Dynasty Draftnik

UDFA. Wash.: Was signed by the Seahawks as UDFA in May but released in June. He is athletic enough to stick around as a developmental prospect or practice squad player, but not talented enough to be a heavy contributor on game day or on your fantasy team. At his best, he could be a Terrelle Pryor who requires a very long developmental period.

All-Star Games: Shrine Game.

Positives: Has experience running a pro-style offense. Above-average hand size. Has adequate arm strength. Seems poised under pressure. He is an effective runner with adequate speed. Above-average quickness, and is fairly elusive. He knows when to throw the ball away and protects the ball well inside the pocket under pressure. Fairly tough – he injured his shoulder in November 2013 but started the bowl game.

Negatives: Below-average height and bulk. Ran a spread offense in college, and may not be ready for a pro-style NFL offense. Is less of a passer than a runner – is to willing to run the ball, and hesitates to pull the trigger when a receiver is open. Below-average accuracy on timing patterns, deep passes, and on the move. Generally streaky accuracy. Below-average velocity, and he needs to learn to vary his velocity. He also throws a wobbly pass. Long overhand delivery and defensive backs get a big jump on his passes. Doesn’t read defenses well. He has a heavy tendency to lock onto his receivers. On the run, he shows generally poor ball security technique, holding the ball in one hand and away from his body, which results in fumbles either with little or no contact. Injured shoulder in November 2013 and missed some time.

Projection: No need to draft in fantasy in the near term.

Redskins, UDFA. He doesn’t have the skills to succeed consistently in the NFL. May stick around as a developmental prospect or practice squad player for a bit.

All-Star Games: Shrine Game.

Positives: Though he lacks height, he has adequate bulk for the position. He has experience running a pro-style offense in college. Throws with adequate velocity, and has nice touch over linebackers on intermediate routes.

Negatives: Slightly below-average height. Below-average arm strength. Generally below-average accuracy at all levels and on the move. He seems to make a lot of decisions before the snap – eyeballing receivers and consistently missing better reads, bypassing better passing options once the play begins. Below-average throwing mechanics – he tends to push the ball rather than throwing it, and will throw off his back foot without pressure. His footwork is also erratic, and he seems skittish in the pocket. His decision-making is suspect under pressure and in the red zone, and he will throw it when he should just run it. Very slow track speed and poor lower-body explosiveness. Consistently throws it into coverage on deep patterns. He seems unwilling to run the ball. Minor character red flag – was arrested for resisting arrest and underage alcohol consumption in January 2012.

Projection: No need to draft him in fantasy football.

Ravens, Round 6. Signed by the Ravens as UDFA byt released in August and put on their practice squad. Transferred from Elon in 2009. He went right about where I expected, in Round 6. He has the skills to be an effective backup in the NFL and potential part-time starter.

All-Star Games: Shrine Game.

Positives: Slightly above-average height and bulk for the position. Great hand size. Throws with nice touch. Above-average accuracy on short and timing routes. Adequate arm strength and above-average velocity, and can fit passes through tight windows. Poised under pressure in the red zone and is pretty confident there – won’t hesitate to try to hit receivers in small spaces. Above-average deep accuracy and can drop it right over the receiver’s shoulder. Good pocket sense. Steps up in the pocket under outside pressure and slides around well to avoid it, keeping his feet under him and the ball ready to be thrown. Tough – had ankle surgery in November 2012, but still started that year’s bowl game. Also had arthroscopic knee surgery in the summer of 2013, but still started the first game. Has some experience under center.

Negatives: Ran a spread system in college, and may not be ready for a pro-style offense right away. Has a longish windup with a 3/4-to-sidearm delivery. He eyeballs receivers consistently, and that may be why he has an amazing number of his passes tipped at the line. In the red zone, it seems like he makes a lot of decisions pre-snap, missing open reads over the middle. Below-average accuracy outside of the pocket, and his feet are a little too wild and out of sync with his upper half – both outside of the pocket and inside in the pocket. He isn’t elusive and has below-average speed and quickness. A bit of an injury history – had ankle surgery in November 2012 and had minor arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in Summer 2013.

Projection: He may be worth adding to deep dynasty leagues in the next couple of years.

Patriots, Round 2. Before the draft, I expected him to go in Round 3, though I secretly hoped he’d go earlier. I’m a fan, and he is the most highly touted FCS quarterback in a long time for a good reason. He still needs some development – and he’ll get plenty of it on the Patriots – but he is ready to step into a backup role right away if the team trades Ryan Mallett. Could certainly start in a couple of years.

All-Star Games: Shrine Game and Senior Bowl.

Positives: Adequate height and hand size for the position. Good bulk for the position. Above-average arm strength and velocity, with a quick release. Consistently accurate on short passes and throws them with nice touch. Above-average accuracy on medium passes, on timing routes, and down the seam. Throws fade routes, seam routes, and deep passes with nice touch. Keeps his head under pressure. Makes quick decisions and will get rid of the pass quickly. Pretty good footwork in the pocket, and he moves around pretty effectively to find passing lanes, though he loses balance on his back foot at times on the end of his dropback. He keeps his eyes downfield on the run, looking to pass. Has experience running a high-tempo offense, and he seems effective in a two-minute drill. Though he ran a spread offense in college, he does have some experience under center and didn’t seem to have any trouble with the transition in the all-star games and still showed good footwork. Okay speed and quickness, and is willing to run. Knows when to slide as a runner and throw the ball away. Set his feet well outside the pocket.

