Travis Dauro
Contributing writer at Canal Street Chronicles
Twitter: @CSCtweet/@bigitalian4

His team picked fifth:

RB Arian Foster
QB Drew Brees
RB Maurice Jones-Drew
RB Darren McFadden
WR Hakeem Nicks
WR Stevie Johnson
WR James Jones
TE Greg Olsen
Seahawks Defense
K Stephen Gostkowski
WR Justin Blackmon
RB Jonathan Stewart

His thoughts:

Overall I am satisfied with my draft. Starting with quarterback, I was able to grab my man Drew Brees in the second round. I figured that could happen because the demand for running back has risen with guys like Adrian Peterson, Arian Foster, and Marshawn Lynch improving over the years.

I lucked out and got four running backs, three of whom will for sure produce at a high level. The main two are Arian Foster and Maurice Jones-Drew. Foster is suffering from a back injury as of now, but he is expected to return soon. The other two are Jonathan Stewart and Darren McFadden. Stewart is reliable because he is consistently getting 10-plus carries for the Panthers. McFadden, on the other hand, isn’t the likely fantasy back as he has been a “bust” over the past few seasons due to injury. I decided to take a risk because if he’s healthy, he is great.

I’m also pretty well off at receiver as well. Justin Blackmon is a guy that figures to be a huge part of the Jacksonville offense this season with his success as a rookie. Stevie Johnson is a lightning rod for the Bills, but he needs to recover from a hamstring injury to produce like he has the past two years. With Greg Jennings leaving Green Bay, James Jones’ role will be significantly increased. Hakeem Nicks is another reliable that is capable of a 1,000 yard, eight-touchdown season.

Tight end is the only blatant “weak” spot on my roster. When Jimmy Graham was taken early on, I neglected this position and added depth to others. Greg Olsen is by no means a bad tight end. He is a big target in the red zone who has a great set of hands and fundamentals. He might not get a lot of yards, but he will get some touchdowns.

At kicker I went with Stephen Gostkowski from the Patriots. He is a pretty accurate kicker, but his performance has slipped off a little bit as he has aged. I expect him to be an intermediate contributor to my team.

To conclude my fantasy team I took the Seahawks defense. Seattle will have one of the more threatening defenses in 2013. They added defensive end Cliff Avril and cornerback Antoine Winfield to a squad that already included Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner, Kam Chancellor, Bobby Wagner, and Chris Clemons. Other than San Francisco’s defense, this was the safest defense to take.

For an analysis of the entire mock draft, click here.