MikeFML Team Selection Draft Review
by MikeFML | 4 years ago | 0 Comments
The SML M21 Team Selection Draft has come and gone and a new league year is upon us. While the majority of us are familiar with each other, the results of the team draft itself has long lasting impact on our individual experiences over the course of a cycle. Let's take a deep dive and give some quick thoughts on every team selection choice and division for the SML this year.
AFC East - Pauly, Nole, Latinyank, PJ
What a mixed bag this group is. Pauly & Nole were perennial playoff contenders last year, while PJ and Latinyank were…..not. PJ has been long preached as an up and comer and someone that can legitimately play upper level Madden, but since I’ve been in the SML I haven’t personally seen it. With the Patriots he’s got something of a rebuild, but a team that can compete from day 1 with the right decisions. Pauly, notorious for his specific playstyle in M20, has a new offense to build and a defense to rework. It will be interesting to see his team building style this year starting from day 1 opposed to coming in late. Last season he essentially traded away 100% of his draft picks for aging veterans. Will the youthful Miami roster prove different? Pauly has an explosive HB in Matt Breida and the framework of a franchise QB in T’ua Tagovailoa, but learning the ins and outs of this year’s game will be something to watch. Latinyank gets his Jets. I think this team took a MASSIVE boost when TinyTitans went to the Seahawks -- the Jets are a blank slate to build on, and having all of Tiny’s juicy first round picks should bear fruit. That being said, Latinyank is probably in for a long cycle. Last but not least is my former division mate in Nole (or Noel if you’re ZZ). Nole knows what he likes in his teams and I’d fully expect him to build similarly as he did last cycle. He’s upgraded from Murphy-Bunting to Tre White and instead of Jameis Winston he’s now got Josh Allen. It’s not hard to see the parallels in Tampa Bay in M20 and Buffalo in M21. I fully expect Buffalo to hit the ground running and compete for multiple division titles this year.
Front Runner: Nole
Wild Card: Pauly
Too Early to Tell: PJ, Latinyank
AFC North - NYT, TTS, Woods, KJ
I love the stability of this division. While no one is what you’d probably consider “elite,” everyone in this division is a high quality player and capable of winning the division. TTS is looking to rebound from a very poor M20 which saw him make (I think) only one playoff appearance. Cincinnati is one of the trendier teams to start with due to Joe Burrow being a Superstar and the roster being “okay but not great.” I’d expect him to ride Mixon hard and work to build Burrow over the 5 years of his rookie deal. NYT “broke out” kind of in M20 with his first Super Bowl appearance and multiple playoff appearances in general. While the Ravens provide a different challenge than the Falcons did last year, it’s hard to not see NYT continuing his recent trend. The Ravens team has elite offensive firepower that he should be able to utilize to its max, and enough defense to get stops. NYT is far more of an offensive player than a defensive one, so leaning hard into the curve isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Woods is back for a 2nd consecutive season in Cleveland. Any chance he trades Baker Mayfield this time? My guess is he’s learned from that mistake. The advantage he has from go is he knows exactly how this team functions. He knows what he needs to acquire and what he can afford to let go. Not having to play Meats twice a year is probably a win, but NYT from an offensive side is just as difficult to gameplan as Meats was. Last but not least is everyone’s friend KJ. KJ has a really unique opportunity here with a Pittsburgh roster that has a very strong foundation. He’s got a lot to prove, however, with an extremely lackluster M20 cycle weighing over him. The Steelers are about 500% better than the M20 Dolphins, so anything other than a constant .500 and ambitions for playoff appearances has to be considered a disappointment.
Front Runner: NYT, Woods
Wild Card: TTS
Too Early to Tell: KJ
AFC South - Prime, Coop, Bomber, TBD
Another cycle, another year of Prime going to the Colts. It’s amazing year in and year out when he seems to get so many people to believe he’d actually pass on the Colts. Prime knows how to build the Colts and M21 will be no different. It will be interesting to see if he rolls with Rivers year 1 or goes all in with Jacob Eason. Prime could probably start the rookie, win AROY, get a dev upgrade and be set for the cycle with an amazing young (Madden) QB. Coop picking up the ball Tiny fumbled and going to the Titans isn’t very surprising. Coop likely wasn’t expecting the Titans to be available, so them falling to him at this pick was probably something of a win. The roster has buildable assets on both sides, but really has questions at the quarterback position. An invested Coop is a quality team builder and he can compete with anyone when he wants to. It’s a virtual lock that Coop will do better with this team than what Tiny could ever dream of. Bomber has to be ELATED that the Jaguars were available when he was on the clock. This Jaguars team is honestly underrated and the defense has the makings of a truly elite unit. Losing Ngakoue hurts a little bit, but it also frees him up from the decision of having to give him big money immediately. I think Bomber is the type of player that can absolutely succeed with Gardner Minshew, and if he sorts out the HB position he’s lined up for a successful cycle on both sides of the ball. The Houston Texans falling to the 32nd pick is both hilarious and shocking. As a Colts fan, that team deserves the worst. As a Madden player, are you guys nuts? Deshaun Watson and that offense are worthy of a middle pick, and somehow here they are going undrafted. Crazy.
