The excitement generated by the draft weekend has come and gone. Now is the time to put in the hard work as your rookie fantasy drafts are upon us. My dynasty fantasy rankings get based on a three to four-year window, not their immediate impact. Talent and situation gets considered here. This is where the meat and potatoes of the rookie draft values are this year, so get a few helpings of fantasy goodness with this position.
15. Allen Robinson, Jaguars- It’s a crowded Jacksonville wide receiver core with Marqise Lee, Ace Sanders, and Cecil Shorts. Robinson isn’t the most polished receiver with his body catching and fighting his hands to secure the ball. The
receiver is great on bubble screens and plays designed to get him in space where he can use his athleticism. Robinson is a physical receiver who can come down with contested passes, but was lackluster against better college competition.
16. Martavis Bryant, Steelers- He is a huge receiver for Pittsburgh standards, who has good speed, adequate hands, and is quite raw. Bryant can look fantastic one play screaming down the field and drop an easy pass the next play. The receiver can adjust to the ball in the air well, and uses his body to shield defenders. Bryant needs to work on his consistency and learn more of the tricks of the wide receiver trade. He, in the real estate world, would be a fixer upper. Lance Moore is the only person that is standing in his way for playing time. Perhaps it’s my Steelers homer-ism, but I’m willing to take the chance in the third round.
17. Cody Latimer, Broncos- Latimer reminds me of a less polished Robinson. Sure many will get excited about an opportunity to play with Peyton Manning, but that seems to be a year away with the addition of former Steelers wide out Emmanual Sanders. The receiver is good on bubble screens, fights the ball into his hands, body catches too much, and has a lot of contested catches. I thought he ran sloppy routes and relied too much on his quickness.
18. Jeremy Gallon, Patriots- The young receiver is more polished than the wave of second year wide outs already on the Patriots. Gallon is more quick than fast, makes you miss in space, has a lot of physicality for a receiver his size, and fights for the ball. He skied over much larger corners in the Big ten and rose to the level of competition. Gallon may need to start as a returner to make an impact, but he could find himself lining up as the third or fourth receiver in time.
19. Shaq Evans, Jets- I liked some of what I saw from him in Mobile at the Senior Bowl. Evans is more of a WR3 with good straight line speed, because he is not a very fluid athlete. The receiver has some concentration issues and does not always fight for the ball. His upside is that he could be the downfield threat with rookie tight end Jace Amaro and newly arrive receiver Eric Decker working the short to intermediate routes. The opportunity is there, but will Evans grab it?
20. TJ Jones, Lions- He showed a lot with his quick feet, agility, and polished routes during his time playing for Notre Dame. Jones is one of the few rookies that tries to tell a few stories on his routes, selling one thing and then going where coverage isn’t expecting. The gritty receiver catches the ball away from his body and can return either punts or kickoffs too. Jones might get lost in the shuffle in Detroit, but then again how many defenses will pay him any mind with Calvin Johnson, Reggie Bush, rookie tight end Eric Ebron, and everyone else? I like his value near the last round of rookie drafts.
21. Devin Street, Cowboys- Street possesses great hands, tracks the ball well in the air, and contorts his body to find the pigskin. The receiver is more of a long strider than a speed guy, and he does not win contested balls despite his size. There are lapses in his concentration too. Street might be more suited to play the slot, but I’m not convinced he is better than Cole Beasley. The Cowboys use a wide open attacking offense, so depending on his playing time, Street could be a valuable dynasty asset that you can grab late in your rookie drafts.
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