MATT NEATOCK
Weeks prior to a draft, or in the case of Colby, months before a draft, everyone is thinking about who the hell they are going to take in the first-round. Of all the emails and G-Chats I get from other league members, that tends to be the number one concern on their minds. However, championships are not won in the first round. Hell, I’d argue that championships aren’t even won in the first three rounds.
The difference makers are the sleeper picks and/or keepers. And there is no one better at finding late round keepers than Matt Neatock. I’m talking about players taken in or after the 8th round of the draft.
In fact, since joining the league in 2003, Matt has either drafted or kept four first-team All-Robio players and one second-team All-Robio player after the 8th round. He’s drafted/kept a quarterback that’s finished in the top-five a record six times. He’s drafted/kept two running backs that have finished top-two and a tight end that finished 4th. He’s had sleeper wide receivers finish top 12 (i.e WR1) three times, while two other players (a RB and a WR) finish in the top-24 (i.e RB/WR2).
Let’s look at the history, shall we?
2003
Anthony Thomas (CHI) – Round 8 Starting in just 13 games, Thomas rushed for over 1,100 yards and six touchdowns. By season’s end he was starting for Matt as a RB2. Oddly enough this is what Matt planned. Thomas was just the second RB Matt drafted in that draft.
2004
Tiki Barber (NYG) – Round 8 This could have been one of the greatest picks ever, if Matt wasn’t foolish enough to trade him away. Well, we all know the history of this one…Barber ended up in the hands of Colby, he would produced nearly 2,100 total yards and lead Colby to the 2004 scoring title. Mr. Hall would enjoy Barber’s services as a top-10 back until he retired. Still, it was Matt’s pick.
Jack Plummer (DEN) – Round 10 Matt waited 10 rounds to draft a quarterback and it paid off as he landed a top-five arm in Plummer. He would be the only thing positive on a lousy Matt team (again, the Barber trade).
2005
Carson Palmer (CIN) – Round 11 This is the year we developed the three category keeper system, thus allowing teams to keep sleepers in the rounds they were drafted the year before. Matt was laughed at when he kept Palmer. The Bengals QB was coming off a rough year (finishing 20th among QBs), yet Matt kept him and Palmer finished the season as the league’s #1 QB. However, before Matt tries to brag about this pick, let’s not forget, he became the only person in league history to draft (or keep) a quarterback in three straight rounds (Rd 9 David Carr, Rd 10 Drew Brees and then Palmer).
2006
The 2006 draft was Matt’s worst. He drafted no one worth having on his roster, especially in rounds 8-15. He finished the season with only three of his final 12 picks, even getting rid of keeper Carson Palmer (who finished 4th).
2007
Wes Welker (NE) – Round 13 One of the, if not the greatest “sleeper” pick in league history. I’ll be the first to admit, I mocked him for this pick. Anyhow, Welker would turn into a three-year keeper, finishing in the top-12 twice (2007, 2009) and 21st in 2008. He would be a starting wide out for both of Matt’s title teams.
2008
Aaron Rodgers (GB) – Round 10 This one pissed me off. I wanted Rodgers and up to this point everyone had already drafted their starting quarterbacks, including Matt who drafted Carson Palmer in Round four. I should have known better, Matt likes two arms. Well, Rodgers would end up being the second best quarterback in the league. Makes you wonder how a guy who had the second best QB to go along with keepers Adrian Peterson and Wes Welker could go 3-10, but Matt found a way.
2009
Hakeem Nicks (NYG) – Round 14 This one is a little different. In 2009, Matt was already keeping two elite players in rounds 10 or later (Aaron Rodgers and Wes Welker), but he went and found the next great wide out in Nicks. Now Nicks didn’t blow the doors off in 2009 (He finished #28), but the following year he would move up to WR1 status.
2010
No great draft picks, but he was once again had two elite keepers in Aaron Rodgers (#1 QB) and Hakeem Nicks (#10 WR). However, both Rodgers and Nicks would end up being more valuable in other ways by season’s end.
2011
Matt Stafford (DET) – Round 8 The big question coming into the draft was…of the young gun quarterbacks in the league (Freeman, Stafford, Bradford, Kolb, Cutler, Ryan, as well as others), which one could move up to tier one elite status? The answer was Matt Stafford, who finished fifth among all quarterbacks.
LeSean McCoy (PHI) – Round 9 Technically, McCoy was a Calderon pick, but Matt gets a ton of praise because he shipped off the league’s best quarterback for McCoy (who ended up a top-five back). However, Rodgers had already served his time and couldn’t be kept beyond 2010, while McCoy had one more year of keeper eligibility left.
Tony Gonzalez (ATL) – Round 14 Matt drafted Dallas Clark to be his stud tight end, but when Peyton Manning failed to return, Clark became worthless. Thankfully, Matt had the fourth best TE in the 14th around.
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