Timing is everything and my plans to catch part of the Washington Wizards morning workout with Arizona State guard James Harden were derailed, in part due to a quicker than expected session and DC traffic. I was really hoping to catch Harden since I have yet to understand all the hype that surrounds him, but I can take solace in that Memphis guard Tyreke Evans, Ohio State center B.J. Mullens and Georgia Tech forward Alade Aminu are scheduled later this afternoon. So, instead of heading back to my couch to watch a "Scrubs" rerun, I'll spend some time looking back at the recently completed fantasy football mock draft I participated in on behalf of FFToolbox. Take a look at the link to see the entire draft and toss out your thoughts on those picks where you thought I was channeling Bill Polian or when my inner Matt Millen got the best of me.

I had the 11th pick in the 12-team, 16-round, PPR-draft. This early on in the fantasy draft season, I was fine picking that late in round one. Outside of Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew in PPR-leagues, I think there is little that separates those picked in the first round, so I was happy with getting the high second round pick. Ok, the roster:

• QB Peyton Manning, IND
• RB Frank Gore, SF
• RB Chris Wells, ARI
• RB Ray Rice, BAL
• RB Tim Hightower, ARI
• RB Ahmad Bradshaw, NYG
• RB Ladell Betts, WAS
• WR Randy Moss, NE
• WR Braylon Edwards, CLE
• WR Kevin Walter, HOU
• WR Steve Smith, NYG
• WR Matt Jones, ---
• TE Dallas Clark, IND
• TE Brent Celek, PHI
• PK Kris Brown, HOU
• Def Baltimore Defense

- Manning and Moss are clearly in the top-5, if not higher, at their respective positions. I won't claim I am in love with Peyton this season, but the downside is minimal obviously. Typically I prefer taking my quarterback around the sixth round or later and while Manning was good value late in the third, in retrospect it might have made more sense to wait based on where guys like Tony Romo, Kurt Warner and Matt Schaub landed. Since Manning is a must-start option each week, I waited for a backup and in the end decided to wait it out entirely. There are always quarterbacks available, in this case Chad Pennington and the two hot rookies among them, so I can address that early in the season.

- With Tom Brady returning, I think Moss could have another monster season. Bottom line, there are some players that regardless of what else is happening, scare me to no end when it is my week to play against them. Manning and Moss are at the top of that list.

- Gore was my first round selection and I think he has a lot of value at #11. With the Niners going to more of a ground and pound approach, combined with his ability in the passing game, Gore could be a top-5 back this season. In a perfect world I would have taken his backup since Gore has been known to miss a game or two, but that situation is not totally settled this far out, though rookie Glen Coffee would have been my choice

- Clark ranks just outside the top-level tight ends, but with Marvin Harrison gone, I think Clark has a chance at leading the Colts in receptions and be the number two fantasy option behind Regiie Wayne. Though I love the Colts tight end, I Celek really impressed down the stretch and he has a great shot at being Donovan McNabb's top red zone option.

- After watching Edwards drop pass after pass last season, I was not that excited to bring him back into the fold. Still, he is the receiving threat on the Browns, a team that figures to lose a lot this season so his numbers should be improved. If Edwards stays on his hit or miss track, Walter is more than a capable fill in as long as Schaub is at the helm for the Texans and for Smith to be a PPR gem with the Giants.

- Nothing concrete with my second RB, but I think Rice could be my breakout sleeper pick this year. The former Rutgers star is looking more and more like he will be the starter with the Ravens and he already has the PPR credentials with 33 grabs in limited action last season. Willis McGahee on the roster does not faze me, but Le'Ron McClain presence will likely keep Rice's touchdown totals down. Wells could fall out of bed and get 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns in the Cardinals high-powered offense, though this poor pass receiving skills lessen his value in this format. He should take over for Hightower sooner than later, but I still wanted Timmy Touchdown as a handcuff just in case. Between Rice and Wells, I should patch that RB2 slot together early on until (hopefully) one of them emerges.

- Bradshaw will be hard to start, but he should see enough touches to be a bye-week option. Not so much with Betts, but every year I think Clinton Portis is going to take one too many hits and let Betts shine as he did in the 2006 season. One could argue that since neither player is the backup to one of my either backs and not likely to become the starter on their own team barring injury, I should have taken one more upside RB instead. Eh, maybe.

- Getting Ed Reed alone is worth taking the Ravens defense and Kris Brown should have plenty of chances with the Texans.

- Jones in the 15th is a total flyer based on him being a free agent and given his off-the-field issuesHowever, it just takes one team to take a chance and he looked impressive on the field with the Jags last season. I mean, if he signed with say the Bears or the Rams or the Jets, would he not become a starter sooner than later and in the case of the first two teams, potentially the #1 target?

Thursday: DeMar DeRozan, Ty Lawson, Taj Gibson

Friday: Tyreke Evans, James Harden

Just got back from watching the ongoing parade of draft prospects working out for the Washington Wizards, including likely top-10 pick DeMar DeRozan from USC and former UNC point Ty Lawson (pictured right). Other players in the group session held on the Wizards practice court at the Verizon Center included DeRozan's USC teammate Taj Gibson, Gonzaga's Josh Heytvelt and Jeremy Pargo, Arkansas' Patrick Beverly and Coppin State's Tywain McKee.