Front Runner: Prime
Wild Card: Bomber, Coop
Too Early to Tell: TBD Texans Owner
AFC West - ZZ, Future, QB, Dan
Oh my god...poor ZZ. I mentioned in the groupchat that ZZ might never win this season after Future took the Raiders...then he was joined by both QB and Dan. Future, QB, and Dan might be the 3 most consistent players on both sides of the ball. ZZ might be the least consistent player in the league (and that’s saying a lot considering who is typing this). This has all the makings of a really brutal cycle for ZZ, but time will tell. The good thing for him is that the Chiefs offense is set for the entire cycle; Mahomes to Hill will be a constant. If ZZ can figure out the cap and build a defense around him, it’s possible that he could get some momentum built. Future taking the Raiders sent shockwaves throughout the SML. The Raiders should be an extremely fun adventure for him this cycle with Ruggs, Jacobs, and a workable defense being bright spots for him. What happens at QB and how he finishes the defensive build will decide how his M21 goes. QB taking the Chargers was one of the best outcomes for him. I know from my talks with him privately that this is a team that he was looking forward to as a real option and it’s easy to see why. They’ve got one of the top young buildable QBs in Justin Herbert and a defense that’s going to be nasty from day one. He’s definitely going to need to finish up the defense and get some more weapons for Herbert, but this is a situation where seasons 2 and beyond he could really take off. Last but not least is Dan going for the Broncos. How the Broncos fell is beyond me. They were my #1 team for a long time because the offense is insane. Dan should do a better job developing Drew Lock than I did last year, and he’s got almost too many weapons around him from go. The defense is going to need a lot of work, especially at linebacker, but he’s got some notable pieces in Simmons and Chubb and some guy named Von Miller. Dan caught some flak for not going AFC South as he sorta eluded to before the draft, but I think taking this Broncos team is probably more impressive than playing Prime twice a year. There are 3 absolute top tier playoff contenders in this one division and it’s going to be a dogfight every step of the way.
Front Runner: QB, Dan, Future
0-16 every year: zztheprobablysadboy
NFC East - Gram, Rowin, Blunt, Chris
Gram is probably relieved to get a little bit of a break from the constant battle that was the NFC East last cycle. There was a real chance that the Cowboys weren’t going to be available for him this year, but lo and behold at the end of the day all is right in the world and Gram was able to lock in his main team. The Cowboys are better than they were last year and Gram is a smart team builder so I’d definitely expect him to compete from day 1. There shouldn’t be any season lulls for him this time around, so anything other than 10 wins a year is going to be a disappointment for gram. Chris might be the hottest player coming into the start of a cycle, and he’s got an interesting Eagles team to work with. The cap situation is supposedly brutal, but my guess is that can be solved fairly easy after one off-season. This is proving time for Chris, however. As an original Primer guy he was good with the Primer Chiefs and hot and cold with the SML Broncos. He’s a quality player and this is his opportunity to cement himself as a real threat in the SML. Rowin taking the Giants was a little bit out of left field, but he seems confident in the fit. Saquon Barkley will be devastating, but at the same time Rowin has always been a pass-first player. Figuring out balance should help him cut down on the INTs while also properly utilizing his best weapon. The defense is going to be a work in progress, but he’ll have the opportunity to learn on the fly playing top tier offenses from Dallas and Philadelphia. Blunt is back home in Washington with the Football Team. Blunt is always a mixed bag; generally speaking if he can run the ball he does well, but if you stop the run it gets ugly quick. This fact gets even sketchier when you consider that he HAS to throw the ball with Haskins if he hopes to develop him properly into the franchise QB that he’s going to need. Having Scary Terry at WR and maybe the most terrifying pass rush in the game will go a long way, but he’s competing with 3 very smart owners in his division.
Front Runner: Gram
Wild Card: Chris, Rowin
Too Early to Tell: Blunt
NFC North - MikeFML, Fazz, Figg, Hova
For some the first “surprise” pick of the day was me taking the Packers at 5. I could go on and on about the exact reasonings for this pick, but at the end of the day I think this is somehow an underrated team. The defense is built to win now and win in the future, and much of the same can be said about the offense. The key to this team will be figuring out how to properly use Aaron Rodgers while also developing Jordan Love for long term use. I haven’t quite decided how I’m going to go about this yet, but expect to see them both get snaps year 1 and beyond. Fazz having the Vikings fall to him is perhaps a win from his POV. He’s got some work to do with the whole Kirk Cousins thing and the defense being good now but getting old quick, but he’s got a true game changer in Dalvin Cook and workable pieces sprinkled throughout. Figg going the Bears is a little surprising, but he’s got the opportunity to build a team from day 1 and really take something of an artistic approach. Having Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith, and Tarik Cohen isn’t the worst starting point, but he’s going to have to quickly figure out QB and an aging CB room. This is a team that can either go well or sour quickly; it will be interesting to see which direction Figg takes. Lastly is our latest Primer addition with Hova going to the Lions (and leaving the Texans on the board at his pick). This Lions team is bad. It’s marred by unathletic players and terrible contracts. If you squint hard enough you can sorta see a workable foundation, but it’s going to take not only time but also above average stick play. With a lot of unknown coming from the new guy, it’s gonna be fun to watch and see how it plays out.
