Jets, UDFA. Mich. St.: H-back size. Above-average hand size.
Positives: Excellent hands as receiver and can extend to catch away from frame. Great effort on errant passes. Runs fair routes. Hard to bring down. Improving blocker. Strong upper body.
Negatives: Though improving, is still a sub-par blocker. Had 2011 run-in with law on bar fight.
Projection: Will likely contribute on special teams and as a part-timer on the Jets but has TE2 upside if Dustin Keller gets injured.
Average size.
Positives: Above-average athleticism and track speed. Reportedly ran crisp routes at pro day.
Negatives: Below-average hands.
Projection: Undrafted, but I need to see more of him.
Panthers, UDFA. Mo.: Very good size. Above-average hand size.
Positives: Excellent hands and effort. Moves smoothly to set up defenders after the catch. Above-average wingspan. Above-average upper-body strength. Can take a hit. Good track speed for the size. Adequate athleticism.
Negatives: Not very quick. Reportedly caught with his body rather than his hands too often at Players Classic practices. Injured in first Players Classic practice and didn’t play in game — recovered by early March.
Projection: Enters camp as one of probably 10 WRs trying to get on the Carolina bench. With his size and athleticism, might make at least a practice squad, but isn’t fantasy relevant at this time.
Cowboys, UDFA. N.C. St.: Good size. Average hand size.
Positives: Has caught everything thrown his way whenever I’ve seen him, though he doesn’t look like a natural receiver. Solid run blocker.
Negatives: Appears to lumber as a runner. Slow change-of-direction and doesn’t run crisp routes. Some see him converting to guard or tackle in pros.
Projection: Likely practice squad candidate and long-term bench player due to versatility. Could earn spot as goal-line blocking TE with upside, but not fantasy relevant on Cowboys.
Short for the position, but good bulk. Looks like a FB.
Positives: Generally good hands and speed. Adequate run blocker when asked to simply seal off edge.
Negatives: As a blocker, doesn’t drive defender back. Suspect ball security.
Projection: Undrafted, but could stick on a practice squad.
Giants, 4th round. Cincinnati: Good size. Patriots have shown interest.
Positives: Above-average speed. Very good hands catcher. Good size and power. Drives defenders when blocking. Fairly agile.
Negatives: Converted WR who was not used as receiver much in college.
Projection: Goes to a team that likes to use their TEs as both blockers and receivers, but there are a lot of TEs on the roster already. Should stick at end of roster, and because he has little game experience at the position, will do well to learn for a year. Probably no need to draft him, but keep an eye on him in 2013 and beyond.
Jaguars, 1st round. Okla. St.: Junior who has declared for 2012 draft. Above-average size. Solid build. Average hand size.
Positives: Very good hands. Effective after the catch. Good body control. Strong lower body. Adequate upper-body strength. Adequate speed for size. Very good acceleration.
Negatives: Double-clutches passes over the middle at times trying to decide where to run with it. Long strider who has slight trouble making clean cuts. DUI arrest in 2010.
Projection: He enters one of the NFL’s worst offenses, but he should be a top-15 WR fairly soon. Having Laurent Robinson across from him should help. But his future’s tied directly to the progression of Blaine Gabbert. I personally believe Gabbert will improve in his 2nd year, and Blackmon will be worth a top-5 rookie draft pick.
Jets, 2nd round. Ga. Tech: Junior who has declared for 2012 draft. Great size. Average hand size.
Positives: Very good hands, body control and acceleration — explodes off line and out of cuts. Elite track speed — unbelievable speed for his size. Strong and fights for yards. Tracks ball very well over shoulder. Adequate upper-body strength. Ran fairly crisp routes at his Pro Day.
Negatives: Comes out of an option attack in college and doesn’t have experience running routes.
Projection: He comes from a college offense that doesn’t translate well to the NFL, but he has the physical skills to be a dominant WR in the NFL with just a little experience and coaching. Should start for Jets immediately across from Santonio Holmes. Draft as a short-term WR3 with long-term WR1 and top-5 WR potential.
Cardinals, 1st round. Notre Dame: Above-average size and hand size.
Positives: Willing blocker. Never used as punt returner until 2011 bowl game, when he ran one back 50 yards. Makes circus catches, and improved overall hands in 2011. Seemed angry when he dropped a pass in Combine drills. Long legs but still runs fairly crisp routes. Good speed. Adjusts well to errant passes. Above-average upper-body strength. Adequate explosiveness for the size.
Negatives: Braylon Edwards-like inconsistent concentration. Has a history of dropping too many easy passes. Ball tends to get to body. Looks like he has short arms. Doesn’t show effort when play’s not to him. Suspended from team after 3rd DUI but reinstated in August 2011. Injured ribs in bowl game and had to pull out of Senior Bowl.
Projection: Has WR1 ability, but suspect hands and character issues make him a slightly risky proposition. But lined across from Larry Fitzgerald will help him a lot. Definitely worth drafting as WR3 with WR2 upside.
Texans, UDFA. N. Car.: Very good size. Solidly built. Average hand size.
Positives: Long wingspan. Good strength after catch. Generally very good hands. Very good concentration — caught tipped ball for TD in 2011 bowl game. Fights for ball in traffic. Very good body control. Adequate upper-body strength. Adequate speed.
Negatives: Suspect route running — looks like he’ll need a lot of work there. Below-average change-of-direction skills and has to dial down feet a lot to make cuts. Inconsistent hands — dropped a few easy passes in 2011 bowl game. Sometimes tries to one-hand passes for no reason.
Projection: I had a 2nd-round grade on him, but character concerns dropped him out of the draft completely — but into a very nice undrafted position. Kind of a cross between two former N. Car. WRs — Hakeem Nicks and Greg Little. Has WR1 potential, and is athletic, but raw. Will need a year or two, and will get that on Texans while also getting enough shots here and there to make him worth drafting in rookie drafts and stashing for a while. WR4 right away with WR1 potential in a few years.
Dynasty Draftnik 