel like Magathisll compiled some decent receiving options after that (KO round 5, Juergens round 8, Smith in round 10). All told this is one of the weaker teams in the draft, filled with players who were awesome, but never transcendent (Poppinga, Kaufusi, Fua, KO, Tonga)
TEAM ANDREW
QB Taysom Hill (Rd 1, pick #8)
WR Cody Hoffman (Rd 2, pick #13)
TE Chad Lewis (Rd 3, pick #28)
DB Daniel Sorensen (Rd 4, pick #33)
DB Kai Nacua (Rd 5, pick #48)
LB Harvey Langi (Rd 6, pick # 53)
LB Sione Takitaki (Rd 7, pick #68)
WR Mckay Jacobsen (Rd 8, pick #73)
DL Corbin Kaufusi (Rd 9, pick #88)
RB Ty'son Williams (Rd 10, pick #93)
RB Algernon Brown (Rd 11, pick #108)
DL Khyiris Tonga (Rd 12, pick #113)
WR O'neill Chambers (Rd 13, pick #128)
Draft Grade: C-
One of our league's youngest teams drafted exactly like a youngster would. Of Team Andrew's 13 picks all except one came from team's that played in 2010 and beyond. The lone exception was Chad Lewis, whose reputation has grown to legend status despite never really being that statistically dominant (I suppose hurdling guys will do that for you). I was interested to see what type of super team could be formed around Taysom HIll and his prodigious talents, but Team Andrew bummed us all out by giving Taysom players we'd already seen him interact with in his real career (Cody Hoffman, Algernon Brown, and Mckay Jacobsen, who granted he didn't play with but was basically Mitchell Juergens). Ty'son Williams remains a player I wish could've staid healthy for all of 2019. Kai Nacua and Daniel Sorenson would be a tremendous safety tandem. This draft probably deserves a C- but I'll bump it up to a C thanks to the O'neill Chambers pick.
TEAM BROYALCOUG
DL Ziggy Ansah (Rd 1, pick #2)
RB JJ DiLuigi (Rd 2, pick #19)
WR James Dye (Rd 3, pick #22)
WR Jordan Leslie (Rd 4, pick #39)
Surrendered rounds 5 through 11
QB Kevin Feterik (Rd 12, pick #119)
LB Spencer Reid (Rd 13, pick #122)
Draft Grade: F
I should have known something was up from the get go. Broyal Coug picked Ziggy "I played 9 games in BYU history" Ansah over ... basically everyone. Then he elevated JJ DiLuigi over every running back in BYU history besides Luke Staley, Harvey Unga, and Jamaal Williams. He stole James Dye which absolutely broke Team Davis' heart, grabbed Jordan Leslie in round 4 (a bit early but maybe his best pick lol) and then he disappeared. He quit on the draft. The craziest part of all of this was that as he was crapping on the draft he simultaneously won a BYU trivia contest sponsored by BYUTV on facebook.
I'm wriring this 6 months after the draft concluded and I think I'm finally ready to authorize a trade of James Dye to Team Davis' team. #LetMyKickReturnerGo
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