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2009 rookie rankings (1 Viewer)

Biabreakable

Footballguy
I use a combination of pre nfl rankings (talent based) with nfl draft position and apply VBD principles using a 3 year rolling window. I don't make precise projections especialy with so much still unknown but I do consider a range I might expect each player to perform in if they are successful. How likely I expect their success to be is another factor. Using draft history by position you can get an idea of a players success rate for their position by the round they were drafted in. This is just a factor not the end all be all.

These are rookies. 1st of all I want guys who can make a team. But if the players role on the team looks small or supporting I have to take that into consideration. What is the players real upside? Countered by odds the player has to get such an opportunity? I still don't have hard numbers for this. That is going to take me months. But I do have a general idea of what to expect as a best case scenario. There is no floor here since that is zero. This causes my picks to be riskier sometimes but I am looking for guys I can start. Replacement level players need a lot of upside. A longshot opportunity player with talent is often worth the risk over a stop gap player in a better situation. Either one could bust.

I have a hard time with replacement level players on the same team in similar roles. That is just one more player they have to compete with and it can be hard to read the tea leaves on what the teams plans may be for these players other than having a need for depth at the position. RB WR LB and DB are taken for special teams sometimes. My leagues give points for returns so that boosts thei value somewhat but not if that is the only role they play.

For example Coffee and Sheets. Both backup RB players to Gore a decent upside situation. Coffee was drafted early 3rd round. Sheets wasn't even drafted but I liked Sheets talent more pre draft. More than likely the 49ers are right and Coffee will beat out Sheets but it is not a given. Because of this I have Coffee lower than I would if I thought he was anything more than a stop gap solution. Even recognizing that he could have a very strong string of games at some point should gore miss time. And most likely the backup over Sheets. I see Coffee as a guy the 9ers will always be looking to upgrade. And they might have found one in Sheets. My ranking still has Coffee higher but they both got knocked down a great deal so to the uncertainty. Maybe Sheets will only play ST. If I knew that I might have Coffee higher and Sheets might not be on my list at all.

I understand really liking these players. I am ushualy a glass is half full kind of guy. And if your only drafting rookies then that is all that's there. But I think it is important to remember what these guys are up against for compitition with veteran players already on their team. You have to expect to wait for a rookie to become startable for you if they ever do. But I don't like to wait too long. If I draft a guy early I expect to get somthing out of them by year 2. If I don't I might be trading that guy for someone who will or for rookie picks to try again to get someone useful for my team by year 2.

I love this time of year! So much unknown yet so many exciting possibilities. Anyhow my rankings as of right now. I am always changing these.

TIER 1

1 RB Knowshon Moreno, DEN - Day one starter and a complete RB. Weapons at WR to keep defense honest. Great offensive line. Hard to ask for much more here. Upside to be a RB1 as a rookie. If there is substaintial RBBC I will eat my hat.

2 WR Michael Crabtree, SF - I like the way he attacks the ball. Huge hands. I also really like Singletary and comments he made leading up to the draft as far as what the 9ers are looking for and what they want to do. WR1 upside and a player I think will at worst be a WR2 by his 2nd year.

3 RB Chris Wells, ARI - Will start and be only the 3rd concern for the defense after Boldin and Fitz. Lots of yards and TD as long as he is healthy. Work ethic and durability a concern. Not known how well he will do as a reciever. Some think he will be injured. I think players who go to Ohio State plan to play in the NFL and Wells was just protecting himself. Could be the best player in this draft. Not the same upside as Moreno unless he becomes active as a reciever which I think is doubtful. RB2 with RB1 upside.

TIER 2

4 RB Donald Brown, IND - He may be a safer pick than Wells and a more versitle player. I cannot write off Addai just yet though. I still waver on this pick and considering moving him down. I do really like Brown however and he has Edge upside in this offense especialy without Marvin taking so many targets.

5 WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, OAK - Sick speed. I keep hearing people talk about him not being able to catch. I did not see much of that on highlights for sure. What I did see is a player who can do a great job of adjusting to the ball when going deep. Hands looked pretty soft to me and he can grab difficult passes around the goal line as well. He didn't look like a very good runner but I don't see why the Raiders would use him that way when they could have him going deep. I wonder about his stamina. How well he does late in games. But based on the measurables he is in great shape and stamina shouldn't be a problem.

6 WR Percy Harvin, MIN I'm still not sure exactly how the Vikings will use him. I am speculating on a lot of screens and slants. Really talented but a charecter risk. He should beat out Berrian for the most targets by year 2 if he stays out of trouble. WR2 with WR1 upside. Or bust because he cannot stay out of trouble.

