Underworld Rookie Mock Draft Recap #7

by Steve Smith, April 28, 2021

With four RotoUnderworld SuperFlex/TE Premium mock drafts in the books, the top five in ADP has emerged as Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Najee Harris, Travis Etienne, and Trey Lance. It makes sense. Secure either the most highly regarded prospect in the class, an elite running back, or a mobile quarterback that oozes fantasy upside.

The strength of the class at the QB position is pushing plenty of upside into the second round of SuperFlex rookie drafts. Exciting wide receiver prospects Jaylen Waddle, Terrace Marshall, and Elijah Moore can all be drafted with an early-to-mid second. Kenny Gainwell did gain well to the tune of 12-pounds and continues to creep up into the mid-second round. Pat Freiermuth, Dyami Brown, and Michael Carter continue to be fixtures in the Pick No. 20 to 24 range.

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2021 RotoUnderworld Pre-Draft Seasonal League Mock Draft

by Joshua Kellem, April 28, 2021

Over the last month, we conducted our first RotoUnderworld Redraft Mock Draft of the season. And this is a good page to bookmark and juxtapose with our post-NFL Draft mock that will release next month. We had 14 teams, PPR scoring, and we drafted 15 rounds. Starting lineups consist of 1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 WRs, 1 TE, 1 Flex (RB/WR/TE), a defense, and a kicker.

I did not have Jonathan Taylor going at 1.03 on the bingo card. If Taylor is your guy though, you have no other option because he’s obviously not going to be there in the late second round. Cam Akers and D’Andre Swift went in the first 10 picks as well. That won’t be eye-popping by August.

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NFC West Offseason Recap and Power Rankings

by Christopher Buonagura, April 28, 2021

The 49ers have strong leaders ship and team building to support a talented roster. This team is expected to be a relevant contributor to the league every season. Our expectations must be realistic dependent on the starting quarterback. The move to trade up for a premium draft pick to select a rookie signals that 2021 is not an all-in year. Jimmy Garoppolo can lead this team to a winning season over 17 games.

Despite some turnover, the Rams fall at No. 5 overall in our pre-draft Power Rankings. Sean McVay stirs the pot in the LA, not Brandon Staley, in the same way that Bill Belichick maintains a strong defense in New England despite losing coordinators every year. Second, Stafford’s arrival is a bigger boost to the offense than the loss of Staley is a blow to the defense; and offense wins in the modern NFL. I think the Rams surprise this year a with a run at the No. 1 seed in the NFC. 

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NFC North Offseason Recap and Power Rankings

by Christopher Buonagura, April 27, 2021

Football fans can turn on ESPN any day of the year and expect at least one segment highlighting drama around Aaron Rodgers. Despite his polarizing personality, he remains a dominant force of quarterbacking excellence. His presence coupled with an adequate defense and Year 3 of Matt Lafluer’s scheme will assure that Green Bay sits atop the NFC in 2021.

The Lions project to be much more fun and upbeat with Dan Campbell, but this team is knee-deep in a complete overhaul. They will struggle to win even a handful of games in 2021. Jared Goff is just a placeholder that was acquired to help justify trading their franchise quarterback. Goff is not the answer, and the remaining roster talent has been stripped down to its foundation. There is hope for Detroit, just not this year.

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Stephen Polacheck’s 2021 NFL Mock Draft

by Stephen Polacheck, April 27, 2021

I am convinced the San Francisco 49ers did not give up three first-rounders to select a replica of Jimmy Garoppolo. Just because pocket passers have always been Kyle Shanahan’s quarterbacks, doesn’t mean that is all he wants. Justin Fields brings all the desirable traits of a top quarterback, from sustained success at a top program to the intangibles and production metrics. We had no idea San Fran was moving up to No. 3, why do we think we know their pick will be Mac Jones?

I’m not sure if Denver likes Mac Jones or not. What I do know is they are interested in bringing in competition for Drew Lock, as well as use their well-built roster to try and win right away. Jones presents the ability to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers, something Denver has a lot of in Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, K.J. Hamler, Melvin Gordon, and Noah Fant.

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Tales From the Underworld 6: Pre-Draft Underdog Best Ball Fun

by Ray Marzarella, April 27, 2021

Passing on TE at the 6-7 turn was risky, but worth it to nab the Russell Wilson-Jalen Hurts QB duo. But by the time it was my turn to pick in the eighth round, all of Dallas Goedert, Logan Thomas and Robert Tonyan were gone. I then realized I could have/should have passed on one of the QBs for a TE and honed in on Daniel Jones later to pair with Golladay. The tilt. It was, in fact, real.

Getting your QBs early in the Rookies and Sophomores format is basically an unwritten rule. Relying solely on this year’s rookie QB crop is a huge gamble, making a Jalen Hurts/Joe Burrow/Justin Herbert/Tua Tagovailoa selection a vital key to success.

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NFC East Offseason Recap and Power Rankings

by Christopher Buonagura, April 26, 2021

The Eagles hit the reset button the moment 2020 ended. The coaching staff was stripped down and fully replaced. Most veteran free agents did not get new contracts to stay in town. Most notably, their recently signed franchise quarterback was traded away. Regardless of Jalen Hurts being on the roster, these are the clear signs of a rebuild. The organization seems to be in the right direction, but do not expect more than five wins during the first year of a rebuild. 

The Washington Football Team has earned their name this offseason by compiling a true football team. This team has talent at every major position group and the coaching seems to be up to par. Ron Rivera and company are fine after the luckiest 7-9 playoff run in league history. The offense is loaded with weapons for Ryan Fitzpatrick to utilize in his magic performances each Sunday.

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Meet the Metric – Hog Rate

by Neil Dutton, April 26, 2021

In 2020, Mark Andrews was in on 67.1-percent of the team’s offensive snaps. This was No. 26 among qualified tight ends in terms of Snap Share. His teammate Nick Boyle recorded a 66.7-percent share of the offensive playing time. But Boyle saw just 17 (No. 59) targets in his ten games. Andrews drew 89 (No. 9) targets. This worked out to a target per snap, or Hog Rate, of 4.7-percent for Boyle and 15.4 percent (No. 9) for Andrews.

Jordan Reed, whenever he took to the field, was a focal point of the 49ers offense. He only logged a 36.9-percent (No. 74) Snap Share. But he posted a position-leading 19.7 percent-Hog Rate. As a result, he was able to average 0.44 (No. 8) Fantasy Points per Route Run. He benefitted from Kittle’s missing time, of course. But his Hog Rate told fantasy managers that he could be plugged in as a potential streamer thanks to his usage.

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The Last Word on Pro Day vs. Combine 40-Yard Dash Times

by Josh Larky, April 25, 2021

There was no organized 2021 NFL Scouting Combine; rather, each college put on their individual pro day workouts, with the vertical jump, broad jump, 3-cone drill, and of course, the 40-yard Dash. In this piece, we’ll outline why we are adjusting the results of these 2021 pro day 40-times up by 0.05 seconds.

If widespread intuition is correct, and pro day 40-times are generally faster, then as an NFL player data authority, it is our duty to adjust pro day results to be on par with NFL Combine results, offering the sports public a true apples to apples comparison of every player at every position.  

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