It was a great draft experience, if not a great draft, but the drama has now come to a close. We can declare who finished, um, ahead, and state that our efforts were not, um, in vain.

First, let’s declare outright that none of us did particularly well compared to previous standout performances such as Walsh in 2021. Still, a win is a win. As Big Ben used to say, winning ugly is as good as winning pretty.

Read More “2022 Draft Contest Talosian Trophy Winner”

Which AFCN team won the draft? Yep, it’s a silly question given the massive disparity of opinions regarding players versus needs, when they haven’t even stepped on the field. But what good is the offseason without silly questions?

Gut instinct tells me that the Ravens won the draft, but I feel that way mainly because they snagged some players I had hoped would become Steelers, and because of their absurd haul of six picks from the 4th round. But maybe it’s not that clear cut.

For our analysis, let’s go with the pick grades provided by CBS Sports. While these grades may be wildly wrong, at least they don’t come from my homer brain.

Read More “Who Won the AFC North Draft?”

Yep, it’s that time to mock and be mocked. It’s that time of the year where Ballers have the chance to prove they know more than the Steelers’ brass, or at least more than other Ballers. You have up until the day before the draft to produce your predictions: have your predictions in no later than end of day Wednesday, April 27th. If you submit a mock earlier than that, you may edit the mock up until the deadline (e.g., in the event of a signing or trade that wrecks your initial mock). 

Please use the following format as a template. Any deviation from this format that causes me to have to interpret your gibberish will result in unfavorable scoring, so beware.

Identify any trades if applicable
Round (Pick) – Position, Name, School
1 (20)  – WR, Moe Howard, Harvard
2 (52)  – ILB, Larry Fine, Yale
3 (84)  – OG, Curly Howard, Stanford
4 (138) – RB, Shemp Howard, Princeton
6 (208) – NT, Joe DeRita, Brown
7 (225) – SS, Joe Besser, Penn
7 (241) – PK, Emil Sitka, Allegheny County Community College
Add up to five UFAs

This year, you may submit up to two mocks: one without any trades, and one with trades.

As in the past, you will be given one point two points for each correct name, and one point for each correct position/round combination. For UDFA selections, you will get a point only for a specific name. I may give or take other points for special predictions or egregious failures, at my sole dictatorial discretion.

I will get things kicked off with my own mocks. Good luck, ladies and gentlemen…