Results of the closest Armchair GM Challenge in history

With the results of the 2018 NFL Draft in the book, that means the final scores for the Field Gulls Armchair GM Challenge can now be tabulated, and it was a down to the wire finish.

Without further delay, here are the users who finished in places four through ten in reverse order:

• 10th place: Gdemiero, 73 points
• 9th place: ChrisClem, 75 points
• 8th place: BillyBrauer, 76 points
• 7th place: cobbje, 83 points
• 6th place: HawkFan907, 85 points
• 5th place: AlienBob, 86 points
• 4th place: PDXPostal, 87 points.

Before I get to the top three finishers, here are the number of submissions which each correctly identified the different players selected by the Seattle Seahawks of the 171 entries:

• Shaquem Griffin: 137 submissions (80.1%)
• Will Dissly: 66 submissions (38.6%)
• Rasheem Green: 52 submissions (30.4%)
• Rashaad Penny: 13 submissions (7.6%)
• Tre Flowers: 8 submissions (4.7%)
• Alex McGough: 7 submissions (4.1%)
• Jacob Martin: 4 submissions (2.3%)
• Michael Dickson: 3 submissions (1.8%)
• Jamarco Jones: 2 submissions (1.2%)

Getting back to the results, in third place was user Parvin7 with 91 points. Parvin7 correctly guessed 4 of the players the Seahawks drafted. Those players included Shaquem Griffin (30 points), Will Dissly (26 points), Rasheem Green (21 points) and Alex McGough (14 points).

In the end, the contest came down to users Rochawk and Flyin’ Fijian.

Through the Seahawks first four selections Rochawk held a commanding lead on the field having nailed all four of them. Rochawk correctly pegged Rashaad Penny (24 points), Rasheem Green (25 points), Will Dissly (30 points) and Shaquem Griffin (20 points) and by that point had amassed 99 points. However, that is when Rochawk went cold and failed to correctly guess any of the final five selections.

In contrast, that was when Flyin’ Fijian was just getting started. After missing on both of the Seattle’s first two picks, Flyin’ finally got on the board with the selection of Will Dissly (29 points) in the fourth round, and followed that up with Shaquem Griffin (28 points) to start the fifth round. Flyin’ then went somewhat cold again, and at the end of the fifth round had just 57 points.

Then came a comeback that will live forever in Armchair GM Challenge lore. In the sixth round Flyin’ Fijian correctly pegged Jacob Martin for 26 points, moving to 83 points and within striking distance of Rochawk’s total of 99. That set it up for a 7th round showdown that could be taken by any of a number of readers who had moved within striking distance.

And that laid the table for the pick heard round the world. With only one selection remaining and Rochawk still in the lead, the Seahawks took Alex McGough with pick 220 in the seventh round. Rochawk did not have McGough on the board, but Flyin’ Fijian did, for 16 points meaning that at the end of regulation the score was:

Rochawk 99, Flyin’ Fijian 99

And to overtime we go.

The first tiebreaker question was: Seattle currently holds the 18th pick in the first round, but the team has a habit of trading down. What overall pick number will the first pick the team makes be? (For example, if you believe they stay at 18, simply put 18, but if you believe they will trade down to 29, put 29.) In response to this, the answers for the two entrants was

• Rochawk: 36
• Flyin’ Fijian: 33

With the Seahawks taking Rashaad Penny with pick 27, that gave Flyin’ Fijian the victory in the 2018 Field Gulls Armchair GM Challenge with an overtime victory. Congrats to all the readers who participated and made this fun to oversee!