7 WR Jeremy Maclin, PHI - Possibly the Eagles future #1 WR. Which will be valuable as long as McNabb/Reid are there. Should get WR3 numbers as a minimum unless the Eagles were very wrong. Upside for WR1 numbers as long as they stay a passing team. He seemed more raw and less natural as a WR to me than Nicks, DHB and Robiskie. This pick is more about the Eagles offense than how I see Maclin's talent translating.

8 WR Hakeem Nicks, NYG - This will be a very good player for the Giants. I don't see WR1 upside but should compete and get enough opportunity for WR2 numbers eventualy. I think he will start right away but his reps might be limited. Should get more red zone looks than Steve Smith but I see Smith getting more targets.

TIER 3

9 QB Matthew Stafford, DET - He has Calvin. There is no where for this team to go but up. The offense will still play a lot of catch up with the defense needing a lot of help still. I am hoping he does not play too much in year one unless the offensive line is ready.

10 QB Mark Sanchez, NYJ - Not a jets fan and I think they will try to play more ball control with him at least for awhile. He has a lot of talent. Will probably start at some point this year if he isn't the starter already. Good supporting cast. A QB2 with QB1 upside with a WR upgrade.

11 RB Shonn Greene, NYJ - Might have to wait a year but Jones cannot keep going forever can he? If he does he would be poster boy for mileage vs. age argument. I see Washington still having a role here if the Jets resign him. He is a free agent in 2010 Grene should at worst be a COP this year with a decent path to starting in 2010. Greene is not known as a reciever so not a complete player but could still get a lot of action in a ball control offense. RB2 with RB1 upside. I see Greene as a player the Jets will look to upgrade down the line for a more complete RB. But they will likely give Greene a chance for a year or 2.

12 RB LeSean McCoy, PHI - I could see Westbrook keeping this guy on the bench for possibly another 2 years. In a great situation though. Very young player.

13 WR Kenny Britt, TEN - I think this guy has a lot of talent. But so did Calico. The best WR in this offense was Mason. It's all about the hands. Fisher doesen't like low % plays. I believe in Fisher being able to coach these guys. They still need a QB and I am doubtful that VY is the answer. I think Britt has similar talent to Bowe however. He is a great blocker which will keep him on the field a lot. I expect WR3 numbers by year 2 but this guy has enough upside to perform like a WR2.

14 WR Brian Robiskie, CLE - Stable WR here with a chance be #1 target if Edwards moves on or continues to struggle. The Browns have a very good offensive line now as they continued to add to it with picking Center Alex Mack in the 1st round this year. Robiske may have limited upside of a WR2 but he is one of the safer bets to reach that level by year 2.

15 TE Jared Cook, TEN - I don't think it is that long before he is the #2 passing target in this offense. He will compete with Britt for #1 TE is traditionaly a big part of this offense. I believe in Fisher being able to coach these guys. I think they will compliment each other well also. I see Cook as a TE2 by year 2 with TE1 upside. Probably not top 5 but a decent starter.

16 QB Josh Freeman, TB - Don't expect anything the 1st year. QB2 by year 2 with some upside for a good year after that.

To me these are the top offensive prospects. I don't see any other players with clear paths to starting that will be useful in FF by year 2. Obviously there will be. But these 16 are imo the safest bets to starting soon.

TIER 4

17 Rey Maualuga - Bengals - I think he will be able to play 3 downs eventualy. Should out-tackle Rivers long term. The defense has really struggled and high tackle opportunity here.

18 Laurinatis - Rams - Not as gifted as Rey but a solid player on another struggling team. Rams should at least have a running game though which hurts tackle opportunity.

19 RB Andre Brown, NYG - Has Jacobs, Bradshaw and Ware ahead of him. But has enough talent to possibly beat out Ware. Jacobs a injury risk.

20 Rashad Jennings, JAX - Should compete with Jones to share carries with MJD. Fred had a pretty nice share for Jennings to compete for. I don't see MJD getting substaintaly more carries without Fred around. He does an awful lot for this offesne already.

21 TE Brandon Pettigrew, DET - I think he has limited upside as a reciever but he should get a lot of targets anyways. A TE2.

22 Curry - Seahawks - Best LB of this group? Should be. Doesen't mean he will be. Leroy Hill resigned with the team.

23 QB Nate Davis, SF - Possible starter in 2-3 years for a team that may have an improved passing offense with Crabtree now. I like this guy a lot more now that Singletary had some imput in getting him for the 49ers. Perhaps one of the more overlooked players around right now.

24 Matthews - Packers - I think they got a good player here. Some of the lower rated pass rushers may end up being better though.

25 RB Gartrell Johnson, SD - This guy can play. Backup to LT. Sproles might not be around next season. If you own LT you might consider him higher.

