HailWV All-Time WVU Fantasy Football Draft: Rounds 7-9
By Ken Durbin
Hurricane Sandy threw our draft off schedule by a day. No need to worry though, even with the Atlantic seaboard washed away and the Appalachian buried in snow, the staff of HailWV is soldiering on.
The HailWV Fantasy Draft has now concluded 6 rounds. Many of the marquee names in the Mountaineers program history have come off the board. The staff of HailWV will be looking to dig a little deeper to fill out their starting line-ups today. Let’s recap who has already been picked up to this point:
QB: Geno Smith, Major Harris, Marc Bulger, Jeff Hostetler, and Pat White
RB: Ira Errett Rodgers, Avon Cobourne, Amos Zereoue, Steve Slaton, Noel Devine, Quincy Wilson, and Artie Owens
WR: Stedman Bailey, David Saunders, Tavon Austin, Chris Henry, Khori Ivy, Danny Buggs, Cedric Thomas, and Rahsaan Vanterpool
TE: Anthony Becht
K: Paul Woodside
DEF: 1996
Now that we have completed the first 24 picks of the draft, let’s get started on the back half of the draft.
Round 7:
25. Ken Durbin Selects: 1954 Defense
With my starting offense pretty well solidifed, I decided to jump on a top notch defense. With the vaunted 1996 defense off the board, I had to do some research to find another great WVU defense. I first looked to the 2012 defense, cried, then moved on. Ultimately, I settled on one of the most famous groups of players to come through Morgantown: the 1954 defense. This defense featured Mountaineer legends Gene “Beef” Lamone, Bruce Bosley, and the grand-daddy of WVU defensive stars: Sam Huff. While the 1954 defense did not hold a single team scoreless, they did allow only 8 points per game, leading the Mountaineers to an 8-1 mark. The fact that this team did not get a big time bowl invite is astonishing.
26. Brandon Miller Selects: QB Oliver Luck (1978-1981)
Now that I have all of my offensive starters filled, it’s time to build depth and take a backup QB. I went back and forth between Chad Johnston and Oliver Luck, and I’ve decided to select Luck. Oliver Luck starred for the Mountaineers from 1978 – 1981. He was a three year starter and threw for 5,765 yards and 43 passing touchdowns; he ranks 5th all time in passing yards, 3rd in attempts, 4th in completions, and 5th in passing TDs. He also added 517 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. His consistent play and solid yardage and TD numbers make him an ideal fantasy QB, but his interception numbers (45, 2nd all time) are a drawback that relegate him to a backup fantasy role. He still is one of the top QBs to ever play for the Mountaineers, and he continues to score major points for the Mountaineers as the Director of Athletics. This was a homerun pick in the 7th round.
27. Alan Searles Selects: WR Darius Reynaud (2005-2007)
Reynaud is a key player in a PPR league. Number 8 all time in receptions, and 15th in yards. Looking at my team he will fit in perfectly running routes over the middle. The big man Henry will be out side, Austin will be stretching the field on wheel routes and deep posts, which will leave Darius open over the middle to pick up plenty of receptions. A perfect fit. Another Mountaineer on my team who is proving his worth in the NFL.
28. Patrick Pishko Selects: RB Adrian Murrell (1990-1992)
Adrian Murrell: #14 All-time in rushing yards at WVU and tied 25th for rushing TD’s. (Pretty awesome considering he left after his junior season for the pro’s). Went on to have a solid 9 year career in the NFL playing most of that time as a member of the New York Jets.
Round 8:
September 10, 2011; Morgantown,WV, USA: Norfolk State Spartans quarterback Chris Walley (5) is tackled by West Virginia Mountaineers defensive end Bruce Irvin (11) during the first quarter at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE
29. Patrick Pishko Selects: 2010 Defense
2010 Team Defense: WVU finished its regular season ranked No. 2 in rushing defense (85.1 yards per game) and No. 3 in both total defense (251.3 ypg) and in sacks per game (3.3).
The Mountaineers were second in three and outs at 24.7 percent; No. 2 in first downs defense (13.7), No. 11 in pass defense (166.3 ypg), tied for 21st in tackles for losses (21) and No. 6 in most three-and-outs (4.8 per game).
30. Alan Searles Selects: K Pat McAfee (2005-2008)
Pat Mcafee; the name of the game is scoring more points than your opponent. Pat scored more points than any other Mountaineer in history. When picking a kicker, what else is there? He had great consistency, was a clutch player, and on top of that is one funny guy. Follow him at @PatMcAfeeShow.
31. Brandon Miller Selects: RB Jim Braxton (1968-1970)
With this pick I’ll take RB/TE Jim Braxton. Braxton played from 1968 – 1970; he was initially a running back then converted to TE for most of his senior season. During his career, he racked up 1,462 rushing yards/14 touchdowns and 906 receiving yards/11 touchdowns. He also contributed 44 extra points and 4 field goals over his career. Braxton is 11th on WVU’s all time scoring list. Gotta love the old school players who did it all, they would kill in fantasy leagues by getting points in multiple facets of the game.
32. Ken Durbin Selects: WR Reggie Rembert (1988-1989)
Rembert was a transfer player during the peak of the Nehlen years. He only spent two seasons in Morgantown, yet still amassed 1,366 yards receiving (19th all-time) and 18 touchdowns (tied for 7th all-time). He also contributed 3 rushing touchdowns his first season in Morgantown. Reggie scored 21 touchdowns in 23 career games, showing that he would be a consistent and reliable fantasy play at wide receiver.
Round 9:
Nov 26, 2010; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back Jock Sanders (9) looks for running room against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. West Virginia won 35-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE
33. Ken Durbin Selects: WR Jock Sanders (2007-2010)
If we were to play in a points per reception league, Jock Sanders would be a top pick. He is second on the all-time reception list with 206 career grabs. Jock isn’t going to blow you away with big receiving yardage totals or touchdowns, but he is sure to get his touches early and often. Sanders was also a dual threat player, starting out his career as a running back and was a persistent threat on reverse plays. He brings great depth to my team in the 9th round.
34. Brandon Miller Selects: WR Rich Hollins (1980-1983)
I’m going with WR Rich Hollins. Hollins played 3 (1981 – 1983, but only 1 game in 1982) years for the Mountaineers and racked up some pretty good stats: 105 receptions (14th all time) 1,981 receiving yards (7th), and 16 TDs (9th). He certainly would be in the top 5 in every statistical receiving category if he had played a full 4 years. Also, this is a great pick for my fantasy team since both of my QBs played with him, so double points for every touchdown!
35. Alan Searles Selects: RB Kerry Marbury (1971-1972)
I’ll take Kerry Marbury, 22 career touchdowns, number 8 in points in a season, 6th in rushing touchdowns in a year. A solid back up running back.
36. Patrick Pishko SelectsL QB Chad Johnston (1993-1996)
#4 All-time at WVU with 5,954 passing yards on 839 attempts (ranked 4th). #5 all-time in TD passes at well with 43, which ties him with none other than In Ollie We Trust; think that’s a pretty good backup, don’t you?