It's a busy time in the college fantasy world and somehow, in between updating cheatsheets, news and notes and sorting through the daily barrage of updates, 12 college fantasy experts found time to gather around for a mock draft. With the season only a few weeks away, quite a bit has changed in the fantasy world since our first mock draft in April.

Who went No. 1 in the college fantasy mock draft?

2009 College Fantasy Experts Mock Draft

The panel -

Joe Arpasi, College Football Geek
John Baker, SportsBuff.com
Jim Belanger, College Fantasy Football Insider
Todd DeVries, College Football Geek
Alex Esselink, College Fantasy Football Insider
Braden Gall, Athlon Sports
Steven Lassan, Athlon Sports
Brian McDonald, College Fantasy Football Insider
Vince Mullins, Fantasy College Blitz
Jason Roberts, Prism Press Group
Drew Smith, Fantasy College Blitz
Doug Word, Athlon Sports

What were some of the experts thinking with some of the picks?

Vince Mullins –

I have never been part of a draft when two tight ends were taken before the second wide receiver - very odd valuation by our friends at CFFI.

My unique strategy was to draft as many players with a bye on Week 5 as possible. Lots of solid programs share that date allowing a stronger roster the rest of the season.

I am happy with the strategy to wait on quarterback until running back and wide receiver starters are filled. Hiller in the 8th, Clark in 16th and two other values later with Dasher and Mallett. I will put my four up against any other four in league.

Todd DeVries –

Best Picks

* Cody Slate in the 8th round.
* Toren Dixon in the 15th round.
* Omar Clayton in the 19th round.
* Tyler Sheehan in the 20th round.

Worst Picks

* Mark Ingram in the 3rd round of a PPR league.
* Noel Devine in the 4th round, especially with Charles Scott still on the board.
* Max Hall in the 4th round. Similar quarterbacks could've been had in the 6th-10th rounds.
* Julio Jones in the 7th over the likes of Damaris Johnson and Kerry Meier.
* Kicker Dan Bailey in the 11th round.  Way too early.

My Squad

* The strength of my starting lineup is at the wide receiver position as I will trot out Dez Bryant, Tyron Carrier and Kris Adams.
* I'm a big fan of Robert Griffin and was happy to snag him in the 3rd round.  He'll start along side the platoon of gunslingers Kellen Moore and Bo Levi Mitchell.
* Running back is the weakness on my roster.  I decided to take a few sleeper running backs in the back half of the draft. 

Steven Lassan -

I think one of my biggest surprises of the draft was getting Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford with the 10th pick of the first round. Before the draft started, I figured Tulane's Andre Anderson or Houston's Bryce Beall would fall to me at 10 and Bradford would be long gone. You can't argue with Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant or any of the running backs, but getting a top-five fantasy passer in a two quarterback league is essential.

Like a couple of the other owners, I was surprised to see the tight end duo of Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham and Arizona's Rob Gronkowski go off the board in the second round. However, it's a great strategy. With a thin crop of tight ends, getting one of the elite options could be the difference between first or fifth place.

One of my draft tips is to load up on running backs to mix and match during the year. Although Jacquizz Rodgers, Daniel Porter and Brandon West are a solid starters, Ryan Mathews, Jamad Williams and Jordan Todman could turn out to be top 25-40 options at running back.

I also like the idea of grabbing players with a lot of upside in the late rounds. Doug Word's selection of Tennessee running back Bryce Brown falls into that category, as does Todd DeVries' selection of Rice quarterback Nick Fanuzzi. In rounds 15-20, it's well worth the gamble, especially with the waiver wire always providing options during the year.

Jason Roberts -

I surprised myself with my first pick - usually a Pac-10 guy (I think the secret is out for 2009), I have in previous drafts this year gone after both Jahvid Best and Jacquizz Rodgers at tailback, and Colin Kaepernick (I'm a dual-threat quarterback lover, so Kaepernick fits my mold quite well). No such luck here, but felt solid in selecting Anderson, who I still feel is heavily underrated after putting up nearly 1100 yards of total offense and 9 touchdowns (in just seven games) before missing the rest of 2008 with a dislocated shoulder.  Was taken aback when I found Zac Robinson still available at the seventh-pick of Round Two - no, Pettigrew is not at OSU any more, but can you really go wrong with Dez Bryant?  I see Taylor Potts getting a lot of play because of the system at Texas Tech, but not quite convinced he's the real deal - can't help but think if you're going for a thrower in the Big 12 that Robinson is as good as they get - and he's got a lot more tested weapons (in my mind) than Sam Bradford. 

