If you’re a frequent reader of my blog, you’ll have noticed the updated-daily portion of this site’s sidebar. Aptly titled, the Mock Draft I am participating in is with some fellow bloggers, all of whom have a strong interest — and knowledge — regarding fantasy football.

Already, the first nine picks have come and gone with 7 running backs and 2 quarterbacks off the board. Ordinarily, you might not see 2 quarterbacks drafted within the first 9 picks of a draft, but this particular league (set up by The Hazean) awards six points for each passing touchdown. And given the nature of quarterbacks like Carson Palmer and Peyton Manning, six points per touchdown adds up very fast.

All this leaves me with the 10th pick. Being on this tail end of the first round, I’m fortunate in the sense that I will also be drafting 15th overall, so both of my selections are relatively close together; only four draft choices separate my first from my second.

What this essentially means is that I am looking in my first pick for something which I will draw the most value from. Given the circumstances and rules set up, I’m going to keep my options contained at running back.

Why?

As I explained earlier, there are only four selections separating my first pick from my second. I can assume that at least two of those picks, probably three, will be used on running backs.

I also realize that, by my standards for rating quarterbacks, the top two have already been drafted. They were my only “tier one” quarterbacks — the best of the bunch.

Why no receivers? Though some leagues award points per reception, this one does not. Added to that is the reality that running backs are at a much higher premium than wide receivers because they serve double duty, both receiving and rushing. Given that threat, it isn’t wise to draft receivers until the late second-early third round picks roll around.

Now, with that lengthy monologue out of the way, let’s take a look at some players I am primarily targeting.

Reggie Bush — Without rambling off too much about his hype and potential in the NFL, let’s look at the basic facts surrounding Reggie Bush. In 16 regular season games last season — his much anticipated rookie season — Bush scored 8 rushing/receiving touchdowns and tallied more than 1300 yards from scrimmage. Also consider that he scored a 9th touchdown on a punt return.

And if this was a league that awarded points for receptions, Bush would be a no-brainer here. Though he carried only 155 times, his 88 receptions ranked him among the league’s top 10 in that category.

That was his rookie season.

He is one of the most diverse backs in the NFL, someone who can line up anywhere and make an impact. Also consider that he didn’t score his first rushing/receiving touchdown until week 10. In other words, he scored those 8 touchdowns in the final 7 weeks of the season. Imagine him in his sophomore season, better acclimated to the NFL, spreading out more touchdowns across the season.

Finally, even before scoring a touchdown, Bush was a lock for 60-70+ yards every week of the season as a secondary running back.

Shaun Alexander — A classic pick. Forget about the Madden curse that plagued him last season, Alexander still managed 896 yards rushing last season over 10 games. If he paces himself the same way this season, that adds up to 1433 and some change.

And while the 7 touchdowns he scored was a drop-off from the then-record 27 he put up the season prior, it still could have been worse.

Also keep in mind that Matt Hasselbeck and the passing game were in limbo for much of the season. What I’m trying to point out is that Seattle was on its Super Bowl hangover.

Not in 2007. The Seahawks have 10 regular season games against teams that finished last season ranked in the bottom half of the league against the rush, so the schedule is working in Alexander’s favor.

Most everything is aligned for Alexander to bounce back in 07, and I fully expect him to do so. And for those concerned about his injury, consider that he played every game since entering the league until last season.

Travis Henry – There’s a lot to like about Travis Henry: he tallied more than 1200 yards (4.5 ypc) rushing last season in 13 starts with the Titans, plus he’s in Denver where he’s the guaranteed starter and contending only with Mike Bell for touches in the best offense in the land for runners — the latter is expected to carry only a few times per game (3-5, actually).

With Mike Shanahan calling the shots and a young starting quarterback still adjusting to the NFL, you can bet the Broncos will return to running the vast majority of the time and doing it better than anyone else.

What’s the Pick? It’s tough to draft at this end of the first round because by now the top batch of runners if off the board and, in this case, so are the top two quarterbacks. My personal opinion is that Travis Henry will have the best season of those remaining, averaging a consistent dosage of the football — I’d surmise at least 20-25 touches each game — and he’s in the best system.

Overall, I feel confident drafting Henry. I like the position he’s in with Denver and the reliance the Broncos will place on him with Cutler continuing to adjust.

What do you think? Did I blow it? Who would you take? Drop a line in the comment box below!

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