Semi Finals
(57) Allen Robinson, 2015 vs. (20) Adrian Peterson, 2012
Allen Robinson, #70, 10th pick 6th round, The Tuckfards, 1400 yards 14 TDs (224 pts)
Adrian Peterson, #30, 10th pick 3rd round, Tom’s Tyrants, 2314 yards 13 TDs (309 pts)
Let's start here with Allen Robinson. A-Rob was a promising rookie in 2014, but injuries and poor QB play prevented him from having a good season. There was a lot of hype surrounding him in 2015, Blake Bortles should be better, he was healthy again, and he'd be the number 1 receiver. Coach Merritt (a Jaguars fan) saw fit to take him with the 70th overall pick in the 6th round, and it turned out great. Getting a WR1 in a Flex/back up spot is tremendous return, as is 224 points. It wasn't a blind homer pick, it was a calculated upside pick.
Adrian Peterson was a very different pick. A surefire first round, perhaps even first overall pick, when healthy, AP tore his knee ligaments late in the 2011 season. Many players struggle in their first season back from this type of injury, and this severely affected AP's draft stock. Tom's Tyrants, drafting from the 10th spot, decided the time was right to take him at the end of the 3rd. He was absolutely right, betting on the physical beast that he is, AP went on to nearly beat the rushing yards record, for a ridiculous 309 fantasy points. He was instrumental to the 13-1 Tom's Tyrants.
Winner: Adrian Peterson
Reason: Allen Robinson was a great pick, but taking a gamble that in hindsight just looks like the safest pick ever was masterful
(30) Peyton Manning, 2013 vs. (17) Rob Gronkowski, 2011
Peyton Manning, #43, 3rd pick 5th round, Burdettinators, 5477 yards 55 TDs (549 pts)
Rob Gronkowski, #135, 5th pick 14th round, Forge Flyers, 1327 yards 17 TDs (235 pts)
So we have an opponent lined up for one of these two. This is going to be tough. Peyton Manning was expected to have a great year in 2013. He was with the Denver Broncos, had a tremendous surrounding cast around him, but he had shown signs of a weak arm coming off of neck surgery a few years prior. In the 5th round, the potential was too much to resist for Coach Burdett. Getting laughed at by Coach Merritt (who took Drew Brees in the first round), he shrugged it off, and Coach Merritt would eventually eat his words. Manning didn't have a great season, he had a record breaking season, setting the record for yardage and TDs in a season, en route to a ridiculous 549 points. Coach Burdett's 2013 is arguably the greatest fantasy team ever in LOC, but it's fair to say Manning was the leader of the bunch, being a large part of the Corona Bowl V winning team.
This next pick was equally tremendous. TEs usually have terrible first seasons, having better following years once they adjust to the NFL. Not the case for Rob Gronkowski, who had a 10 TD rookie season. Despite this, he still fell to the 14th round into Coach Leach's lap. He would go on to have the best season by a TE ever, and his 17 TDs in a season is the highest of any active player today. Getting 235 points from the TE position, it's no wonder Forge Flyers was the best regular season team in 2011 with a 10-4 record and a playoff appearance. How much of this pick was skill, and how much was pure luck, is unknown.
Winner: Peyton Manning
Reason: As much as it hurts me to do it, I have to go with Manning. While the Gronk pick was great, Manning was crucial to bringing home the title. Although it was on par from where QBs were taken, Coach Burdett was the first to start the QB run, and he had a number of choices at QB. It was calculated, and deliberate, which I'm not sure the Gronk Pick was.
So there you have it, your final and third place match up are set. Tune in next week for the conclusion of the off season series.
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