I'm sure that quite a few are going to argue I took C.J. Spiller too early, especially with no clear pick at quarterback for Clemson (at least, as of yet); still think that Spiller has something to prove and could one of the ACC's most dangerous ground threats, behind Jonathan Dwyer . . . Michael Smith at Arkansas? Again, maybe a bit early again . . . still felt very secure at RB coming out of the first four rounds and still saw a whole LOT of potential at quarterback heading into Rounds Four and Five . . . Jeremiah Masoli seemed a logical pick for me - he's a Pac-10er. With the transfer-party that has taken place over the off-season in Eugene, can't help but feel that Masoli is entrenched and feels solid going into the season.  The ground game should be every bit as dangerous for Oregon - particularly if Blount can stay healthy.

Couple of other comments on the draft . . .

- Surprised that Adam Weber wasn't taken . . . Andy Dalton or Christian Ponder either.
- Still not convinced that Aldrick Robinson is worth the risk at SMU - especially in the second round.
- Tony Pike was a steal in the 12th Round.
- Surprised that there wasn't more movement on DeLeon Eskridge from Minnesota.
- Surprised no movement on Josh LeDuc from Eastern Michigan at TE - or Richard Dickson – LSU.
- No picks on Riley Cooper for Florida - Meyer says he'll be Tebow's go-to guy.

Joe Arpasi -

Best Moves – Rounds 10-18 built a deep bench with plenty of sleepers that could take off as the season goes on. Rounds 19-20 waiting on draft a PK and DEF until the end of the draft and landed picks ranked in the top 6 according to the Geek Big Board.

Worst Moves – Its nit-picking but Colt McCoy in the first round ahead of guys like Tim Tebow, Taylor Potts, and Bryce Beall. Also, DeAndre Brown in the 3rd round. He is practicing in light drills, but I could have drafted a more stable #2 WR than Lyle Leong to give myself an insurance policy in case DeAndre’s injury lingers. But I have plenty of depth on the bench that will be able to step in after the season gets a couple of weeks old.

Summary

This is a solid team in the starting line-up, with a deep bench that could make my team very dangerous during the second half of the season. If I were playing against this team I would be on the look out come week 5!

Brian McDonald -

General:

My plan was to nab a running back early, however the fact that two quarterbacks are a part of the starting lineup had me push the panic button early, so I went with the system play in Taylor Potts.  The direction of the rest of my draft had been determined, and I was bummed to not have LeGarrette Blount.

Surprise: 

I didn't see Dan LeFevour going as early as he did, though I can't find much fault with the pick. A talented, veteran quarterback in an explosive system can't be overlooked. Nor can a schedule laden with MAC foes.

Best pick:

I think Damion Fletcher as the last pick of the second round is a steal. Should DeAndre Brown's recovery fall a bit behind schedule then Southern Miss will lean on their workhorse. And the non-conference isn't that overwhelming; the Kansas game has shootout written all over it.

Worst pick:

I'm always reluctant to deem a "worst pick" as anything can happen. After all, with such an esteemed collection of drafters no one nabbed anyone who's out for the year. However if forced to name one "reach" then I think I could've definitely waited on the TCU defense in Round 8. Once Florida went off the board I saw a whole bunch of comparable defenses, and I held off. 

Most Value:

I really like Jimmy Clausen in round ten.  He's going to have some monster weeks. 

Dislikes in general:

Any league that insists upon starting two quarterbacks should be relegated to the back room where no beer is served. 

Doug Word -

I wasn't able to snag one of the elite running backs, but I feel confident that three or more of the backs I selected — Unga, Royster, Scott, Dixon or Avery — will emerge as consistent point-producing options for my team. I also drafted Bryce Brown in the 18th round to stash away on my bench in case he emerges as a significant contributor by playoff time.

Even if Tulsa's Jacob Bower doesn't win the job, I feel like I have good options in Matt Grothe or Rusty Smith as my second quarterback behind Dan LeFevour. I'm particularly satisfied with my receivers. I'm banking on Dezmon Briscoe (second round), James Rodgers (sixth round) and Golden Tate (seventh round) to be studs this season and hoping Cortez Gent (13th round), Jacory Stone (16th round) and Andre Jones (17th round) will pay off as well.