26 Clint Sintim LB - Giants - there is a lot of compitition here for playing time. I don't think the Giants are happy with Pierce though and may want him to move to a 3rd down role. Stintim could be a 2 down MLB and possibly still used on blitz packages on 3rd down. I almost think I should have him a lot higher. But there are a lot of good players on the Giants who can do these things.

27 Cushing - Texans - I'm thinking a player like Greenway for his upside. LB2-3.

28 QB Pat White, MIA - Players Parcells takes always interest me. This pick could be a steal if he becomes their QB and I may have him too low here.

29 Alphonso Smith, CB, DEN - Rookie CB who should start opposite Champ = buko opportunity. When Champ leaves Smith is likely #1

At this point of the draft you might want to look at covering other positions. For example taking Louis Murphy if you already took DHB. I think the talent + opportunity combination has fallen off here. But I am probably missing some guys. To me this is the end of teir 4.

TIER 5

30 TE Chase Coffman, CIN - Good all around player. Better reciever than I think the Bengals have had under Lewis. With Ocho having issues and Housh gone there may be more targets to the TE worked in. I wouldn't assume Coles fills Housh role completly. Coles isn't nearly as tough and won't make as many catches.

31 WR Jarett Dillard, JAX - I like this guys intangibles. Don't see him being on the field much when they may want a better blocking WR on most sets. If he can improve in this area I would like him a lot more.

32 Orakpo - redskins - Has help around him and should develop into a startable DE. If designated at LB that might hurt his value.

33 TE Cornelius Ingram, PHI - Another Eagles TE who has injury issues. Ok I like the numbers when these guys are healthy.

34 WR Juaquin Iglesias, CHI - I think this guy could make himself a Cutler favorite right away for his willingness to catch everything. I don't know if he can earn a start here though. Who will be the starting WR for the Bears? I see this guy being like Michael Robinson for a couple years if he is tough enough. Not as a player but production wise.

35 WR Austin Collie, IND WR3 in a high powered offense.

36 RB Bernard Scott, CIN - Another problem child. I see no reason why he won't compete with Benson for carries though as long as he stays out of trouble. Has talent though.

37 RB Glen Coffee, SF - Should get some COP carries and the back up to Gore. Unless another player beats him out for that role.

38 Everette Brown DE - CAR - I like this guys upside. Peppers needs to be replaced. Brown might be the answer.

39 WR Johnny Knox, CHI - This guy has a lot of speed and Cutler is pretty good. Probably competing with Hester.

40 WR Brandon Tate, NE - If your not willing to be paitent with this guy don't draft him. But has high upside if your willing to carry him for 3 years.

41 William Moore, S, ATL - Maybe too much underdog hopefulness on my part. With Boley and Brooking both gone now there is more opportunity for a SS here.

42 RB James Davis, CLE - I am not real impressed with this guy as a player. Pick is only because of opportunity.

43 WR Louis Murphy - OAK - There is opportunity for a starting WR in Oakland. If you drafted DHB you might want to consider getting this guy too to cover him.

44 TE Shawn Nelson, BUF - Nelson can be a good recieving option for a young QB. For now he will just be asked to help out blocking for the most part I would expect. Too many targets in Buffalo right now. Once TO is gone then I think he could get more opportunity. TE2 by year 3?

At this point of the draft it really becomes about need for most teams or upside for teams with needs filled already. I don't see any of these players being starters in FF leagues soon. This is also where I need to do more digging. I will have more formed opinions about these players after some training camp and preseason.

TIER 6

45 S Michael Mitchell, OAK - LOL

46 Patrick Chung, S, NE

47 RB Cedric Peerman, BAL

48 RB Kory Sheets SF

49 OLB/DE Ayers - Broncos

50 WR Mike Thomas, JAX

50 TE James Casey, HOU

51 Cody Brown OLB - Cardinals

52 S Louis Delmas, DET

53 WR Deon Butler, SEA - Possible starting WR for the Hawks down the line. This is a guy like all the others ahead of him you could consider as early

as pick 30 if your heavily invested in the Seahawk WR and believe in covering them.

54 Maybin DE/OLB - Bills

55 DE Michael Johnson, CIN

56 Kruger DE/OLB - Ravens

57 OLB Larry English, SD - If Merriman is healthy I'm not sure about his opportunity.

58 Veikune OLB - Browns

59 Stephen McGee, QB, DAL

60 TE Travis Beckum, NYG

61 WR Derrick Williams, DET - Possible WR2 for the Lions in a couple years. Which might be pretty decent with the other players Smith and Pettigrew not

big parts of the passing game. The #2 target opposite CJ could be a very productive player if Stafford lives up to his billing.

