The 1980 Draft Class has been released and teams are already looking and hoping for the next big impact player that they can call their own. From the low risk team staples to the high premier players, there is a player for everyone's playing style.
(Disclaimer: All allocation weights are based on Recommended AI General Suggestions)
Almost 30% of this year's first 32 choices of this draft is full of potential Offensive Line All-Stars for those who want to improve their trench warfare, however the overall main draft is a defensive minded coach's dream.
There is a bumper crop of Linebackers available this year. A position many teams can claim as being "Top of my List." From the quick pass defending WLB position to the run defending SLB position, the cream of this class could reach well into the 4th round, if not early 5th round of this years draft.
There are not many quality Defensive linemen available this year - a total of eight by my count - so this might be the year one attempts to get the next
DE Jim Zarate , but one has to do it early. But a bright side of not having a lot of choices is that all the DL, by my counts, are extremely low risk. However, due to the great choices of LBs, some coaches might choose a Hybrid mix of LB/DE to accommodate their defensive coaching style.
I have 14 secondary players rated 65 and above. With the pass happy style of this league, that's half of the teams might be able to grab one of the highest coveted positions. I have 4 speedy players (90+) with an average potential 96 M2M skills with an average 53 VOL in this year's draft. So does one want to take a chance on drafting a boom or a bust? Any way, this crop could reach well into the third round.
Of the top 32 AI General Recommended players in this year's draft, #32 has a predicted future rating of 79 while having an average VOL rating of 54. (Kickers excluded)
Offensively speaking, there is one QB, two WRs, one TE, and three FBs who could be switched to different positions in this year's AI recommended draft of the first 32 players chosen.
There are four players available from the 1980 NCAA Champions, Georgia Bulldogs, and only two from the runner-ups, Notre Dame. Meanwhile, there are 20 players who entered this year's draft who did not attend a school of higher learning (Other)
May all have a good draft this season.