Negatives: Below-average track speed for the position. Above-average change of direction ability and lateral quickness. Ran a spread offense in college, and may not be ready for a pro-style NFL offense. Below-average accuracy and decisions on the move, and will throw across his body and throw high. Below-average accuracy when he steps up in the pocket and tends to throw too high. His release point ranges from three-quarter to sidearm. His field vision seems to get limited in clutch situations. In the red zone, he takes too many chances and passes up safer options. Is a little hesitant to pull the trigger at times. Holds the ball too low in the pocket and not at the ready. Though his hand size is adequate, they may not be strong enough – he fumbled the ball without a hit in a snow game. Doesn’t have much experience in a deep passing offense, since he threw a lot of short passes in the offense he ran in college.

Projection: If you have Tom Brady in dynasty leagues, Garoppolo’s obviously a must-add. Regardless, he’s a long-term hold because he has the talent and the situation to put up QB1 numbers when he gets the chance.

UDFA. Was signed by the Bears as a UDFA but released in August  He might get a chance as a developmental quarterback or running back prospect – possibly on practice squad. His running and improvisational skills will be valuable in some offensive packages and systems. His decision-making may be his biggest drawback as a quarterback, and I expect him to be more successful in the NFL as possibly a running back. As a QB, I don’t think he’s worth drafting in fantasy leagues.

All-Star Games: Shrine Game.

Positives: Adequate bulk, and solid for his height. Okay velocity. Above-average accuracy on short and medium passes. Adequate arm strength. Keeps his eyes downfield on the run. Good at improvisation, and can make positive plays out of broken plays. Good runner who looks to run first. Is a very effective runner, and has pro potential at running back. Above-average speed and power. Very good quickness – especially for the position. Fairly patient and lets blocks develop. Knows where the 1st down marker is. Was also pretty good at punting when necessary. Also worked out at defensive back at pro day.

Negatives: Below-average height and hand size. Ran a spread offense in college, and was mostly expected to run and improvise, so he may not be ready for an NFL offense. Below-average accuracy on deep passes, and they tend to sail on him and go out of bounds. Below-average accuracy on the move. He tends to lock onto his receivers. Below-average throwing mechanics – throws off back foot consistently with no pressure. Has a three-quarter release and usually throws a wobbly pass. Under pressure, he consistently throws the ball into coverage and misses open reads. Is often hesitant and late to pull the trigger, and will hang out his receivers to dry – especially in the red zone. Needs to vary velocity – tends to throw bullets on short passes, but was improved by senior year. Below-average ball security – holds ball too loosely. Doesn’t feel blind-side rush. Is less of a passer than a runner. His power running style could spell injury trouble in the pros.

Projection: He’s not worth drafting in dynasty leagues.

All-Star Games: NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

Positives: Despite his below-average height, has solid bulk for the position. Adequate hand size. Okay accuracy on short passes. Throws a nice spiral. He is an effective runner with good speed and above-average quickness. He also knows how to protect himself, sliding well on runs.

Negatives: Below-average height. Left-handed quarterback, which will require extra effort by a team to find a spot for him. Ran a spread offense in college, and he may not be ready to run a pro-style offense. Below-average accuracy on medium and deep passes, and on the move. He eyeballs his receivers consistently, and doesn’t seem to see defenders or read the defense, and consistently throws the ball into coverage – especially on crossing routes. Doesn’t read the deep safety well. He needs to learn to vary his velocity – throwing with more touch over linebackers and also with more authority in tight windows. He has a longish windup with a three-quarter release point. He seems skittish, and makes generally bad decisions under pressure, just throwing the ball up for grabs. Below-average ball security in the pocket – holds ball low and not at the ready. Needs to learn to throw the ball away when receivers aren’t open. On the run, he sometimes slides too early, missing out on extra yards. Tore quad muscle in October 2013 and missed rest of season.

Projection: I don’t expect him to be successful in the NFL. Possibly in the CFL.

UDFA. Signed by the Browns as a UDFA but was released in August and put on their practice squad. Something of a shorter Ryan Tannehill, he definitely has the athleticism to find a spot in the NFL if it isn’t on the Browns. Has enough toughness and passing ability to stick on a roster for a long time as a backup. He probably wouldn’t even be terrible as a starter for a short period of time.

All-Star Games: NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

Positives: An athletic former wide receiver who even caught a touchdown pass in the 2013 bowl game. Adequate hand size. Good arm strength. He is able to recognize and exploit single coverage quickly. Generally throws with nice touch. Shows adequate anticipation on shorter passes, generally hitting receivers in stride coming out of their breaks. Poised and stands in under pressure. Knows when to throw the ball away. Moves well inside the pocket and steps up under pressure, shifting his feet inside the pocket to buy more time. On the move, he keeps his eyes downfield, staying squared and ready to pass. Can vary release point to get the ball through traffic at the line. Good speed, quickness, and explosiveness and is very willing to run. Above-average quickness. Willing to dive for the 1st down. Tough and played with slight shoulder fracture. Also played with broken and sprained foot in 2012.

Negatives: Below-average height and bulk. In college, he ran a spread offense with a lot of read option, which, though it is increasingly being used in the prose, is still not common. On rollouts, he shows below-average accuracy, consistently throwing across his body and into coverage, making poor decisions. His deep passes are also inconsistently accurate. His field vision often narrows a lot under pressure, and he misses easier reads. Below-average ball security technique on the run. He has Below-average mechanics and a bit of a long windup. He also throws off his back foot at times for no reason, losing a lot of velocity. Has some trouble throwing the deep out pattern, showing in adequate anticipation, waiting for his receiver to make his cut before he releases the ball. Long injury history. Had foot surgery in January 2013. Sprained right shoulder in September 2013 and missed a few weeks. Then sprained left knee in October 2013 and missed some time.

Projection: He is not someone to pay attention to in fantasy football, but he could help an NFL team as a developmental prospect.