62 CB D.J. Moore, CHI - Could be a solid player in the Bears cover 2. Tillman and Vasher are getting older.

63 RB Javon Ringer, TEN

64 RB Marion Lucky, BENGLAS

65 ILB Jason Williams, DAL

66 Devin Moore, RB, SEA

67 CB Vontae Davis, MIA

68 WR Mohamed Massaquoi, CLE

69 WR Patrick Turner, MIA

70 Marcus Freeman LB - CHI

71 DeAndre Levy MLB - DET

72 RB Mike Goodson, CAR

I think it is really hard to explain all the reasons why one might have one player ahead of another. A lot of this for me just comes from so many years of doing this. And there are plenty of times where I am really wrong lol. But thought you all might find my perspective on this interesting and I will try to explain where you might see holes in my thinking if you would be so kind to point it out to me.

I still have another draft that hasn't started yet. But I feel confident in all of those guys level of knowledge that this list might hurt them more than help them lol. But this is my honest take on it right now.

 
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FYI, You have Loius Murphy at 43 and 62.
Thanks. I think I fixed most of this but there may still be a couple errors moving guys around.Murphy is a guy who didn't get my attention right away but when he did I liked what I have read about him. I get excited about guys when I am 1st learning about them and I think had him that high on my list before. Still a work in progress. Players from the 4th tier are not that different in my eyes from the 6th tier. They are all longshots of mediocrity.Actualy what I think it was is I had Murphy at 62 before I read up on him. After reading about him and considering his situation more he moved up to 43.The end of my list is very much in flux. And these guys are the gems to mine. Most of them will be worthless though.
 
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28 QB Pat White, MIA - Players Parcells takes always interest me. This pick could be a steal if he becomes their QB and I may have him too low here.
I won't say too much because I have several upcoming dynasty drafts (and there are spies everywhere). That said, I have no idea where to rank Pat White. If he does not become the main QB, he will be unstartable in a one QB league. I think people are forgetting this when they draft him. Very risky pick IMO.
 
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28 QB Pat White, MIA - Players Parcells takes always interest me. This pick could be a steal if he becomes their QB and I may have him too low here.
I won't say too much because I have several upcoming dynasty drafts (and there are spies everywhere). That said, I have no idea where to rank Pat White. If he does not become the main QB, he will be unstartable in a one QB league. I think people are forgetting this when they draft him. Very risky pick IMO.
I agree and I think I factor that in. That is why I have him at the end of tier 4.Him or Nate Davis might not ever start. But there is enough opportunity there combined with their talent to make it worth the risk.I have a pretty high risk strategy because I am focused on getting players that could start for me over players who might be safer picks but won't likely be anything but bench warmers.It is a reach taking any QB who is not a sure fire starter. But if he becomes the starter you now have a useful player. Nate Davis wasn't taken until the end of the 5th round by the 49ers but I think he has more talent than Smith and Hill do.White was taken in the 2nd round. By that criteria I should have him higher than Davis. But I don't because of the uncertainty of how he will be used. I think White is much more likely to play than Davis but I am not sure if he will as startable if he does.
 
28 QB Pat White, MIA - Players Parcells takes always interest me. This pick could be a steal if he becomes their QB and I may have him too low here.
I won't say too much because I have several upcoming dynasty drafts (and there are spies everywhere). That said, I have no idea where to rank Pat White. If he does not become the main QB, he will be unstartable in a one QB league. I think people are forgetting this when they draft him. Very risky pick IMO.
Any chance he is listed as a WR though? That might be gold.
 
26 Clint Sintim LB - Giants - there is a lot of compitition here for playing time. I don't think the Giants are happy with Pierce though and may want him to move to a 3rd down role. Stintim could be a 2 down MLB and possibly still used on blitz packages on 3rd down. I almost think I should have him a lot higher. But there are a lot of good players on the Giants who can do these things.
Impressive effort! :goodposting: Just a :popcorn: note that the Giants have a hole at SSLB and Sintim was drafted to fill that role.

In addition the Giants coaching staff is reportedly very high on Goff who they drafted last year to take over the middle once Pierce is gone. I would be very surprised to see Stinim line up at all MLB.

Edit to add: DC Bill Sheridan addressing Sintim's expected role:

*On adding another pass rusher in Sintim:

“That is what he will be on third down. We have already talked about it. When we practice third down on Thursdays he will be working with (Mike) Waufle (the defensive line coach). Last year we played with one linebacker. We played Michael Johnson as our WIL linebacker in sub. And now we are getting Michael Boley, we plan on using him. He is a three-down backer. That is why we acquired him in free agency. So, Clint is a pass rusher on third down and he will be a first and second down SAM linebacker. And he can do both well. He is a good kid for us. We were fired up about getting him in the second round."
 
