For one weekend in the spring, fantasy football junkies get to come out of the closet as football takes center stage over baseball with the highly anticipated NFL draft on tap starting Saturday at noon.
Who will Oakland take with the first overall pick? Will they trade for a quarterback like Trent Green so they could select highly touted receiver Calvin Johnson No. 1? If Oakland takes a quarterback will it select JaMarcus Russell or long shot Brady Quinn? Who are some the potential draftees who could make a Reggie Bush-like immediate impact on your fantasy football team in the fall?
It's unlikely that any of those drafted this weekend will be taken in the first five rounds of your 2007 fantasy football draft. But there are guys who will likely start in the NFL coming right out of college.
Oakland was so dismal last season on offense that any player taken by that first pick will start in the fall. I see Oakland going the safe route and taking Russell.
Calvin Johnson is another guy too good to keep on the bench. Wherever he goes he should be a starter and most likely the first player from this draft selected in your fantasy football draft (round seven or eight?).
Depending on where he goes running back Adrian Peterson is a potential first-year starter.
One wild card in this draft is receiver Ted Ginn of Ohio State. He suffered an injury in the BCS title game and has had a slow recovery. He has fallen off the radar with some teams. But this is a game-breaking player who could pay big dividends for the team he ends up with (likely Tennessee, Carolina or Denver).
Another guy with huge potential is back Marshall Lynch. Some NFL experts believe he's overrated. But it's a big plus anytime you have a back who can run and catch the ball.
My top 10 picks in the draft: 1. Oakland -JaMarcus Russell, 2. Detroit-defensive end Gaines Adams, 3. Cleveland-Brady Quinn, 4. Tampa Bay-Calvin Johnson, 5. Arizona-offensive tackle Joe Thomas, 6. Washington-defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, 7. Minnesota-Adrian Peterson, 8. Atlanta-safety LaRon Landry, 9. Miami-tackle Levi Brown, 10. Houston-cornerback Leon Hall.
By the way, we are only about two months away from most major sports sites offering a chance to form teams and join leagues for the 2007 fantasy football season. Can't wait.