Dynasty Draftnik

Patriots, 4th round. TCU: Junior who has declared for 2013 NFL Draft. Slightly below-average height but above-average bulk. Average hand size.

Positives: Above-average speed. Quick into breaks as a route runner. Very good lower-body explosiveness and great change-of-direction ability. Adequate lateral quickness. Above-average hands and can extend. Good effort on off-target passes. Good upper-body strength. Willing to initiate contact as downfield blocker and is good at it. Tough — performed well at Combine with broken foot, but expects to be healed by June.

Negatives: Coming off of offseason foot injury and won’t be healed until after minicamps. Suspect acceleration.

Projection: I expect him to be a surprise of the draft. He joins fellow rookie WR Aaron Dobson and they should both get significant playing time in 2013. I expect Boyce to actually outperform Dobson. But WR has always been a rough fantasy position on the Patriots because Brady spreads the ball around so often. Boyce’s quickness should help him get open often to earn Brady’s trust. Draft as an immediate WR4 and potential long-term WR2.

Texans, 1st round. Clemson: Junior who has declared for 2013 NFL Draft. Above-average size. Great hand size.

Positives: Above-average speed. Fair routes. Consistently catches very well with hands extended. Snags passes in traffic. Holds ball even with big hit and concentrates well when he knows a hit is coming. Agile and shows good body control on errant passes. Shows very good YAC ability and good effort. Fair vision in open field. Not easy to bring down after the catch. Willing to be physical for extra yards. Adequate track speed for the size. Adequate upper-body strength. Solid PR handling. Good downfield blocker. Very good vertical leap.

Negatives: Below-average lateral quickness. Reportedly has character issues.

Projection: Goes to one of the few run-first teams in the NFL, which could potentially limit his fantasy production, but he has the physical tools to excel in the NFL. I expect him to start immediately across from Andre Johnson and, if he stays healthy, should be a very productive WR on the team for years. Draft as an immediate WR3 with WR2 potential in 2014 and WR1 potential after that.

Rams, 3rd round. W.V.: Junior who has declared for 2013 NFL Draft. Slightly below-average size. Above-average hand size.

Positives: Possession receiver with average track speed. Very good hands and can extend and snag fast passes. Above-average routes and gets into breaks cleanly. Above-average quickness and change-of-direction ability. Good concentration in traffic and is pretty fearless in heavy coverage. Above-average body control and adjusts to off-target passes well. Fair balance after contact. Gets deep separation despite his lack of top-end speed. Tracks well over inside shoulder. Fights for yards. Very field smart and knows where first-down marker is. Willing and intelligent blocker on KR team.

Negatives: Below-average upper-body strength. Below-average explosiveness in Combine measurements.

Projection: Maybe the most solid potential pro WRs in the draft. May never be a WR1, but will be a very valuable complementary receiver. Joins a Rams team with a lot of young WRs, including fellow rookie and West Virginia alum Tavon Austin. Will probably compete with second-year WR Brian Quick for targets, but I think he’s better than Quick. He may even win the competition straight out. His size may be the thing that holds him back as a possession receiver in the NFL. Draft as a WR3 with WR2 upside.

Bills, 2nd round. S. Cal.: Junior who has declared for 2013 NFL Draft. Adequate size. Average hand size.

Positives: Good hands. Very good effort on errant passes. Fights for contested passes. Above-average routes. Adequate speed, quickness, and change-of-direction ability. Good concentration on tipped passes. Gets physical with CBs off line. Not easy to bring down. Though not a strong blocker, is a willing one.

Negatives: Below-average athleticism in Combine measurements. Not a very effective blocker. Injured ankle in 2011, and may still be feeling effects. Not a dynamic PR and makes some risky fielding decisions. Slow to head upfield on punt returns.

Projection: He’s entering a completely rebuilding Bills offense, with new faces at most positions. But he’s the kind of WR who is ready to be plugged into an NFL offense and have an immediate positive effect. He’s also joined by fellow rookie Marquise Goodwin, who will be the deep threat that keeps defenses honest. Low ceiling but also a low floor. May never be a dominant WR, but will be a solid pro. Draft as an immediate WR3 with WR2 potential.

Rams, 1st round. W.V.: Very small for the position. Average hand size.

Positives: Adequate routes. Adequate hands. Great speed with excellent quickness, acceleration, burst and explosiveness. As a RB, is strictly an outside runner. Very nimble on sideline. Solid effort after contact. Excellent vision for yards after the catch. Very elusive and creative after the catch. Ridiculously elusive at times. Excellent stop-and-start ability. Patient. Willing and adequate downfield blocker. Can be used at several positions to create mismatches.