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28 QB Pat White, MIA - Players Parcells takes always interest me. This pick could be a steal if he becomes their QB and I may have him too low here.
I won't say too much because I have several upcoming dynasty drafts (and there are spies everywhere). That said, I have no idea where to rank Pat White. If he does not become the main QB, he will be unstartable in a one QB league. I think people are forgetting this when they draft him. Very risky pick IMO.
Any chance he is listed as a WR though? That might be gold.
Or it could be Kordell Stewart. Very difficult player to rank for sure.QB is such a high profile position however that I doubt he would be listed as a WR if he were seeing significant snaps at QB.
 
26 Clint Sintim LB - Giants - there is a lot of compitition here for playing time. I don't think the Giants are happy with Pierce though and may want him to move to a 3rd down role. Stintim could be a 2 down MLB and possibly still used on blitz packages on 3rd down. I almost think I should have him a lot higher. But there are a lot of good players on the Giants who can do these things.
Impressive effort! :thumbup:Just a :homer: note that the Giants have a hole at SSLB and Sintim was drafted to fill that role.In addition the Giants coaching staff is reportedly very high on Goff who they drafted last year to take over the middle once Pierce is gone. I would be very surprised to see Stinim line up at all MLB.
Thanks Avery. I am definitly not a expert on the Giants and appreciate the info. :thumbup: I figure a 2nd round pick at LB is going to start for them somewhere. If it is strong side linebacker I may have him to high. What do you think are the plans with Pierce? Boley should hold down the weak side and also play all downs.
 
26 Clint Sintim LB - Giants - there is a lot of compitition here for playing time. I don't think the Giants are happy with Pierce though and may want him to move to a 3rd down role. Stintim could be a 2 down MLB and possibly still used on blitz packages on 3rd down. I almost think I should have him a lot higher. But there are a lot of good players on the Giants who can do these things.
Impressive effort! :thumbup: Just a :homer: note that the Giants have a hole at SSLB and Sintim was drafted to fill that role.

In addition the Giants coaching staff is reportedly very high on Goff who they drafted last year to take over the middle once Pierce is gone. I would be very surprised to see Stinim line up at all MLB.
Thanks Avery. I am definitly not a expert on the Giants and appreciate the info. :thumbup: I figure a 2nd round pick at LB is going to start for them somewhere. If it is strong side linebacker I may have him to high. What do you think are the plans with Pierce? Boley should hold down the weak side and also play all downs.
See my edit above to see more on Stinim's expected role. The Giants really like him (he is reportedly one of a handful of players they considered at 29 in the first round along with (obviously) Nicks.)

As far as Pierce, a recent report said that the Giants have no plan on extending him (two years left on the deal) and although he could be a surprise cut, I expect him to be in the middle week 1, at least partially due to Goff loosing a lot of last season to injury. Although I would also be very surprised to see Pierce in on 3rd downs/passing down where I'd expect to see Boley slid over to the middle.

I don't know what kind of shape Pierce is in now, but by the end of last season he looked more like a DT then MLB.

 
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26 Clint Sintim LB - Giants - there is a lot of compitition here for playing time. I don't think the Giants are happy with Pierce though and may want him to move to a 3rd down role. Stintim could be a 2 down MLB and possibly still used on blitz packages on 3rd down. I almost think I should have him a lot higher. But there are a lot of good players on the Giants who can do these things.
Impressive effort! :thumbup: Just a :thumbup: note that the Giants have a hole at SSLB and Sintim was drafted to fill that role.

In addition the Giants coaching staff is reportedly very high on Goff who they drafted last year to take over the middle once Pierce is gone. I would be very surprised to see Stinim line up at all MLB.

Edit to add: DC Bill Sheridan addressing Sintim's expected role:

*On adding another pass rusher in Sintim:

“That is what he will be on third down. We have already talked about it. When we practice third down on Thursdays he will be working with (Mike) Waufle (the defensive line coach). Last year we played with one linebacker. We played Michael Johnson as our WIL linebacker in sub. And now we are getting Michael Boley, we plan on using him. He is a three-down backer. That is why we acquired him in free agency. So, Clint is a pass rusher on third down and he will be a first and second down SAM linebacker. And he can do both well. He is a good kid for us. We were fired up about getting him in the second round."
If Stintim plays 3 downs as this indicates he could be one of the exceptions of a strong side LB putting up decent numbers. With Boley being the other 3 down LB.Normaly teams like to start rookies on the strong side which is more physical. If he develops they could give him the MLB role later when Pierce is gone. Boley is a cover LB and getting older. Stintim will play more down hill.

I still feel pretty comfortable with the ranking. But like any of these I could easily and likely be wrong.

 
Goodson looks to be lower than he should be IMO.

I know he has a knucklehead history, but the talent is there, and things seem to be breaking in his favor so far in the offseason.

 
Goodson looks to be lower than he should be IMO.

