Dynasty Draftnik

Rankings as of July 30, 2014

1. Eric Ebron, Lions
2. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Buccaneers
3. Richard Rodgers, Packers
4. Jace Amaro, Jets
5. CJ Fiedorowicz, Texans
6. Colt Lyerla, Packers
7. AC Leonard, Vikings
8. Gator Hoskins, TE/FB, Dolphins
9. Arthur Lynch, Dolphins
10. Jake Murphy, Raiders
11. Troy Niklas, Cardinals
12. Jordan Najvar, Cowboys
13. Asa Watson, Patriots
14. Crockett Gillmore, Ravens
15. Asante Cleveland, 49ers
16. Marcel Jensen, Jaguars
17. Alex Bayer, Rams
18. Xavier Grimble, Giants
19. Ted Bolser, Redskins

Below are my rankings from right before the NFL draft.

1. Eric Ebron, North Carolina
2. Jace Amaro, Texas Tech
3. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington
4. Richard Rodgers, California
5. AC Leonard, Tennessee State
6. CJ Fiedorowicz, Iowa
7. Gator Hoskins, Marshall
8. Arthur Lynch, Georgia
9. Jake Murphy, Utah
10. Troy Niklas, Notre Dame
11. Jordan Najvar, Baylor
12. Crockett Gillmore, Colorado State
13. Rob Blanchflower, Massachusetts
14. Marcel Jensen, Fresno State
15. Colt Lyerla, Oregon
16. Alex Bayer, Bowling Green
17. Xavier Grimble, Southern California
18. JC Copeland, LSU
19. Anthony Denham, Utah
20. Asa Watson, North Carolina State
21. Joe Don Duncan, Dixie State
22. Trey Millard, Oklahoma
23. Ted Bolser, Indiana
24. Asante Cleveland, Miami
25. Jacob Pedersen, Wisconsin
26. Ryan Hewitt, Stanford
27. Justin Perillo, Maine
28. Jay Prosch, Auburn
29. Kiero Small, Arkansas
30. Michael Flacco, New Haven
31. Kaneakua Friel, BYU

Jets, Round 2. Was a junior. He’s a solid receiving tight end with character and some injury red flags and adequate blocking skills. But he’ll earn his money as a receiver, and he enters an offense that needs more receiving threats – and is an offense without a dangerous receiving TE threat.

Positives: Good height for the position, with very good bulk. Adequate hand size. Fairly long wingspan. Good track speed for the position and size. Above-average concentration and can catch the ball falling backwards. Nimble on the sidelines. Finishes strong after the catch. Gets good positioning on routes. Fair concentration and adjusts well to off target passes. Above-average upper body strength. Is an adequate run blocker when he focuses.

Negatives: Tore ACL in high school. Missed over half of 2012 with spleen injury. Returned and was ejected from game for punching. Though his hands flash at times, they are generally inconsistent, and he will let passes get to his body. Below-average hands when extending, and he showed that in Combine drills as well. His blocking is on-and-off, and his effort tends to be inconsistent. Below-average explosiveness and quickness in Combine drills. Character red flag – arrested on felony credit card abuse charges in 2012.

Projection: Was obviously one of the top three tight ends in the draft, and should be expected to put up TE2 numbers right away. If he stays on the field, he may eventually put up low TE1 numbers. Feel free to draft by the middle of the second round in dynasty rookie drafts.

UDFA. Was a redshirt junior. Signed by the Giants as a UDFA but released in August.

Positives: Adequate height for the position, and above-average bulk. Great hand size. Good hands. Good concentration on passes in traffic. Above-average body control and adjusts well to off target passes. Tracks well over outside shoulder. Above-average speed. Very strong after the catch and is hard to bring down. Willing blocker who improved by his junior season. Okay run blocker when he’s able to just plow ahead.

Negatives: Loses base when run blocking at times. Not very nimble and runs a little bit off-balance. Below-average run blocker overall and often lunges at and misses defender.  Below-average change-of-direction ability and general explosiveness. Strained calf at Combine and showed poor agility in the drill he was able to do. Poor track speed for the position. Poor upper-body strength.

Projection: Might stick as the third TE on a team, and has enough receiving skill to contribute if given the chance. He’ll definitely have to work on his blocking if he wants to get on the field, though. No need to draft.

Cardinals, Round 2. Was a junior. I’d projected him to go in Round 3 before the draft, so his selection in Round 2 seems like a bit of a reach – but a lot of people also had him rated as the third-best TE in the draft, so it’s not all that surprising. He goes to a team with no clear-cut starter at the position but a lot of fairly talented guys, so he has a good shot at being heavily used. The offense isn’t exactly powerful, but it’s adequate, and he should be an important part of it.

Positives: Great height and bulk for the position. Above-average hand size. Good upper body strength. Adequate speed and routes. Fair lateral movement. Has a fairly high ceiling because he was switched from linebacker only in 2012. Good downfield blocker – stays latched on. Above-average hands and are strong enough to extend and snag fast passes.

Negatives: Below-average acceleration. Loses base while pass blocking and tends to get pulled off his feet by defenders. Though his hands are good, they aren’t especially soft. Seems to have some trouble tracking deep passes over his inside shoulder. Will jump for passes when he does not need to. Below-average agility and quickness in Combine drills. Had double hernia surgery in March 2014.

Projection: Draft as a TE3 with TE2 potential – probably in the third round of dynasty rookie drafts.

UDFA. Signed by the Jaguars as a UDFA but was released in August.

All-Star Games: Senior Bowl.

Positives: Very good height and bulk for the position. Above-average hand size. Very long wingspan. Generally above-average hands and can snag fast ones. Adequate upper body strength.

Negatives: Not very agile and will slip making cuts. Adequate body control but has a little trouble adjusting to off-target passes. Injured groin kept him out of Senior Bowl. Suspect route running. Below-average track speed for the position. Below-average agility and explosiveness in Combine drills.

UDFA. Was signed by the Raiders as a UDFA but released in August.Was a junior. Son of Dale Murphy, former Atlanta Braves. As my number-9 tight end going into the draft, I was a little surprised he wasn’t picked at some point. But he landed in a great spot as an undrafted free agent, but he still couldn’t make the roster. I still think he has the skills to put up low TE1 numbers eventually as a starter.

Positives: Adequate bulk for the position. Above-average hand size. Adequate track speed for the position and size. Adequate upper body strength. Very good, soft hands on passes that accept passes rather than fighting them. Above-average body control and adjusts fairly well to errant passes. Good effort and goes to ground for passes. Tough and can take a hit.

Negatives: Though he has adequate bulk, he has only H-back height. Suspect route running, and doesn’t always finish his routes. Also needs to be able to adjust his routes to locate the ball in the air.

Projection: Worth holding onto in dynasty leagues or keeping on waiver wire watch.

UDFA. Was signed by the Vikings as a UDFA but released in July for unknown reasons. Was a junior. Transferred from Florida for 2013. Outside of the character red flags, he seems like a nice combination blocker and receiver. Could do well if given the chance. Might do better if moved to fullback.

Positives: Very good track speed for the position and the size. Above-average hands and can extend. Snags fast passes even in traffic. Above-average concentration. Solid run blocker and drove one defender 20 yards downfield. Fairly agile and dangerous after the catch.

Negatives: Short for the position. Adequate bulk for the position. Built more like a fullback. Adequate hand size. Below-average routes and cuts routes short. Needs to pay attention to QB while running routes. Arrested for battery of his girlfriend in February 2012. Arrested for driving on a suspended license in May 2012. Suspect balance making cuts. Below-average upper body strength.

Projection: Has TE2 talents but maybe not the opportunity for a while.