Keeper Analysis

Alright boys, based on the limited chatter and trivial information out there, I thought it was a perfect time to give a look at the offensive keepers for each team. And yes I understand that some of you are unconventional either on purpose or simply by nature, but barring injury or trades, this is what everyone comes into the first round with. Keeper round will also be noted - keep in mind when keeping two guys from the same round you need to decide who is going to cost you more/less...like Roddy White vs. Jason Witten for Drury.

SchoolGirls

Roddy White (19th)

Jason Witten (18th)

Jay Cutler (10th)

Michael Turner (4th)

DNice

Michael Bush (22nd)

Dustin Keller (21st)

Michael Crabtree (12th)

Steve Smith NYG (10th)

Brain

Miles Austin (22nd)

Vernon Davis (21st)

Willis McGahee (20th)

Tony Romo (13th)

Juice

Devin Aromashodu (22nd)

Mike Wallace (21st)

Aaron Rodgers (20th)

Frank Gore (9th)

Legend

Pierre Garcon (22nd)

Robert Meachem (21st)

Dwayne Bowe (18th)

Rashard Mendenhall (7th)

Flava

Jeremy Maclin (22nd)

Mike Sims-Walker (21st)

Kevin Walter (18th)

Shonn Greene (10th)

PE

Dallas Clark (18th)

Chris Chambers (14th)

Steve Slaton (12th)

I think you are keeping 4 IDPs based on your remaining options even with the reaches of Slaton and Chambers! Ouch.

Ninja Mafia

MJD (12th)

Phillip Rivers (13th)

Colston (15th)

Pierre Thomas (11th - b/c same round as MJD)

UCB

Jamaal Charles (22nd)

Jermichael Finley (21st)

Cedric Benson (20th)

Sidney Rice (16th)

D&D

Ryan Grant (18th)

Brees (15th)

Brent Celek (14th)

Brandon Marshall (8th)

Clubhouse leader SchoolGirls? Ninja might have something to say about that...but looking at the keeps that ChiTown have put together you have to wonder, is this their year OR are we heading to another year of inevitable mediocrity and utter dominance of the toilet bowl bracket?

The other takeaway from this all important exercise - PE can't keep living off of lucky performances and paltry transactions. Despite owning back-to-back titles, your teams feel an awful lot like the Pistons of the early 90s. Timely and short lived success.

Ultimately, what does this mean for the early drafting? Well, besides PE grabbing Manning at 14 if he's there, there are only 3 other teams needing a QB a mere 14 picks in. Of the owners shopping for a starter, only Flava and DNice have a history of reaching early and ironically, both snagged Brady in disappointing seasons. Legend stockpiles big name rooks with the hopes of catching lightning in a bottle and UCB typically lets the value fall...who's gonna blink in the 2nd and 3rd rounds? Should be fun! History does prove you can't win it all without a stud QB.

Perhaps the most intriguing development is at the TE position, though. With the QB you have more than serviceable options late in the draft, but the number of every week impact players at TE is getting slimmer by the year. Consider that Gonzo is getting older, Winslow is always less than 80%, Shockey has burned too many of us, Cooley has company, and Owen Daniels is coming of an ACL...now couple that with Clark, Witten, Finley, Davis and Celek being kept and you officially have a race to Gates! If you don't go earlier than ever you will be fishing too early for uncertainty...will it be you? I predict Gates finds a home by the mid-late 2nd round in a contract year. That's right Conley - contract year. Read up!