As our own Alex Hampl went to make the first pick in the numberFire mock draft last night, I hoped â€“ prayed â€“ his fingers would twitch. Perhaps, just for a second, heâ€™d lose control of the way his hand was maneuvering his computer mouse. Even if it was just a mock, I wanted Adrian Peterson at number two. I spent time this week arguing for All Day as the top overall pick, noting that fantasy owners have been over analyzing his situation more than a group of sorority girls towards prospects during rush week.

But Alex is too smart for that. He doesnâ€™t over think things. Thatâ€™s why he writes for numberFire: We look at numbers, ignore narratives and make sound, rational fantasy football decisions.

Hampl took AP at number one overall without flinching, and the draft was underway. As for the rest of us? Well, our decisions werenâ€™t as easy as his.

Round 1

Owner Pick Number Selection Alex Hampl, Writing Intern 1 Adrian Peterson, RB JJ Zachariason, Editor-In-Chief 2 Doug Martin, RB Adam Kaplan, VP Sales and Bus. Development 3 Marshawn Lynch, RB Keith Goldner, Chief Analyst 4 Arian Foster, RB Matt Grasso, Writer 5 Ray Rice, RB Nik Bonaddio, CEO & Founder 6 Jamaal Charles, RB Jeff Miller, Writer 7 C.J. Spiller, RB C.D. Carter, Writer 8 Matt Forte, RB Leo Howell, Writer 9 LeSean McCoy, RB Mike D'Ecclessis, Writer 10 Trent Richardson, RB Abe Schwadron, Editor, TDDaily.com 11 Calvin Johnson, WR Rich Hribar, Writer 12 Reggie Bush, RB

We were under standard lineup rules: 1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1Flex, 1TE, 1K, 1D/ST. Quarterback scoring was four points per touchdown pass, and receivers were to be rewarded half a point per reception.

The first round was pretty typical, as running backs dominated the draft selections. One of the bigger surprises came from C.D. Carter â€“ a known Marc Trestman lover â€“ with his eighth overall selection of Matt Forte. A slight reach, sure, but as Iâ€™ve noted, Trestmanâ€™s offense is reception heaven for starting running backs.

Rich Hribar ended up selecting Reggie Bush at the turn, which was one of the biggest risks taken all draft. The numbers do say, however, that he could be worth the gigantic gamble.

Round 2

Owner Pick Number Selection Rich Hribar 13 Brandon Marshall, WR Abe Schwadron 14 Maurice Jones-Drew, RB Mike D'Ecclessis 15 A.J. Green, WR Leo Howell 16 Alfred Morris, RB C.D. Carter 17 Chris Johnson, RB Jeff Miller 18 Dez Bryant, WR Nik Bonaddio 19 Steven Jackson, RB Matt Grasso 20 Stevan Ridley, RB Keith Goldner 21 Demaryius Thomas, WR Adam Kaplan 22 Aaron Rodgers, QB JJ Zachariason 23 Darren Sproles, RB Alex Hampl 24 Jimmy Graham, TE

The elite wideouts started jumping off the board in Round 2, with both Brandon Marshall and A.J. Green being selected as top-15 picks. A nice selection was made by Leo Howell at 16 with Alfred Morris who, despite it being a PPR league, should still be a top-12 or -13 draft choice. We have Morris projected to catch 25 balls this year, which is more than double his total last season.

Our fearless leader, Nik, snagged the aged Steven Jackson at 19, which seems like a steal given his potential use in the red zone this season. Michael Turner was relevant in fantasy football last year, guys, and he was dreadful toting the rock.

I felt really good about my Darren Sproles pick, too. In any kind of PPR league, Sproles instantly becomes solid RB2 material, and getting him towards the end of the second felt good.