Alex Esselink –

I seem to be taking a quarterback in the first round more than any other year. The reason is there are more top tier quarterbacks than any other year. But the drop off to the next tier is still significant, so if Tim Tebow is around with the 8th pick, I'm going to take him. I stuck with the philosophy of making sure to get one of the top two tight ends early.  There was little to be gained by taking one of the next level running backs or receivers.  Round two is one round earlier than I would like, but Brian forced my hand with the
Jermaine Gresham pick. The only other thought here was taking DeAndre Brown, who almost slipped to me in the 3rd. QB, TE, D and K look good (yeah, I just said I killed it at the kicker spot).  I'm also happy with my wide receivers. Not the big sexy names but they should be good in PPR leagues. Running back is my weakest spot. In my opinion once you get past the top four running backs you can put them all in a hat, shake them up and start picking. I waited a little too long to grab my fourth and fifth running backs though.  So with few exciting prospects available and plenty of picks to burn, I went for all or nothing picks in Edwin Baker, Jarvis Giles, Caleb King, Anthony Allen and Joseph Turner. Luke Lippincott and Alex Allen were two others I had my eye on, but it didn't work out.  Hopefully one or two of these reaches pan out, if not I'll be looking to the waiver wire.

John Baker –

Once again I'm a bit amazed that Arizona tight end Rob Gronkowski (2nd round) goes before BYU tight end Dennis Pitta (4th round). I am continually struck by fantasy players' being caught up in the hype of Gronkowski while ignoring the tight end who is, in my mind, the No. 1 tight end in college fantasy football - Pitta.

Granted, Gronkowski had more scores last year (10 to 6), but Pitta killed him in reception (83-47) and yardage (1,083 to 672). Even given the points advantage of the touchdown disparity, in most scoring formats the totals in receptions and yardage more than make up for that, particularly in a PPR format. Add to the equation that Gronkowski will be playing with a new, untested quarterback while Pitta gets to catch passes from Max Hall again this year -- and Hall's other top two receivers have departed. The hype around Gronkowski's abilities is legit, but his production compared to Pitta's doesn't match the hype for fantasy owners. Pitta will again challenge 90 catches, more than 1,000 yards and probably get into double-digit scores this year with Austin Collie gone. He's the No. 1 tight end -- and it's not really close. The Gronkowski love affair isn't based on fact, it's based on hype.

I liked DeVries getting Boise State's Kellen Moore late (round 9). He's going to be the focal point and should have a huge year. When it's all said and done, he'll be a top-10 quarterback, far higher than he was drafted.

Really thought Drew Smith getting West Virginia quarterback Jarrett Brown in round 16 was a massive steal. Brown, a fifth-year senior, seems very comfortable in the Mountaineer offense and I think he's going to have a huge, surprising season for WVU.

Joe Arpasi's selection of Southern Miss WR DeAndre Brown left me a bit cold. This whole broken leg is healthy, now it's not, now it is...well, maybe, but we'll put him in a boot leaves me with an uneasy feeling. He's ranked highly, but I think there are some surer wide receiver bets out there without a cloud over them. I've downgraded him due to all the uncertainty. There are plenty of wide receivers out there who are capable of his numbers.

Vince Mullins' first two quarterback choices did little for me -- Western Michigan's Tim Hiller (whom I do like in some formats) and Dwight Dasher (MTSU), but I thought his third quarterback choice was bloody brilliant -- Ryan Mallett at Arkansas in round 18. So much potential, such a long leash to prove himself, I think Mallett ends up starting for this team and make the first two quarterbacks he chose bench-warmers. Great get that late, really a small risk, huge reward type pick.

As for my own team...love Victor Anderson in Round 7 because I think he's going to carry the load again this year, but not wear down as he did in last season's second half. 1,400 yards and 12 scores. I think he's very underrated. In fact, I think I've got a five-some of running backs that I'd go to war in any fantasy league with. Took some calculated risks, including tight end Tony Moeaki of Iowa (if he could just stay healthy) and Ricky Dobbs of Navy (love the run-only fill in potential). Quite frankly, I think I put together a pretty darn good team.

Thought it interesting that running back Bryce Brown got drafted, but not the guy who's going to start for them, Montario Hardesty. I think people are a little too attracted to the buzz around Brown. Hardesty is very talented, but has been injury-plagued. If he's healthy, he's got plenty of fantasy potential with Brown as the change-it-up guy until next year.

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