Front Runner: Fazz
Wild Card: Mike
Too Early to Tell: Figg, Hova
NFC South - Royce, Lawyer, Field, Colt
This is going to be a fun division. Royce landed his Panthers, but perhaps at the worst time as they’re in a transition phase. Will Teddy Bridgewater be the answer? My guess is no, but Royce has the ability to win with him if he chooses. CMC and DJ Moore will be game breakers that he’ll utilize to their fullest, and the defense is young and buildable. Not having Keuchly at LB will be felt instantly, but that’s possibly the only defensive position of need out of the gate. Lawyer, also, is back where he belongs with his favorite team. He had an up and down M20 with the Packers, but he’ll find much needed familiarity with the Falcons team he supports. The roster is middle of the pack with a lot of questions, but he’s got a lot of really quality weapons in Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Keanu Neal. Re-uniting (and it feels so good) with late season stud Todd Gurley will be interesting to see. This team’s got just as much of a chance as any to compete. THIS IS FIELD’S YEAR! This Tampa Bay team is almost a perfect fit for him and I fully expect him to be engaged and committed to rebounding from an awful M20 cycle. There’s almost too much on the offensive side and the defense has a good mix of young and old (David, Murphy-Bunting, the LB I’m forgetting the name of). If not now, when? There’s no excuse for not succeeding with this team in this division, it’s time for Field to show the league he’s still got it. Colt to the Saints is possibly one of the best options for him. He’ll have a new challenge this year in replacing a QB (but he did trade Kyler Murray last year, so maybe it’s not all that new). Alvin Kamara is terrifying in early gameplay and Michael Thomas will be a reliable option in the passing game. He’ll have his hands full defensively containing his division mates, but I’m sure he’ll be up to the task.
Front Runner: Lawyer, Royce
Wild Card: Field
Too Early to Tell: Colt
NFC West - Meats, Tiny, Cobra, Dump
#beatthemeats. With the 3rd pick in the team draft, Meats is heading to Arizona. He’s in for a mini-Baltimore experience here with Kyler Murray and A LOT of speed. Hopkins and Isabella will be a nightmare for the rest of the NFC West, and Simmons will be fun to develop on the defensive end. Meats is a good team builder and I expect this Cardinals team to be a top tier team for the entire cycle. Dump going to the 49ers is possibly a match made in heaven. Not only does he have an offense with several weapons from go, he’s got a borderline elite defense. This is exactly what I’d like to see from him as he’s a great offensive player and an average defensive one. He can supplement the offense with some pieces to fit his style and lean heavily on his very powerful defensive weapons. Meats vs. Dump is a marquee match-up to look forward to. Cobra going to the Rams was somewhat of a shocker with the teams left on the board at the time, but he must feel strongly about his ability to compete with a lesser roster. The Rams have not a lot of bright spots, but at least they do have Jalen Ramsey I guess. I don’t expect this team to be competitive at all -- maybe even all cycle. Last but not least in not only the division but this entire review is TinyTitans. Our guy JRob deviated from his normal Titans selection to take the very talented Seattle Seahawks. Much like his fellow Tenneseean KJ, he’s got a lot to prove this year. He can’t any longer lean on the “Oh I’m playing Prime, I should lose. I’m the Titans, I should lose.” He’s now the Seahawks. He has Russell Wilson. He has Bobby Wagner and Jamal Adams. There’s no excuse for Tiny not competing and producing winning seasons. The one thing heavily going against him is he won’t have 1st round picks until year 3. This I previously viewed as a massive win for the Jets and Latinyank, and likewise it’s a huge loss for Tiny. In a division that has two top tier competitors and a third wildcard, Tiny can’t afford to both lose and not have draft picks. If he doesn’t win from day one it’s going to ruin his entire cycle. The pressure is on, Tiny.
Front Runner: Meats, Dump
Too Early to Tell: Tiny, Cobra
And that does it! We’ll wrap it up by saying that this appears to be a very balanced experience across most divisions. The AFC South is possibly a little weak (PrimeEffect), but the rest of the divisions appear to present a fair and fun experience for all. If you made it through reading this entire thing -- awesome. Thanks for taking the time. Good luck to everyone this upcoming cycle.