EBF
Footballguy
Some quick notes before the fun stuff:
- These rankings are intended for PPR dynasty leagues with standard lineups and scoring.
- Overall, I think this is a pretty good draft class. It's especially strong at the top, where Richardson, Blackmon, and Luck all rate as can't-miss prospects. This is a great year to have a high pick. You should get a great player. The depth is not so strong through the middle though, particularly at WR.
- You'll notice that my third tier is huge. This tends to be the case every year. Elite talents are rare. Common talents are common. The difference in value between the 1.01 and 1.10 pick is huge. The difference between the 1.10 and 2.10 pick isn't so huge. I think this is usually the case with rookie drafts.
- I included a video link for every player. Click on the names to see it. Wherever possible, I tried to find cut-ups of entire games, as I think those give the best indication of a player's skills.
- We're still pretty early in this process and it's likely that my list will change a lot after the Senior Bowl, combine, and draft itself.
TIER ONE
1.
Jones put together back-to-back strong seasons for UNC, peaking with 1196 yards and 12 TDs as a senior. He is a tall receiver who runs pretty well and shows the ability to make great catches in traffic. Like a lot of the receivers in this class, he lacks obvious elite physical traits, suggesting that his NFL upside might be limited to a complementary role. He didn't help himself with an inconsistent performance in his bowl game, lacking focus en route to numerous drops.
OTHER NOTABLES:
QB Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M - I'm leaving him off for now, even though he might be a high draft pick. I'm not super high on him.
RB Ronnie Hillman, San Diego State - Early entry could be a bit of a sleeper. I like his quickness and elusiveness. He's one of the more shifty backs in this draft. He's also undersized without great strength or speed. I think he'll probably be restricted to a backup role in the NFL, but I would probably be willing to reconsider that.
RB Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati - I think he's very similar to Hillman. Quick, skilled, and dangerous in the passing game. Also undersized.
RB Chris Polk, Washington - Never been a fan. Don't know why. I just don't see it.
WR AJ Jenkins, Illinois - Even though he's not listed, I consider him part of the third tier. That tier is still in flux and he's one of the guys who could be a lot higher on future editions of this list.
WR Jeff Fuller, Texas A&M - Big with decent hands, but very ordinary speed and no threat after the catch.
WR Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma - He has always been a difficult prospect to gauge and his injury didn't help matters. Given the lack of reliable talent at WR in this class beyond the top 3, I might be willing to roll the dice on him somewhere in tier three.
WR Chris Givens, Wake Forest - I know next to nothing about him. I'll try to learn more in the coming months.
- These rankings are intended for PPR dynasty leagues with standard lineups and scoring.
- Overall, I think this is a pretty good draft class. It's especially strong at the top, where Richardson, Blackmon, and Luck all rate as can't-miss prospects. This is a great year to have a high pick. You should get a great player. The depth is not so strong through the middle though, particularly at WR.
- You'll notice that my third tier is huge. This tends to be the case every year. Elite talents are rare. Common talents are common. The difference in value between the 1.01 and 1.10 pick is huge. The difference between the 1.10 and 2.10 pick isn't so huge. I think this is usually the case with rookie drafts.
- I included a video link for every player. Click on the names to see it. Wherever possible, I tried to find cut-ups of entire games, as I think those give the best indication of a player's skills.
- We're still pretty early in this process and it's likely that my list will change a lot after the Senior Bowl, combine, and draft itself.
TIER ONE
1.
Jones put together back-to-back strong seasons for UNC, peaking with 1196 yards and 12 TDs as a senior. He is a tall receiver who runs pretty well and shows the ability to make great catches in traffic. Like a lot of the receivers in this class, he lacks obvious elite physical traits, suggesting that his NFL upside might be limited to a complementary role. He didn't help himself with an inconsistent performance in his bowl game, lacking focus en route to numerous drops.
OTHER NOTABLES:
QB Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M - I'm leaving him off for now, even though he might be a high draft pick. I'm not super high on him.
RB Ronnie Hillman, San Diego State - Early entry could be a bit of a sleeper. I like his quickness and elusiveness. He's one of the more shifty backs in this draft. He's also undersized without great strength or speed. I think he'll probably be restricted to a backup role in the NFL, but I would probably be willing to reconsider that.
RB Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati - I think he's very similar to Hillman. Quick, skilled, and dangerous in the passing game. Also undersized.
RB Chris Polk, Washington - Never been a fan. Don't know why. I just don't see it.
WR AJ Jenkins, Illinois - Even though he's not listed, I consider him part of the third tier. That tier is still in flux and he's one of the guys who could be a lot higher on future editions of this list.
WR Jeff Fuller, Texas A&M - Big with decent hands, but very ordinary speed and no threat after the catch.
WR Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma - He has always been a difficult prospect to gauge and his injury didn't help matters. Given the lack of reliable talent at WR in this class beyond the top 3, I might be willing to roll the dice on him somewhere in tier three.
WR Chris Givens, Wake Forest - I know next to nothing about him. I'll try to learn more in the coming months.