I know he has a knucklehead history, but the talent is there, and things seem to be breaking in his favor so far in the offseason.
You mean the talk of using him at WR? And speculation of him being part of a 3RB RBBC ?http://blogs.charlotte.com/panthers/2009/0...ing-bigger.html

I think about this some more. I certainly think it is possible Goodsen has more of a role in the offense than I was thinking when I made this ranking. Thanks for pointing it out.

Unless Goodson gets a lot of reps at WR (which I think is possible) I don't see him having a lot of carries however as long as DeAngelo and Stewart are healthy. Some are speculating the Panthers trade Williams or Stewart. I don't see that happening this year but maybe they would consider trading Williams in 2010 if they don't think they can work out a deal?

Williams has been a team guy from day 1 and seems to really enjoy being a part of the team. I don't see why a new contract won't be agreed upon and where is Goodson with both Williams and Stewart on the team if he isn't making it as a WR?

Guess I would like some more opinions about this situation. There are several other people I know who really like Goodson. I had never heard of him before the draft.

 
I can't argue with many of your rankings, they look quite similar to my own.

I am not really a fan of Darius Heyward-Bey, just from the standpoint of his situation in Oakland. With no veteran receiver to mentor the young guys, I really question the development of them going forward in a dynasty.

I am also glad to see you aren't drinking the Kool Aid on Kenny Britt. Also feel you have Shonn Greene and LeSean McCoy in the approriate spots. Both of their rankings equate to a do not draft because both will be long gone by then.

 
I can't argue with many of your rankings, they look quite similar to my own.

I am not really a fan of Darius Heyward-Bey, just from the standpoint of his situation in Oakland. With no veteran receiver to mentor the young guys, I really question the development of them going forward in a dynasty.

I am also glad to see you aren't drinking the Kool Aid on Kenny Britt. Also feel you have Shonn Greene and LeSean McCoy in the approriate spots. Both of their rankings equate to a do not draft because both will be long gone by then.
Thanks. These were early rankings and I see a few things differently now. Particularly with some of the later players that I hadn't had as much time to research when I did these as I have since then.DHB due to the hamstring injury would move down to pick 8 for me now. Still the same tier but I am a bit less optimistic about him right now. Harvin takes his place at 5 due to the early good news on him.

But these are dynasty rankings so I don't want to over-react on anyone either. As these things wont be resolved for 2-3 years. My focus is mainly on what to expect for the 1st 2 years. I personaly do not like waiting longer than that to find out what a rookie could be capable of. So with that in mind is kind of how I eventualy settled on these.

Others will take a more long term approach and I am not saying I will give up on any rookie after 2 years. Just saying I would like to see them at least begin showing what they can do in a role. Waiting longer than 3 years is a waste of roster space.

I also strongly believe in getting good QB and WR when you can. This year is one of those years. Last year was not a good season for getting a WR and there are not always good prospects there every season.

So even though this is non PPR I still covet the WR from this draft over the majority of the other players. As that is where I think the real value is here.

I do like Britt but mainly because of his blocking (sounds counter-intuitive right?). That will have him on the field a lot. And then the targets can come. I think Cook becomes target #1 Britt #2 and they still have no one at QB...

As far as Shonn Greene and LeSean McCoy being so late that they become do not draft. I don't look at it that way as I would still happily take them if they did. But yes most have them ranked higher than I do. The combination of me liking the WR so much and the 2 year focus (while I see Greene and McCoy having to wait for a chance) really takes the premium of them being RB away in my eyes.

Why do RB get ranked so high? Because a rookie RB can come in and start right away. While most WR not named Randy Moss need a little seasoning.

In the case of Greene and McCoy I don't see them having this instant impact advantage. Then longer term I think the WR are more talented. So yeah no way to have them higher than this.

As a point of reference I had Steven Jackson around the same area in my rookie rankings when he came in and NO ONE agreed with me. Do to the injuries and understudying Marshall Faulk I think I was at least about half right on that. And I got the opportunity to trade for Jackson later because he wasn't all that. I can see the same opportunities presenting themselves with some of these players down the line.

It is an interesting year. Perhaps limited talent from the rookies but good situations for FF.

If people like this I will consider doing my revised rankings. Or I will just add the revised as a piggy back somewhere else. Thanks for the feedback.

 
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53 WR Deon Butler, SEA - Possible starting WR for the Hawks down the line. This is a guy like all the others ahead of him you could consider as early as pick 30 if your heavily invested in the Seahawk WR and believe in covering them.
I managed to pick up Deon Butler in a rookie draft, and I honestly don't know that much about him - do you guys think he will be a contributing factor in the offense this season?
 
