A strong case could be made
that Adams should have been a late Day 2 pick, so New York lands
a potential steal here. The Giants have made a living out of getting
production out of late-round picks or undrafted free agents at
tight end, and I'd argue Adams is the most talented one they have
acquired in recent year. Adams can stretch the seam at 6-5, 247,
it will get plenty of opportunities to do so with Odell Beckham
Jr. and Sterling Shepard occupying the majority of defensive attention
outside the hashes. He is a willing blocker - although he has
much room to improve in that area - and should be at least a very
capable complement to Will Tye. Although he has no redraft value,
Adams should eventually emerge as the more valuable of the two
in fantasy, making him a worthwhile third-round pick in rookie
drafts.
6.17 - WR Kolby Listenbee, Bills
There is a giant void opposite Sammy Watkins at receiver in Buffalo,
so any respectable wideout prospect is going to be given a chance
to make some kind of impact. Josh Doctson may have stolen the
show at TCU, but Listenbee was the silent tag-team partner who
averaged nearly 20 yards on 30 catches in 2015. The track standout
needs to add some muscle to his frame - he is rail-thin for a
6-0, 197-pounder - but it should be noted that his initial responsibility
in Buffalo will be to stretch the defense, not run over the middle
of it. As a result, he should be an afterthought in redraft leagues,
but his raw speed is enough to put him on the dynasty league radar.
He's worth a shot sometime in the third round of rookie drafts.
6.36 - RB Kelvin Taylor, 49ers
There is Carlos Hyde in San Francisco, and then there is a whole
lot of uncertainty behind him in an offensive system that is dictated
on the running game. The son of Fred Taylor, Kelvin lacks the
all-around game of his dad but may be the best among the best
2-3 pure runners in this draft. Kelvin possesses the kind of advanced
football intelligence that one might expect from a longtime NFL
standout and more lateral agility than most of the backs in this
class. He was the featured back in Florida in 2015 and never fumbled
the ball in 510 career offensive touches, so he should have no
problem earning Chip Kelly's trust. The reason he falls to the
end of this round is because he is not a tackle-breaker per se,
fights the ball a bit as a receiver and doesn't possess breakaway
speed. Nevertheless, Taylor has a realistic shot at becoming Hyde's
handcuff right away, and warrants RB4 consideration in redraft
leagues. He's also a worthy mid-to-late second-round investment
in rookie drafts.
7.09 - WR Daniel Braverman, Bears
Braverman isn't going to wow anyone with his deep speed or ability
to high-point the ball, but he's a near-lock to carve himself
out a fairly long career in the NFL. The Western Michigan product,
who declared for the draft early after posting a 108-1,367-13
line in his final year in 2015, is one of the top 2-3 route-runners
in this draft and more than enough foot quickness to succeed.
At worst, he can be Cole Beasley. If Chicago commits to using
him a lot in the slot, Braverman will give defenses fits as a
chain-mover. He's not worth a pick in redraft leagues, but dynasty
leaguers should have him on their radar.
7.20 - WR Charone Peake, Jets
If we've learned anything in recent years, it might be that receivers
out of Clemson are worth paying attention to in the NFL. In fact,
the recent run of talent the school has had at the position (DeAndre
Hopkins, Martavis Bryant and Sammy Watkins) as well as injuries
served as the major reasons why Peake failed to deliver on his
talent until 2015. At 6-2, 205 pounds and 4.4 speed, he looks
the part of a lead receiver and fights for yards after the catch.
Hand size (leading to a high drop rate) and the aforementioned
injuries kept him on the board until late in Day 3, but it should
be noted that New York doesn't have much behind Brandon Marshall
and Eric Decker (Quincy Enunwa is his main competition). He's
off the redraft radar, but he has an outside shot at becoming
Marshall's successor if last year proved to be a sign of things
to come for Peake.
7.21 - RB Keith Marshall, Redskins
Marshall went to Georgia as a more highly touted recruit than
Todd Gurley, but a torn ACL in 2013 (and a slow recovery from
it) resulted in him missing most of the next two seasons. He had
a chance at some significant playing time in 2015 after Nick Chubb
was lost to injury midway through the season, but his continued
hesitancy allowed Sony Michel to take the feature back role at
Georgia. Marshall's stock spiked a little bit after the NFL Combine
after running a 4.31 and has wonderful size (5-11, 219) for a
feature NFL lead back, but his future will depend on whether or
not he can ever fully trust his knee again. If he does, he should
have no problem climbing to No. 2 on the depth chart in relatively
short order behind Matt Jones, who still needs to prove himself
as well. Marshall has a shot at being a late round pick in redraft
leagues with a good camp (and if he can pass Chris Thompson on
the depth chart), and is also worth a third-round flyer in rookie
drafts.
Doug Orth has written for FF
Today since 2006 and been featured in USA Today’s Fantasy
Football Preview magazine since 2010. He hosted USA Today’s
hour-long, pre-kickoff fantasy football internet chat every Sunday
in 2012-13 and appears as a guest analyst on a number of national
sports radio shows, including Sirius XM’s “Fantasy Drive”.
Doug is also a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association.