Round 3

Owner Pick Number Selection Alex Hampl 25 Drew Brees, QB JJ Zachariason 26 Roddy White, WR Adam Kaplan 27 Frank Gore, RB Keith Goldner 28 DeMarco Murray, RB Matt Grasso 29 Darren McFadden, RB Nik Bonaddio 30 Andre Johnson, WR Jeff Miller 31 Julio Jones, WR C.D. Carter 32 David Wilson, RB Leo Howell 33 Vincent Jackson, WR Mike D'Ecclessis 34 Victor Cruz, WR Abe Schwadron 35 Peyton Manning, QB Rich Hribar 36 Lamar Miller, RB

Hampl took Jimmy Graham and Drew Brees at the turn, and Nik made the fantastic comment that â€œGraham and Breesâ€ sounded like a band. In fact, Nik stated, â€œâ€¦like, my Dad would be listening to â€˜feelin fineâ€™ by Graham and Brees while he drives me to CCD.â€

Our CEO, ladies and gentlemen.

C.D. Carter continued his pseudo-surprising picks, selecting Giants running back David Wilson towards the tail-end of the third. Weâ€™re not completely sold on Wilson â€“ heâ€™s our 22nd-ranked back â€“ but he has the ability to be a big play runner in the league.

A big surprise was the drop of Julio Jones. Though he's one of the most talented pass catchers in the league, Julio fell to the middle of the third round, a spot I've rarely seen him fall to. We like Roddy more overall, and given Julio's target restrictions, he seems to be overvalued at his usual second-round ADP. A good pick in the third, but don't reach for him in the second.

Round 4

Owner Pick Number Selection Rich Hribar 37 Larry Fitzgerald, WR Abe Schwadron 38 Randall Cobb, WR Mike D'Ecclessis 39 Marques Colston, WR Leo Howell 40 Rob Gronkowski, TE C.D. Carter 41 Dwayne Bowe, WR Jeff Miller 42 Danny Amendola, WR Nik Bonaddio 43 Reggie Wayne, WR Matt Grasso 44 Wes Welker, WR Keith Goldner 45 Tom Brady, QB Adam Kaplan 46 Chris Ivory, RB JJ Zachariason 47 Le'Veon Bell, RB Alex Hampl 48 Eric Decker, WR

We were all watching the Thursday night games while drafting, and I was prepared for someone to take the now sleepwalker Jordan Cameron before Rob Gronkowski. Clearly that didnâ€™t happen, as Gronk went to Leo with the 40th overall pick. Thatâ€™s the type of high risk, high reward bet that could win a fantasy championship. For me though? Iâ€™m waiting on tight end.

Tom Brady went to our math genius, Keith Goldner, at 45 overall, the fourth signal-caller off the board. Unlike the rest of the football world, Keith didnâ€™t overreact when Brady appeared to have died during practice earlier in the week. It was a sound choice given Bradyâ€™s history.

Round 5

Owner Pick Number Selection Alex Hampl 49 Antonio Brown, WR JJ Zachariason 50 Steve Smith, WR Adam Kaplan 51 Mike Wallace, WR Keith Goldner 52 Ryan Mathews, RB Matt Grasso 53 Jordy Nelson, WR Nik Bonaddio 54 Matt Ryan, QB Jeff Miller 55 Eddie Lacy, RB C.D. Carter 56 Pierre Garcon, WR Leo Howell 57 Torrey Smith, WR Mike D'Ecclessis 58 Cam Newton, QB Abe Schwadron 59 Jason Witten, TE Rich Hribar 60 Shane Vereen, RB

Goldner continued with a Ryan Mathews selection in Round 5. While plenty are going to say, â€œRyan Mathews is dead to me,â€ the reality of the situation is that there are few probable 200-plus carry backs that can be had that late. To me, Keith took Mathews at the right time.

Rich Hribar closed out the fifth with a controversial Shane Vereen pick, but I couldnâ€™t be happier to see him leave closer to the sixth round than the third. Back when I wrote about Vereenâ€™s absurd ADP in July, he was rising to the end of the fourth round in PPR mock drafts. Like, starting running back territory. Richâ€™s valuation seems fair, as Vereen is still a risk as the number two running back in the Patriotsâ€™ offense.