53 WR Deon Butler, SEA - Possible starting WR for the Hawks down the line. This is a guy like all the others ahead of him you could consider as early as pick 30 if your heavily invested in the Seahawk WR and believe in covering them.
I managed to pick up Deon Butler in a rookie draft, and I honestly don't know that much about him - do you guys think he will be a contributing factor in the offense this season?
I don't know much more than what you can read about him in scouting reports.I have him ranked there simply because there is opportunity. And my point about covering other positions would be if you already have Burelson or other Sea WR and the roster space it might be a good idea to try to lock that situation up by having all the possible players covered.Rookie WR usualy do not do enough to be startable. There are few exceptions. I would not expect Butler to make an instant impact. There is not a lot of compitition at WR in Seattle right now however and Hasselbeck should have a couple years left. So I would be looking for signs of life from Butler in year one but never expect to start him. If he makes progress and wins starting role in year 2 he will have exceeded my expectations.Why did you draft Butler?That is something we could perhaps all benifit from hearing.
 
Not bad. Delmas needs to be a lot higher.
I prefer Moore but I think you are correct.Everything after 26 or so needs to be redone.I mainly put this out because I don't think it is fair for me to criticise others rankings without giving them the same opportunity to criticize mine.I hope we all learn stuff that way.I am expecting Delmas to start at FS and the Lions have upgraded their LBer. So I don't think the opportunity is quite as good as past Lion FS have had.Still I agree he should be higher than I have him. But he isn't as big a target for me as Lion safeties have been in the past due to how I am seeing the defense and LB shaping up.Where would you put Delmas?
 
Austin Collie should be down in the 50's now as he isn't their WR3 and might not be for awhile because he is playing gunner.

Gunners are at more risk of being hurt.

 
Biabreakable said:
53 WR Deon Butler, SEA - Possible starting WR for the Hawks down the line. This is a guy like all the others ahead of him you could consider as early as pick 30 if your heavily invested in the Seahawk WR and believe in covering them.
I managed to pick up Deon Butler in a rookie draft, and I honestly don't know that much about him - do you guys think he will be a contributing factor in the offense this season?
I don't know much more than what you can read about him in scouting reports.I have him ranked there simply because there is opportunity. And my point about covering other positions would be if you already have Burelson or other Sea WR and the roster space it might be a good idea to try to lock that situation up by having all the possible players covered.Rookie WR usualy do not do enough to be startable. There are few exceptions. I would not expect Butler to make an instant impact. There is not a lot of compitition at WR in Seattle right now however and Hasselbeck should have a couple years left. So I would be looking for signs of life from Butler in year one but never expect to start him. If he makes progress and wins starting role in year 2 he will have exceeded my expectations.Why did you draft Butler?That is something we could perhaps all benifit from hearing.
I actually didn't draft him per se - my league has an interesting way of handling the rookie draft. We don't draft the players individually, we pick an NFL team, and the first offensive skill player that team drafts becomes our rookie keeper. It makes watching draft day even that more eventful ... so the team I picked this season was Seattle and their first offensive draft pick was Butler. My reaction was: who?
 
I've posted my own top 40 rankings on my blog dedicated to rookies

http://rookieblitz.com/2009/06/24/rookiebl...rankings-62409/
It doesn't surprise me that a Pats fan has Patrick Chung ranked so high.  Frankly, I don't know how you could have any DB ranked that high.  There are many examples of late round DBs emerging and producting more than their early round counterparts.  Gibril Wilson, Kerry Rhodes and Atari Bigby are some examples.  It makes DBs less of a priority when you can snag a sleeper off waviers.  
 
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I've posted my own top 40 rankings on my blog dedicated to rookies

http://rookieblitz.com/2009/06/24/rookiebl...rankings-62409/
Doesn't surprise that a Pats fan has Patrick Chung ranked so high.  Frankly, I don't know how you could have any DB ranked that high.  There are many examples of late round DBs emerging and producting more than their early round counterparts.  Gibril Wilson, Kerry Rhodes and Atari Bigby are some examples.  It makes DBs less of a priority when you can snag a sleeper off waviers.  
I see where you are coming from, but does it mean Chung would go in the 2nd round? No, but his value is which is the purpose of the rankings. I have seen him going in the 4th round of many drafts which equates to a steal
 
