Offseason Extra: Post-Super Bowl 12-team standard mock

A lot is going to change with the NFL between now and August, but we can still have a little fun when it comes to Fantasy Football. And nothing is as much fun as a mock draft.

We realize the season just ended, and free agency and the NFL Draft are still on the horizon. But we wanted to see how a mock draft would look based on what we just learned from the 2014 season and what we expect to happen – minus the rookies – this year. This is a 12-team standard mock draft, and there are plenty of bullet points to take away about key players and how to approach certain positions.

For example, Peyton Manning was terrible to close last season, and his future is undecided since he could retire. But he was still drafted in Round 4 as the No. 5 quarterback off the board behind Aaron Rodgers, Andrew Luck, Drew Brees and Tom Brady. If Manning returns to form then this pick is a steal.

Only one quarterback, Rodgers, was drafted in the first two rounds, and Luck, Brees and Brady went in Round 3. I would expect a similar approach for quarterbacks in August, with Rodgers and Luck the two best at the position heading into this season.

At running back, we saw a continued reliance on finding a stud with an early-round pick, as 11 of the first 24 picks, and eight in Round 1, were running backs. There were 12 running backs drafted in the first 24 picks last year based on Average Draft Position and six in Round 1.

Even though Le'Veon Bell could be facing a two-game suspension from his arrest last August, he still went No. 1 overall. DeMarco Murray was No. 2 overall despite being a free agent and the potential he could leave that standout Dallas offensive line. I drafted Marshawn Lynch at No. 9 overall even though he could retire. And Adrian Peterson, who was suspended for most of the 2014 campaign, was still a second-round pick. Ray Rice was even drafted with a flier in the last round.

At receiver, a big topic this season will be the order of the top guys because you can argue eight receivers are top 5 worthy. Antonio Brown was the first receiver drafted at No. 10 overall, and he was followed by Dez Bryant (No. 11 overall), Calvin Johnson (No. 12), Demaryius Thomas (No. 13), Odell Beckham (No. 16), Julio Jones (No. 17), Jordy Nelson (No. 18) and A.J. Green (No. 21). I have it ranked Brown, Thomas, Bryant, Johnson, Beckham, Nelson, Jones and Green, but you will likely see these eight receivers drafted in a variety of different orders.

Beckham was the first receiver drafted from the stellar class of 2014, but Kelvin Benjamin, Mike Evans, Sammy Watkins and Brandin Cooks all went in the first 50 picks. Meanwhile, Andre Johnson went in Round 10 and Larry Fitzgerald in Round 13, and both of them were Top 15 receivers on Draft Day last season. The changing of the guard has happened.

The tight ends were drafted as you would expect with Rob Gronkowski in Round 1, Jimmy Graham in Round 2 and Julius Thomas, even though he could leave the Broncos as a free agent, in Round 3. Gronkowski went at No. 8 overall, but I consider him a Top 5 overall pick. He is easily the biggest difference-maker at any position, and I would only draft Bell, Eddie Lacy and Jamaal Charles ahead of him as of now.

After Gronkowski, Graham and Thomas, the next tight ends off the board were Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen in Round 6 and Dwayne Allen in Round 7. We had a big run on tight end in Round 10 with Martellus Bennett, Antonio Gates, Larry Donnell, Jordan Cameron and Jason Witten, and that's a good spot to take a tight end if you plan to wait on the position.

If I can't get Gronkowski or Graham, I plan to target Kelce, and he was an easy choice for my team in Round 6. He should improve on his debut performance in 2014, and he's a solid breakout candidate with top 3 upside.

The rest of my team is Ryan Tannehill and Nick Foles at quarterback, Lynch, Andre Williams, Rashad Jennings, Chris Ivory and Bryce Brown at running back and Beckham, Emmanuel Sanders, Mike Evans, Allen Robinson and Duron Carter at receiver. I waited too long on quarterback, so I'll have to platoon Tannehill and Foles, and my running backs will be awful if Lynch retires.

I easily have the best receiving corps (on paper) in this league, but I regret drafting Evans in Round 4 now that the draft is over. In hindsight, Tre Mason, Isaiah Crowell, Jonathan Stewart or Justin Forsett might have made more sense for my roster, especially after getting sleepers in Robinson and Carter with late-round picks.

In this league, all touchdowns are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, K, DST and a FLEX (RB/WR/TE). There will also be six reserve spots for a 15-round draft.

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
2. Joe Polito, Social Media Coordinator
3. Larry Hartstein, Staff Writer
4. Adam Aizer, Podcast Host
5. Chris Towers, Fantasy Writer
6. Scott White, Senior Fantasy Writer
7. Meron Berkson, Producer
8. Will Brinson, Senior NFL Writer
9. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
10. Peter Madden, Managing Editor
11. George Maselli, Editor
12. Jeff Tobin, Associate Managing Editor