FANTASY IMPACT: NFL DRAFT REACTION

By Dan Rosier @theBleagueSays

 

BACK ROW SHOW BANDITS!!!

 

I am back with another #FantasyImpact article for you via @TheBackRowShow and I cannot wait for you to check this out! What I have for you is the fallout from the NFL Draft and what picks I was, and was not, into. No long-winded opening - just meat and potatoes this week, let’s crack into it!

 

Early Round Picks: 

 

Pick I loved: WR Jalen Raegor, Pick 21, Philadelphia Eagles - 

 

Carson Wentz managed to finish as a top ten fantasy QB while throwing to people he probably met on game day for the first time. The Eagles invested their first round pick into another wide receiver (and we know their track record with that) but for what it’s actually worth, I feel like amongst all their failings they were never actually this secure and settled with who was throwing the ball in the first place for it to really matter.

 

They have their long-term solution at quarterback, they have now got their receiver. This could be a pairing that has an instant impact - and one that is sustained for many years to come.

 

Pick I hated: QB Jordan Love, Pick 26, Green Bay - 

 

Add<but.why.gif/lol/jokes>

 

No. Really. Why?

 

The Packers rolled to a 13-3 last season with a team that underperformed (in my opinion) at times off the back of some experienced leadership from Aaron Rodgers. Especially when his best player went missing with turf-toe in the middle of the year.

 

They were so close to winning it all, and this is how they repay the guys doing the hard work? By adding a guy they can’t and won’t use for a few years - if he sticks it out that long and is as advertised? When most of the roster will turn over before he even starts a game?

 

No, really, again. But why?

 

The jury is out on: WR Henry Ruggs III, Pick 12, Las Vegas - 

 

I am going to play the assumption game and say that Antonio Brown was meant to ‘unlock’ Derek Carr last season and if it was his actions that lead to their quick demise then so be it. The former Oakland outfit was not that bad in 2019 – a surprise to most - and Carr was fine too. So, if adding Ruggs here is the supplement to what Brown was meant to be then I get the reasoning behind the pick - it shows they have a vision for how this offense should look.

 

But, by picking the first receiver off the board, I feel like they left more meat on the bone with who they overlooked. I appreciate the way they still added more depth with Bryan Edwards and Lynn Bowden which makes you think why they didn’t look to boost another position of need if they knew they were a chance at taking these two with back to back picks when they did.

 

A weird pick for me this early, but it is not really because of the player. 

 

Mid Round Picks:

 

Pick I loved: WR Devin Duvernay, Pick 92, Baltimore - 

 

The top Baltimore wide receiver last year was Marquise Brown with 71-46-584-7 which was solid for a rookie who missed most of training camp with a foot injury. Now they have added Duvernay who not only can catch anything but also is lightning quick too. 

 

The Devin Duvernay addition is going to be good news for not only Brown, but for Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews as being a viable option to help further accentuate the ridiculous run game the Ravens possess. Add to that James Proche and J.K Dobbins and this team got real young quick. Duvernay could be the possession threat they were missing last year to help them take their next steps as a franchise dominating the North for another year.

 

Pick I hated: RB Zach Moss, Pick 86, Buffalo - 

 

It’s not so much that I have a problem with Zach Moss, or the Bills taking a running back because it felt like they could and would draft that way early too with how their free agency went with recruitment - the Leonard Fournette/Todd Gurley/Melvin Gordon rumors were there all offseason so seeing them pick this position isn’t so much of a shock as some have made it out to be. It just felt like he does not offer anything better or more than what Devin Singletary already does. 

 

For example, I like what Tennessee did to compliment Derrick Henry seven picks later with Darrynton Evans being a quick change of pace guy with solid pass catching chops - that made a stack of sense for them as a team and that specific skill to aid what they try to do. But adding Moss, for me, did not really have that same effect, and probably will not for the Bills either.

 

The jury is out on: WR Chase Claypool, Pick 49, Pittsburgh - 

 

Meh.

 

That was my first thought.

 

If you are buying Claypool with the hopes that the Steelers let Juju Smith-Schuster walk at the end of the year, then I would say that is not the best idea. Assuming Schuster does walk and Roethlisberger retires, you're then left with a guy who's going to have to mesh with either a veteran that's brought in the following year, or hope that Mason Rudolph isn't that bad (yeah but he is), or then hope that the Steelers don’t draft another receiver the next year and assume a rookie quarterback that they likely draft relies on him too.

 

Seems like a lot of over thinking, I know. However, it seems like they over-thought this pick too. They could have grabbed better receivers later in the draft that offer the same or similar traits without the cost.

 

Late Round Picks:

 

Pick I loved: RB DeeJay Dallas, Pick 144, Seattle - 

 

Travis Homer was ok I guess last year when he got his chance, but they also called Marshawn Lynch up too when games actually mattered for Seattle. Chris Carson should be ok by the time the season starts but Rashaad Penny could start on the PUP list. So, to see them draft a guy like DeeJay Dallas in the later rounds of the draft for a position of need to me was a great way to not wreck their bank and still fill in holes for depth. I’m buying into Dallas (the player, not the team) challenging Homer for the next man up role if Carson can’t go. With how Seattle wants to run the ball - I’m ok with reaching for this guy should you feel could see action sooner than later.

 

Pick I hated: RB Jason Huntley, Pick 172, Detroit - 

 

You have got D’Andre Swift in the second round and Kerryon Johnson on the books. Just throw some spare change to Paul Perkins and fill up the depth chart instead of this. MIchael Warren and J.J Taylor went undrafted and you could have literally opted for this instead. But no. The Lions gotta Lion. 

 

The jury is out on: WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, Pick 142, Washington - 

 

Call me crazy… but Washington’s passing game looked O.K. the last few weeks of 2019. Steven Sims was a nice surprise. Kelvin Harmon started to turn up. Terry McLaurin was a monster all year too. I feel like Antonio Gibson, Bryce Love and Derrius Guice will add a dynamic element that was missing to this team. Antonio Gandy-Golden has that Josh Doctson feel. You would think they were trying to get away from that, but considering their new staff was into Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess then I am not that surprised. 

 

It feels like a wasted pick and against what they are trying to transform into. Washington fans should be upset with this. But Washington has no fans. So, I guess it does not matter that much.

 

And there you have it!

 

Make sure you check in with this week’s @BackRowGiants podcast and the boys @TheBackRowShow every Friday night too. Also make sure you Subscribe, Rate, Review all of the Back Row Studio’s podcasts and share them too! 

 

Until next time, Cheers!