Dynasty Draftnik

Packers, Round 5. Of the receivers left on my board at the time he was drafted, he was fourth. So, as usual, the Packers get good value whenever they draft. His concussion history is a little scary, but he’ll be a solid addition to a WR corps that already has Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, and Jarrett Boykin. Don’t expect huge numbers from him, but don’t be surprised if they come his way when pressed into duty. He won’t see the field until 2015, though, since he was put on IR with a torn ACL in August 2014.

All-Star Games: Senior Bowl.

Positives: Above-average height and hand size. Adequate bulk for the position. Above-average speed and acceleration. Above-average lateral quickness and ability to change directions. Reliable hands and can extend and snag fast passes away from his frame at times, though he does let too many get to his body. Good concentration on tipped passes and can also catch the ball when a big hit is coming. Above-average routes with crisp double moves. Above-average quickness and fairly elusive as a punt-returner. Is effective in the open field. Above-average balance after contact, and is able to keep his feet for yards after the catch. Reliable hands fielding punts in traffic. Improved decision-making on punt returns in his senior season. Willing and adequate downfield run blocker.

Negatives: Very weak upper body. Poor vertical leap. Lets too many passes get to his body. Suspect balance making cuts and runs a little out of control. Suspect punt-return fielding decisions at times and will try to return punts in heavy traffic instead of fair-catching them. Has an injury history, especially with concussions — he’s had up to four concussions. Also injured his hamstring late in the week in Senior Bowl practices and didn’t play in the game. Suspect tracking over his outside shoulder.

Projection: Worth holding onto in deep dynasty leagues. I have eventual WR2 value placed on him in this offense.

Eagles, Round 2. Vanderbilt: Jerry Rice’s cousin. Before the draft, I rated Matthews as my number-5 overall WR, and expected him to go in Round 2. Ends up drafted as the sixth WR, but about where I thought he’d go. He fills a need on the Eagles now that Desean Jackson’s gone. He won’t replace Jackson’s speed (few can) but he has good separation skills and speed for his size, along with mostly good hands. Paired with Maclin and Cooper, the offense shouldn’t really skip a beat.

All-Star Games: Senior Bowl.

Positives: Very good height, with above-average bulk and great hand size. Good speed for his size and position. Accelerates well off the line and gets off press coverage cleanly. Long wingspan and a good catch radius. Good hands – can extend very well low and away. Adjusts well to off-target passes. Fair concentration in traffic. Good concentration on contested passes. Tracks passes over inside shoulder very well. Above-average routes and gets good separation on most routes. Runs with above-average balance. Above-average upper-body strength, and is strong after the catch – breaks a lot of arm tackles. Good sense of where the sideline is and can get both feet down without looking at the line. Seems to be a student of the game and a hard worker – reportedly studied game film of the cornerbacks he was going to face in the Senior Bowl and also put in a lot of after-practice work at Senior Bowl. Good upper body strength. Adequate vertical leap, general lower body explosiveness, lateral quickness, and ability to change directions in Combine testing.

Negatives: Below-average downfield blocker. Some lapses in concentration on easy passes, with some unexplained drops.

Projection: There are a lot of weapons on the team, but the offense is going to find enough targets to go around. Expect WR2 numbers fairly immediately, with eventual WR1 potential. I’d draft solidly in the middle of the first round of dynasty rookie drafts.

Redskins, Round 5. Goes to a Redskins team as maybe the third or fourth WR. Has a lot of receiving skills and should stick on a middling WR corps and potentially start next to Garcon and Jackson.

All-Star Games: Senior Bowl.

Positives: Slightly above-average height and bulk, with above-average hand size. Above-average quickness. Above-average hands when extending, and can make difficult catches – though looked bad in Combine gauntlet drill. Strong hands and can snag the ball going past him. Shows good concentration on contested passes, and wins a lot of jump ball situations. Runs above-average routes and gets good separation on double moves. Fairly elusive after the catch. Aware of where the 1st down marker is. Adequate vertical leap. Above-average lateral quickness and excellent ability to change directions in Combine testing.

Negatives: Suspect balance making cuts and slips often. Below-average game speed and track speed for the position and for his size. Fairly week upper body.

Projection: Worth a flier in the 3rd round or later.