Round 6

Owner Pick Number Selection Rich Hribar 61 Ahmad Bradshaw, RB Abe Schwadron 62 Montee Ball, RB Mike D'Ecclessis 63 Rashard Mendenhall, RB Leo Howell 64 Mike Williams, WR C.D. Carter 65 Hakeem Nicks, WR Jeff Miller 66 Daryl Richardson, RB Nik Bonaddio 67 DeAngelo Williams, RB Matt Grasso 68 Matthew Stafford, QB Keith Goldner 69 BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB Adam Kaplan 70 Tony Gonzalez, TE JJ Zachariason 71 DeSean Jackson, WR Alex Hampl 72 James Jones, WR

Though Montee Ball is on the decline in terms of ADP, a sixth-round selection is actually pretty good value for Abeâ€™s team. Ball was the 29th back selected in this particular draft, which is lower than our 26th-ranked projection. Good on ya, Abe.

After risky calls in the early rounds, C.D. Carter ended up getting a great value in Hakeem Nicks during Round 6. Though injury is certainly a concern, a healthy Nicks is a happy fantasy squad. Heâ€™s one of the most physically gifted receivers in the league.

Round 7

Owner Pick Number Selection Alex Hampl 73 Vick Ballard, RB JJ Zachariason 74 Andre Brown, RB Adam Kaplan 75 Greg Jennings, WR Keith Goldner 76 Anquan Boldin, WR Matt Grasso 77 Colin Kaepernick, QB Nik Bonaddio 78 Tavon Austin, WR Jeff Miller 79 Robert Griffin III, QB C.D. Carter 80 Cecil Shorts, WR Leo Howell 81 T.Y. Hilton, WR Mike D'Ecclessis 82 Vernon Davis, TE Abe Schwadron 83 Russell Wilson, QB Rich Hribar 84 Miles Austin, WR

There werenâ€™t a whole lot of surprises in Round 7, although itâ€™s important to note that Vernon Davis left the board towards the end of the round, a cost three rounds cheaper than his current average draft position. We have him as our seventh-best tight end entering the season, showing the correct pick was made.

Round 8

Owner Pick Number Selection Rich Hribar 85 Tony Romo, QB Abe Schwadron 86 Steve Johnson, WR Mike D'Ecclessis 87 Giovani Bernard, RB Leo Howell 88 Mark Ingram, RB C.D. Carter 89 Josh Gordon, WR Jeff Miller 90 Ronnie Hillman, RB Nik Bonaddio 91 Greg Olsen, TE Matt Grasso 92 Lance Moore, WR Keith Goldner 93 Sidney Rice, WR Adam Kaplan 94 Andrew Luck, QB JJ Zachariason 95 Emmanuel Sanders, WR Alex Hampl 96 Isaiah Pead, RB

Weâ€™ve been doing a lot of work around here on Golden Tate and Sidney Rice, and Keith ended up choosing Rice over the more versatile wideout. Time will tell whether or not that was the correct decision. Rice seems to be a safer bet, but Tate may have more upside.

Rams running back Isaiah Pead also left the board in the eighth, two rounds after teammate Daryl Richardson. Weâ€™re much more optimistic about Richardson given camp reports, but Hampl was in desperate need of running back depth after snagging two non-runners in Rounds 2 and 3. Perhaps he shouldâ€™ve listened to his own advice on this one.

Round 9

Owner Pick Number Selection Alex Hampl 97 Johnathan Franklin, RB JJ Zachariason 98 Alshon Jeffery, WR Adam Kaplan 99 Kyle Rudolph, TE Keith Goldner 100 Kenny Britt, WR Matt Grasso 101 Ben Tate, RB Nik Bonaddio 102 Michael Floyd, WR Jeff Miller 103 Golden Tate, WR C.D. Carter 104 Chris Givens, WR Leo Howell 105 Jacquizz Rodgers, RB Mike D'Ecclessis 106 Denarius Moore, WR Abe Schwadron 107 Bernard Pierce, RB Rich Hribar 108 Pierre Thomas, RB

This is typically when the upside players start dropping off, as the majority of non-defense and kicker lineup slots are filled. I went with one of my favorite sleepers this year, Alshon Jeffery, hoping Trestmanâ€™s offense allows for more than just one wideout to be relevant in Chicago this season.