The media is allowed to catch the final 15 minutes or so of each session, though it was a little bit less for DeRozan, who came in for a private workout after the other six prospects finished. Hard to gauge much from this short window, but the 6-6 swingman looked a little winded towards the end of a running sideline-to-sideline, pull up at the elbow shooting drill. All the prospects shoot a high percentage of these uncontested looks, though he was not drilling a terribly high percentage (as opposed to Lawson, who maybe missed one or two shots from various spots on the court).

You can probably chalk the fatigue to the solo session, as DeRozan, who is leaving the Trojans after his freshman season, did not get the breaks that he would have working with the larger group. He acknowledged that downside, but he is going through all his workouts in this set up, which are what he and his agent wanted.

"It is something [he and his agent] talked about. I really want to go in and have the all staff see everything I improved on," DeRozan said after the workout. "Off the dribble, every aspect. The main focus is you. You get real fatigued going an hour, hour and fifteen hard by yourself every drill. It's tough."

Among the parts of his game DeRozan has focused on in preparation for the workout process include his long-range shooting (good, since he hit only 16.7 percent from the college 3-point line), ball handling and post up moves.

In addition to working out with the Wizards, who have the fifth pick in the upcoming draft, DeRozan has already visited Oklahoma City, who hold the third pick, along with other lottery teams. The Wizards could use another wing player for sure, though they already have another USC two-guard on the roster in the form of 2007 first round pick Nick Young. Since DeRozan, who averaged 13.9 points a game in his one season with the Trojans, is more athlete than skilled player at this point and the Wizards have a plethora of those types, I would doubt that he ends up in DC, though those could go up if the team trades down to the later stages of the lottery.

[More]

Early, early fantasy draft thoughts based on nearly six completed rounds of the first mock draft I have participated in this year. FFToolbox picked 11th in this PPR, 12-team league with standard scoring and snake draft. Pick player was drafted at shown in parenthesis...

• Outside of Adrian Peterson (2), there will be little consensus in first round order. AP is a near mortal lock to be the top pick in standard leagues and he will be top-3 in all imaginable formats.
• The casual fan that is focusing more on summer vacation than fantasy football state may be surprised that Maurice Jones-Drew (1) was the top pick in this format, but it is hard to argue against. MJD was highly ranked in this format a year ago and generated nearly 1,400 yards from scrimmage despite the numerous issues with the Jags offense last season. Yes, the human bowling bowl is ranked high despite never having a 1,000 rush season, but he racks up the receiving stats (62-565-2 last season), has a nose for the end zone (38 TDs from scrimmage over the last three seasons) and Fred Taylor is gone. He will go lower in standard leagues, but not much.
• From there, look for the remaining picks to be about the eye of the beholder more than collective group think.
  • Michael Turner (5) and Matt Forte (6) appear to be the safest bets to go in the top-6 in all formats. Both are all-around performers with little to no competition for carries while playing with a top talent at QB.
  • The uber-quick Chris Johnson (7) is sure to be an exciting pick in the first round, but the large, large shadow cast by goal line vulture Lendale White keeps him from being consensus top-5. Big fan of CJ this season.
  • Brian Westbrook (3) and LaDainian Tomlinson (4) still have strong Q ratings and will have their loyalists, especially in PPR leagues, but both could easily slide to the later stages of the first round as well. Both went too early in my opinion, but if healthy, they remain in good positions to succeed. Of course that "if" remains a little large for me and I will be thrilled in my future drafts if another owner falls on these grenades. Same can be said for Clinton Portis (21) in standard leagues.
  • Steven Jackson (8) will be a top-5 pick in many leagues, but an equal number of owners - especially those like me that have been burned by his erratic production - will not drooling over the dreadlocked one. He could emerge as something close to a consensus top-5 pick with a strong training camp, but the Rams offense still has many questions.
  • Frank Gore, my pick at #11, is looking like a safe bet to go in the first round. Positive vibes are coming out the Bay Area, in part because of Mike Singletary's leadership, not to mention a renewed focus on the ground game and a more efficient offense in place.
  • DeAngelo Williams (10) is the hardest player to grade. Williams had an unreal 2008 season and based on those numbers should be a very early pick. However, Jonathan Stewart was viewed as the better fantasy option at this point last year and he is not going away. Plus, the Panthers face a very rough and tumble NFL schedule this season. I'd rather get Stewart (65) in the later rounds than take Williams in the first.
  • In this era of two-back systems, receivers, especially in PPR leagues, will be drafted earlier and more often than in years past. I'd rather take my chances on Larry Fitzgerald (9), Randy Moss (14, my pick), Andre Johnson (12) and a handful of other receivers over Williams, Portis, Barber (16) and Jacobs (20). This could be the year to go WR-WR if you pick late in round one.
  • Marshawn Lynch (36) is going to be a nice value, even with a three-game suspension looming, if he drops this far in actual drafts.
  • The salad days of Larry Johnson (54) are clearly over and rightfully so.
  • Knowshon Moreno (46) will be the top rookie selected unless Chris "Beanie" Wells (59, my pick) establishes himself in training camp as the clear starter.
  • Though drafted appropriately in my opinion, Joseph Addai (47) has a chance to be a major steal if he can keep rookie Donald Brown at bay and actually score on those short-yardage opportunities the Colts offense is sure to provide.
  • There are better ways to spend a beautiful weekend than say debating whether to take Dallas Clark (62, my pick) over the remaining RBs, yet everyone that knew I was participating in the mock passionately wanted to add their two cents. The NFL remains king, no matter the season.