Carter_Can_Fly said:
Just curious to know the reasoning of 4 TE's being ranked in the top 33 of your list
I ranked the players who I thought would have the best chance to be useful to a team by thier 2nd season.This draft class was very strong at WR and TE position. There are good RB and QB also. But not as much talent in depth as the WR and TE positions.So once the list works it way through the top 16 and the top defensive players that is when more of the TE start sticking out to me as good players compared to the rest.I have Cook and Pettigrew in the top 21 but there is a significant difference in the tiers between them as I briefly mention in the OP. This mainly has to do with upside. I think Cook has the upside to become one of the rare top 3-5 TE at some point in his career. I don't see Pettigrew having that same upside. But I think he is a safer more solid pick than Cook. BP has starting TE potential (top 12) if he develops. But I don't think he has the athletisism to become a Gonzo/Gates/Witten. I know some have compared Pettigrew to Witten but I am not seeing that way. And I did highly value Witten even as a rookie. Had him around where Cook is now as a rookie IIRC.After those 2 we have tier 5. I try to explain that after tier 4 I think the players have more limited potential and are a bit of a mash together. And I also suggest that when getting to this level of players that owners should be considering thier specific team needs/goals more so than looking at the rookies as BPA type prospects. That is how I see them. So tier 5 is a huge drop down to me from tier 3.I have Coffman (who's storyline is actualy more reminicent of Witten than Pettigrews imo.. not that this much matters) at the top of tier 5 because of his talent. And I also see the situation possibly deveoping where he could have a large role in the offense down the line. Housh took a lot of targets. Those targets will get split but don't be suprised if Coffman starts getting a lot of looks. Palmer has never had a recieving type TE to work with in Kelley and other guys they have had who are primarily blockers.Then at 33 I have Ingram who was taken by Philly. The Eagles have always seemed to run a untraditional offense. Even before current coaches. The TEs and RB are used heavily in the passing game. That is part of Iggles philosophy imo. Ownership and coaches together. So I see Ingram if healthy having the next best opportunity for success. I don't like the injuries though. If he ends up being like Philly TE since Keith Jackson he will be useful PPG as they have been. So that merited him being worth a high ranking in tier 5. I doubt he will be a top 12 TE (EOY) but I think he could be a good match up player.I have Nelson at pick 44 the end of tier 5. He could be at 30 or 44 to me. It is the same tier so I value all 3 of those TE about the same.Again none of these players in tier 5 or later are anything to give a lot in trade for imo. Or to move up in a draft to pick them. I see most of the players tier 5 and later to be slightly above replacement level value. So good players to have if you have the roster space but I wouldn't give much or be seeking them out.Tier 5 is 14 players deep and pretty interchangable depending on team needs and personal preference. I see them as all about the same. Thats why they are all in tier 5 sans Austin Collie who should be moved down to the next tier or removed altogether.
 
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My Pre-NFL draft ranking for TE were:

Cook

Casey

Pettigrew

James Casey gets relegated to pick 50 because of what I think of Owen Daniels. Not because of what I think of Casey who I think is an excellent player.

These guys aspire to become what Daniels already is.

 
Carter_Can_Fly said:
Just curious to know the reasoning of 4 TE's being ranked in the top 33 of your list
I have Cook and Pettigrew in the top 21 but there is a significant difference in the tiers between them as I briefly mention in the OP. This mainly has to do with upside. I think Cook has the upside to become one of the rare top 3-5 TE at some point in his career. I don't see Pettigrew having that same upside. But I think he is a safer more solid pick than Cook. BP has starting TE potential (top 12) if he develops. But I don't think he has the athletisism to become a Gonzo/Gates/Witten. I know some have compared Pettigrew to Witten but I am not seeing that way. And I did highly value Witten even as a rookie. Had him around where Cook is now as a rookie IIRC.
Pettigrew reminds me too much of a Daniel Graham, and he is not a starting option in any league
 
Carter_Can_Fly said:
Just curious to know the reasoning of 4 TE's being ranked in the top 33 of your list
I have Cook and Pettigrew in the top 21 but there is a significant difference in the tiers between them as I briefly mention in the OP. This mainly has to do with upside. I think Cook has the upside to become one of the rare top 3-5 TE at some point in his career. I don't see Pettigrew having that same upside. But I think he is a safer more solid pick than Cook. BP has starting TE potential (top 12) if he develops. But I don't think he has the athletisism to become a Gonzo/Gates/Witten. I know some have compared Pettigrew to Witten but I am not seeing that way. And I did highly value Witten even as a rookie. Had him around where Cook is now as a rookie IIRC.
Pettigrew reminds me too much of a Daniel Graham, and he is not a starting option in any league
This is also possible.My ranking of Pettigrew is tied to his high draft position and I see him as being the #2 target in the passing offense for now when he is not blocking. Like I said I think his potential for FF is limited as I think he is more useful as a blocker than as a reciever. But even Bubba Franks was able to put up a top 12 (startable season) one or twice. Although it is pretty obvious to me he was a better blocker than he ever was a reciever. And I think Pettigrew is better than Franks was. In an offense that will be forced to throw the ball and limited targets besides CJ. So even with him blocking most of the time there is still some good opportunity for him in Detroit.ETA- I don't think Grahm is a very good compare however because of the differences in NE and DET. I think Grahm could have been as good as Bubba Franks for FF but NE and now Denver has not used him as a primary recieving TE as they had other players in those roles. Detroit has no one. I can't even tell you who thier other TEs are off the top of my head.
 
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