Round 4
1. Julius Jones
2. Randy Moss
3. Jamal Lewis
4. Tom Brady
5. Donald Driver
6. Antonio Gates
7. Jeremy Shockey
8. Donovan McNabb
9. Reggie Brown
10. Mark Clayton
11. Tatum Bell
12. Vince Young
13. Mike Vick
14. Jay Cutler
15. Deion Branch
16. LenDale White

While I don’t think Julius Jones is the best runner in Dallas, he remains a very good, fast, and young running back in a draft in which most have been selected. Also, he is currently a starter in Dallas, playing for a coach that has historically played one back as a starter, rarely opting for the “shared reps” scheme Coach Parcels loved. Also, this team needed another running back bad; Jones is a decent selection.

Randy Moss went in the 4th, making me wonder where he would have been picked had he stayed in Oakland? That may never be answered, but nonetheless, Moss’s move to the East Coast has upped his draft stock quite a bit, and why wouldn’t you select an amazing talent like Moss with a quarterback like Brady throwing him the ball. Remember, Moss is aging, and his production has really bombed of late; but many think that is a result of down times in Oakland. We’ll see.

Jamal Lewis, a back who is much younger than many realize, will be the only ball carrier fore a Cleveland Brown team that looks much better on the offensive line since selecting Joe Thomas and signing Eric Steinbach. They’re still the Browns, and Lewis looked bad last season, but what many people don’t realize is that Lewis played all season with bone spurs, which he had removed this off-season. Could he be back?

With all the top quarterbacks off the board, Palmer, Brees, Bulger, and Manning, teamed with QBs getting 6 points per TD pass, I felt I had to grab Brady here. All his weapons in New England, the best coach in football, and his pinpoint accuracy left me with no choice, though I hate, hate, taking QBs before the 6th round. This could come back to kill me… My running back situation could be scary.

Donald Driver left the board next, a great player who always seems to slip down draft boards. All he’s been is great year after year, and with Favre still firing passes, Driver seems to be the only guy trusted enough to catch those missiles. He’ll be good yet again.

I considered taking Gates a couple picks ago, so I’m not surprised he’s off the board midway through round 4. Actually, I’m stunned he lasted this long. He’s a great player to have, because he’s the best at his position by far, but I’ve seen him get picked in Round 2, and that’s way too early.

Hahaha… Jeremy Shockey was a terrible pick here. He always drops balls, is a head case, plays for a lame-duck coach, a young quarterback who struggles mightily with accuracy, not to mention a number of other things. He’s not even the 2nd best tight end. This pick was just brutal.

Donovan McNabb is probably the 3rd most talented quarterback, but his constant injuries, and the recent drafting of a 2nd round QB in Philly, has many questioning the player who was leading all fantasy players in points prior to his torn ACL last season. Yes, leading. He always scores a ton when he plays… I think this was a good pick.

Its nice to see Reggie Brown, McNabb’s very young #1 receiver, get selected right after Donovan. When the Eagles let Donte Stallworth go, they made Brown their #1 guy. Brown will get plenty of help from Kevin Curtis on the other side, and Westbrook will still get plenty of catches, but if McNabb is healthy for most of the season, Reggie will be a top performer at WR.

Mark Clayton, a player I thought I could get later, because many fantasy owners pay too much attention to overall season stats with young players, went in the 4th, which is early but not unjustified. He’s the best receiver in Baltimore, and will benefit from another year in the league, and a newly revamped offensive line and running game. Clayton is a great young player, who will become a Top 10 receiver this season.

Tatum Bell could be a hell of a steal here. He always showed flashes of brilliance in Denver, but Shanny the Rat hated him, basically begging for him to fail. In Detroit, he could get everything he ever wanted, if…. If Kevin Jones is wrong about coming back for the season opener, and misses the year, or a large portion of the year. Bell is a great fit in Detroit, but Jones is more talented. Should be interesting – This pick is very risky, as its possible Bell could turn out to be a 3rd down back-up type.

Even in a dynasty league, I think Vince Young is a very risky pick this early. Vince had some great plays last season, but the passing consistency wasn’t near the marks he had in college, and most of his points came from the scramble. In a league that rewards passing touchdowns and rushing TDs equally, Vince isn’t a good option.

Mike is always going to have the same problem. He lacks consistency, and most of his points come from the ground attack, making him an injury risk. Vick was a Top 5 QB last season, but there were more than 5 weeks where he scored single digits. That’s scary. The Draft was prior to the Dog problems, or at least the bulk of them.

Jay Cutler went next, and honestly, I think he’s a better pick than either of the first two, but each one of these picks made me feel better about my pick of Tom Brady. Cutler has a cannon, a nice offense, and a coach who will let him sling it. But I still think the 4th round is a little early to grab Cutler.

Deion Branch didn’t show me much last season, but as it seems, he showed the Hawks brass plenty. Seattle traded their best receiver, D-Jack, for a 4th round pick, instantly making Branch the #1 option in Seattle. This may come back to haunt me, but I predict DJ Hackett scores more points than Branch.

LenDale White struggled to get on the field last season, and when he was there his production was pretty limited. However, I see why he was chosen this early. He has lots of talent, is a touchdown scoring back, and has himself to blame if he doesn’t get the starting gig in a pretty good rushing attack in Tennessee. Still, he needs to speed up next time he sees the Crispy Crème drive-through. Kid is causing traffic jams.

Round 4’s Winners and Losers

Best Value – Antonio Gates 54th
Worst Value – Jeremy Shockey 55th
Most Upside – Jay Cutler 62nd
Best Player – Tom Brady 52nd
Most Likely to Bust – Deion Branch 63rd
Sleeper – Donovan McNabb 56rd