Negatives: No power and is easy to bring down if caught. Reportedly did poorly on the Wonderlic intelligence test.

Projection: Is already the best WR on the Rams roster. Will join a depth chart that includes second-year players Brian Quick and Chris Givens, two WRs who I thought were merely adequate additions to the team in 2012, though his speed will complement Quick’s size and the speed of Givens, TE Jared Cook, and RB Daryl Richardson very well. If the Rams use him in creative ways, he’ll likely be someone who will probably help out his real NFL team more than your dynasty fantasy team. May not ever have the stats of a true WR1. Draft as an immediate WR3 with WR2 value by his second year.

Vikings, 1st round. Tenn.: Junior who has declared for 2013 NFL Draft. Good size.

Positives: Adequate hands and concentration — will come down with contested passes. Adjusts fairly well to off-target passes. Quick in and out of breaks. Very physical style and uses it well to shield defenders and fight for ball. Makes up for raw route running by having a large catch radius and excellent athleticism. Knows when to use quickness for YAC and when to just head upfield — doesn’t waste time dancing before getting upfield. Above-average vision for extra yards with ball in his hands. Strong and fights for extra yards. Decisive as a KR and PR and, though he will go sideways at times, stays going in forward direction. Adequate athleticism in Combine measurements.

Negatives: Only has one year of major college experience. Inconsistent hands and has a habit of dropping some wide-open passes. Raw route runner. Suspect concentration over middle. Immature and will likely not be a favorite of referees — likes to showboat. Reportedly did poorly on the Wonderlic intelligence test.

Projection: Goes to a WR depth chart featuring Greg Jennings and Jerome Simpson, so he won’t have to be the number-one WR right away, but will be able to be rotated in with package of plays. This will give him time to figure out the pro game and improve his routes. Once he does that (if he does that), he’ll be super-difficult to cover. But his immaturity may keep him from making the effort to improve. Draft as an immediate WR4 with WR2 potential in 2014 and WR1 potential down the road.

This is not a year with AJ Green/Julio Jones-type obvious top-flight WR prospects, but it is a year with immense depth. And, in the right situation, any of the players on this list can be productive in the NFL.

Your top tier is Cordarrelle Patterson and Tavon Austin, and you probably couldn’t find two more dissimilar body types at WR. Patterson is the more traditional athletic specimen who is raw but is so athletic that he should develop into a top-10 WR by 2014. Austin is a small WR who is just ridiculously quick and elusive. He’ll probably be used in the slot primarily in the NFL, but, if the offensive coordinator he works with is smart, he’ll get touches from the slot, on outside screens, and also in the backfield.

The second tier in 2013 is very large, and goes from numbers 3-11 on my list. Of them, Robert Woods, Stedman Bailey and Keenan Allen probably have the best shots to be very solid possession receivers in the NFL, and are the most likely to be WR2s on the next level.

In dynasty fantasy football, anybody below 11 here is worth keeping and could definitely be a solid fill-in down the road.

1. Cordarrelle Patterson, Tennessee
2. Tavon Austin, West Virginia
3. Robert Woods, Southern California
4. DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson
5. Stedman Bailey, West Virginia
6. Keenan Allen, California
7. Justin Hunter, Tennessee
8. Josh Boyce, TCU
9. Da’Rick Rogers, Tennessee Tech
10. Chad Bumphis, Mississippi State
11. Quinton Patton, Louisiana Tech
12. Aaron Dobson, Marshall
13. Marquise Goodwin, Texas
14. Tavarres King, Georgia
15. Terrance Williams, Baylor
16. Lanear Sampson, Baylor
17. TJ Moe, Missouri
18. Darrin Moore, Texas Tech
19. Ryan Swope, Texas A&M
20. Conner Vernon, Duke
21. Martel Moore, Northern Illinois
22. Kenny Stills, Oklahoma
23. Omarius Hines, Florida
24. Denard Robinson, Michigan
25. Markus Wheaton, Oregon State
26. Jasper Collins, Mount Union
27. Alec Lemon, Syracuse
28. Brandon Kaufman, Eastern Washington
29. Perez Ashford, Northern Illinois
30. Ace Sanders, South Carolina
31. Brice Butler, San Diego State
32. Uzoma Nwachukwu, Texas A&M
33. Erik Highsmith, North Carolina
34. Myles White, Louisiana Tech
35. Darryl Stonum, Baylor
36. Chris Denton, Mount Union
37. Jameze Massey, Winston-Salem State
38. Eric Monette, Western Michigan
39. Cobi Hamilton, Arkansas
40. Chris Harper, Kansas State
41. Russell Shepard, LSU
42. Mike Shanahan, Pittsburgh