Leo Howell ended up taking Jacquizz Rodgers, who according to ADP data, should have left the board a couple of rounds later. Perhaps he was influenced by the short touchdown run Rodgers had during our draft, but itâ€™s important to always keep ADP data in mind while you select.

Round 10

Owner Pick Number Selection Rich Hribar 109 Kendall Wright, WR Abe Schwadron 110 Brian Hartline, WR Mike D'Ecclessis 111 Bryce Brown, RB Leo Howell 112 Eli Manning, QB C.D. Carter 113 Danny Woodhead, RB Jeff Miller 114 Vincent Brown, WR Nik Bonaddio 115 Fred Jackson, RB Matt Grasso 116 Jonathan Stewart, RB Keith Goldner 117 Brandon Myers, TE Adam Kaplan 118 Seahawks D/ST JJ Zachariason 119 Ben Roethlisberger, QB Alex Hampl 120 Antonio Gates, TE

The first defense went off the board in Round 10, but letâ€™s not give Adam a bad time for it: He had accidently left the mock. As Iâ€™ve said, you not only need to wait until the final two rounds to select your defense, but you should target D/STs with favorable Week 1 matchups. Here are five of them to target during your draft.

Round 11

Owner Pick Number Selection Alex Hampl 121 DeAndre Hopkins, WR JJ Zachariason 122 Ryan Broyles, WR Adam Kaplan 123 Owen Daniels, TE Keith Goldner 124 Mikel Leshoure, RB Matt Grasso 125 49ers D/ST Nik Bonaddio 126 Michael Vick, QB Jeff Miller 127 Bilal Powell, RB C.D. Carter 128 Jordan Cameron, TE Leo Howell 129 Zac Stacy, RB Mike D'Ecclessis 130 Shonn Greene, RB Abe Schwadron 131 Texans D/ST Rich Hribar 132 Joique Bell, RB

The surprise in Round 11 was Jeff Millerâ€™s selection of Bilal Powell. He must have read Leoâ€™s article on Powellâ€™s situation in New York, as starter Chris Ivory is injury-prone and Mike Goodson is stupidity-prone. Either that, or he was shouting his picks to his wife while he was getting a beer, and swallowed his tongue. â€œBILAL!â€

Round 12

Owner Pick Number Selection Rich Hribar 133 Rueben Randle, WR Abe Schwadron 134 Joe Flacco, QB Mike D'Ecclessis 135 Andre Roberts, WR Leo Howell 136 Marcel Reece, RB C.D. Carter 137 Dustin Keller, TE Jeff Miller 138 Kendall Hunter, RB Nik Bonaddio 139 Michael Bush, RB Matt Grasso 140 Justin Blackmon, WR Keith Goldner 141 Malcom Floyd, WR Adam Kaplan 142 Brandon Lloyd, WR JJ Zachariason 143 Coby Fleener, TE Alex Hampl 144 Bears D/ST

Carter took his own recommendation in Round 12, selecting Dustin Keller as his number two tight end behind Jordan Cameron. Carter is a proponent of tight end streaming, where he will play a different tight end each week based on matchup. It allows you to focus on higher-end running backs and receivers during your draft, hoping you can build a tight end Frankenstein that produces top tight end numbers throughout the season.

Matt Grasso took the suspended Justin Blackmon here, hoping to bench him for the four weeks heâ€™s out. A bold move, but one that could pan out if Jacksonville can get their quarterback situation in place. However, Iâ€™m not sure Iâ€™d take Blackmon much higher than this round.

