, and now, since we just heard that they are having one (sort of), we're ready to conduct our 2009 UFL Mock Draft.
For those of you unfamiliar to the UFL, it's the inaguaral football league starting up in the fall, not so much to compete with the NFL as it is to supplement it similar to a minor league.
They haven't announced many of the details, so unless you follow
Tim Rattay's twitter, it's hard to figure out what's going on with the league.
Regardless, we're here to provide you with the first five picks of the UFL Draft. From our understanding, mostly based on
Profootballtalk's earlier reports, the teams will essentially call shotgun on various players in the event that they are still available when the UFL season begins. The object is to get the best possible players out there--but not so good that they'll have work in the NFL or elsewhere before the UFL can get their hands on them.
So, without further delay, here are the likely top five picks in this year's "draft."
1. Michael Vick
Vick is a gamble, because picking him means he must be suspended by the NFL. The talent he brings, along with the instant credibility he would bring to the league, makes him a no brainer for the first dibs. Any chance at landing a player like Vick would be huge for one of the four UFL squads, and due to their proximity to the sort of thing, we can see the Las Vegas team (hopefully named the
Las Vegas Lemons) taking a gamble on Vick.
2. Tim Rattay
Since Rattay is tweeting away on his twitter about all the juicy details of the United Football League's secret draft, we have to assume that he's one of the top options available. Quarterback is such an important position, especially for teams in a league where the talent drop off could be big. Rattay has thrown 31 career TDs in the NFL and has a QB rating of 81.9 in his nine-year career which includes 18 starts.
3. Quinn Gray
Gray, who unlike Rattay was in the NFL last year, boasts a 91.4 QB rating in limited action with 13 touchdowns to just five picks in six NFL seasons. He's started just four games in his pro career, but has shown flashes in mop up duty as a backup and could help lead a young squad.
4. Ken Dorsey
The quarterback run continues with another former NFL-hurler, whose 13 career starts are much more attractive than his 55.2 career quarterback rating. NFL experience, especially at the quarterback position, will be so valuable to this league, which is why the fourth pick will be spent on someone who threw no touchdowns and seven picks last year.
5. J.P. Losman
He's no Ken Dorsey, but J.P. Losman is another capable quarterback who, like 32 NFL teams, we completely forgot about. J.P. has 33 starts in his NFL career, more than any other quarterback previously taken in our mock draft, but perhaps that will be to his detriment, as his sample size is bigger and therefore teams know what they get with him--and don't feel they need it.
The UFL Draft is set to begin at 5:30 CT, and you can bet that we'll be there to follow up on this exciting event. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first ever mock draft in the history of the United Football League, an honor we here at Stock Lemon are humbled to hold. Other players available with NFL experience that have tried out with the UFL include WR David Boston, QB Casey Bramlet, WR Bobby Sippio, DB Marviel Underwood, and TE Jermaine Wiggins.
We're in the process of hammering out our 2009 NBA Mock Draft, we've already completed our 2009 NFL Mock Draft, and now, since we just heard that they are having one (sort of), we're ready to conduct our 2009 UFL Mock Draft.