Packers, Round 7. I would like to see more of him before I write this report, but it looks like I will probably only see his Senior Bowl practices and game video. From the little I’ve seen of him, he looks like an adequate prospect, and someone who can probably be coached up, and the Packers definitely know how to do that. But there are just too many other talented WRs on the Packers for him to stick there. His best bet is to land on a practice squad and hope to develop that way.

All-Star Games: Senior Bowl.

Positives: Very good height and above-average bulk with a long wingspan. Runs with adequate quickness. Adjusts fairly well to off target passes. Fairly smart kick return decisions, and knows when to just take a knee. Tracks fairly well over his inside shoulder. Above-average track speed for the position, but very good for his size. Above-average upper body strength. Above-average vertical leap. Excellent lateral quickness and ability to change directions in Combine testing.

Negatives: Below-average hand size. Below-average hands as a receiver or returner when he has to adjust, and he consistently lets passes get to his body. Below-average routes, and is slow in and out of his breaks. Has a hard time getting off of physical cornerbacks and into his route. Doesn’t have very quick feet and doesn’t change directions well. Below-average vision on kick returns, and seems to run into his own blockers at times.

Projection: No need to draft.

Jets, Round 4. Former transfer from Fresno State. He may be the fifth- or sixth-best WR on the Jets, behind Decker, Evans, Nelson, Ford, and Kerley. So I’m not sure he’s a great fit on the team. But he can be a valuable part of a WR rotation and can be a punt returner, though I don’t love his PR abilities, either.

All-Star Games: Senior Bowl.

Positives: Runs with above-average speed and acceleration, and good quickness. Has above-average hands and can scoop low passes and extend to snag fast and high passes. Above-average routes, and is quick in and out of his breaks. Tracks passes well over his inside shoulder. Shows above-average body control and can adjust well to off-target passes. Above-average concentration and isn’t afraid to go over the middle of the field in traffic and can catch tipped passes. Good balance after contact, and is effective gaining yards after the catch. Willing and adequate downfield blocker. An effective punt returner when he just heads upfield without dancing.

Negatives: Short for the position, with a slight build. Below-average hand size. Will jump for passes for no reason, missing opportunities for yards after the catch. Suspect decision-making and depends too much on his quickness – will run east-west instead of taking the ball upfield when he gets the ball. Consistently questionable punt return fielding decisions, and will field it inside the 10 yard line, or on a bounce, or let the punt get past him, or try to return the ball in heavy traffic instead of fair-catch it. Often lacks decisiveness on punt returns and needs to head upfield faster. Also seems to misjudge the trajectory of punts at times and doesn’t set himself up well for returns. Though he is a willing blocker, he is not strong enough to be effective. Arrested for marijuana possession in December 2012. Below-average vertical leap and overall poor athleticism in his pro day workouts.

Projection: Probably not draftable in dynasty leagues except as a WR5-type bench player.

Eagles, Round 3. He was my 14th-rated WR and he went 13th. In most drafts, he would have been top-eight. He lands in a great spot for him – though maybe not immediately. The team has a ton of receivers already, and also drafted Jordan Matthews in Round 2. He should back up Jeremy Maclin for a while, but the offense probably won’t skip a beat if he’s pressed into action.

All-Star Games: Senior Bowl.

Positives: Above-average bulk for the position. Built more like a running back. Average hand size. Above-average speed, quickness and acceleration. Good hands and extends very well for passes away from his frame. Can snag passes over the middle and get low to scoop passes, too. Above-average routes with sudden double moves. Nice balance after contact. Big effort wide receiver. Good concentration in traffic and will hold the ball with a big hit. Gives good effort and goes to the ground to catch passes. Scrappy – is willing to be physical and is not easy to bring down. Good effort for extra yards. Works back to QB on scramble drill. Smart decisions as a kick returner. Adequate track speed for the position and the size. Adequate upper body strength.

Negatives: Slightly below-average height. Below-average vertical leap and general lower body explosiveness in Combine testing. Below-average tracking of passes over his inside shoulder. Below-average downfield blocker. Charged but acquitted of DUI in 2013.

Projection: Has the skills – and is in the right offense – to be a WR2 or better, but you should look at him as a WR4 for the time-being.