Oh, and disregard that pick by Adam. #autopicked

Round 13

Owner Pick Number Selection Alex Hampl 145 Jared Cook, TE JJ Zachariason 146 Austin Collie, WR Adam Kaplan 147 Sam Bradford, QB Keith Goldner 148 Daniel Thomas, RB Matt Grasso 149 Jermichael Finley, TE Nik Bonaddio 150 Rod Streater, WR Jeff Miller 151 Martellus Bennett, TE C.D. Carter 152 Alex Smith, QB Leo Howell 153 Brian Quick, WR Mike D'Ecclessis 154 Christine Michael, RB Abe Schwadron 155 Stephen Gostkowski, K Rich Hribar 156 Fred Davis, TE

I have no idea what I was thinking when I took Austin Collie here, but I did it. I then was peppered with concussion jokes for the rest of the night. Not cool, guys. Not cool.

I really did like Nikâ€™s Rod Streater pick, as Streater is looking more and more like the number one target in the middling Raiders offense. He put up solid efficiency scores last year, and has a chance to grow with whichever quarterback the Raiders decide to throw under center.

Why did I pick Austin Collie again?

Round 14

Owner Pick Number Selection Rich Hribar 157 Cordarrelle Patterson, WR Abe Schwadron 158 Broncos D/ST Mike D'Ecclessis 159 Jeremy Kerley, WR Leo Howell 160 Zach Sudfeld, TE C.D. Carter 161 Brandon Weeden, QB Jeff Miller 162 Cardinals D/ST Nik Bonaddio 163 Julian Edelman, WR Matt Grasso 164 Donnie Avery, WR Keith Goldner 165 Bengals D/ST Adam Kaplan 166 Blair Walsh, K JJ Zachariason 167 Andy Dalton, QB Alex Hampl 168 Santana Moss, WR

A few sleepers left the board in Round 14, including Nik's pick of Julian Edelman. The Pats wideout has a big opportunity within their offense this season; the moving parts for Tom Brady are very inexperienced. Edelman is worth a shot at the end of your drafts.

Rich ended up selecting Cordarrelle Patterson, who will end up being Christian Ponderâ€™s third-favorite target this season. Heâ€™s shown incredible athleticism this summer, and though rookie wide receivers rarely perform consistently throughout an entire NFL season (A.J. Green only comes every once and a while, folks), Patterson could be a serviceable bye week fill-in this year.

Round 15

Owner Pick Number Selection Alex Hampl 169 Greg Little, WR JJ Zachariason 170 Rams D/ST Adam Kaplan 171 Roy Helu, RB Keith Goldner 172 Sebastian Janikowski, K Matt Grasso 173 Aaron Dobson, WR Nik Bonaddio 174 Patriots D/ST Jeff Miller 175 Josh Freeman, QB C.D. Carter 176 Colts D/ST Leo Howell 177 Buccaneers D/ST Mike D'Ecclessis 178 Steelers D/ST Abe Schwadron 179 LeGarrette Blount, RB Rich Hribar 180 Browns D/ST

And the defenses start dropping like flies. I went with the Rams â€“ I really like their Week 1 matchup against the Cardinals. Nik made the decision to take the Pats, who like the Rams, have a juicy Week 1 game against the young Bills. The Bucs (vs. Jets), Steelers (vs. Titans) and Colts (vs. Raiders) each got selected as well, showing that we all mean business: Weâ€™re not necessarily looking to start these defenses each week of the season, but rather for the first week of the season.

Round 16

Owner Pick Number Selection Rich Hribar 181 Phil Dawson, K Abe Schwadron 182 Dwayne Allen, TE Mike D'Ecclessis 183 Matt Bryant, K Leo Howell 184 Greg Zuerlein, K C.D. Carter 185 Kai Forbath, K Jeff Miller 186 Robbie Gould, K Nik Bonaddio 187 Matt Prater, K Matt Grasso 188 Dan Bailey, K Keith Goldner 189 Matt Schaub, QB Adam Kaplan 190 Robert Turbin, RB JJ Zachariason 191 David Akers, K Alex Hampl 192 Steven Hauschka, K

Congratulations, Steve Hauschka: Youâ€™re Mr. Irrelevant.