A second-round receiver based on production, Westbrook last until
the third day based on off-field issues and character concerns.
The Oklahoma product basically carried the Sooners' passing game
in 2016 and should be able to give Jacksonville a bit of a deep
threat as an owner of 4.38 speed. At 6-0 and 178 pounds, he isn't
ready to hold up to full-time duty and will be hard-pressed to
bypass Allen Hurns or Marqise Lee on the depth chart anytime soon.
4.07 - RB Samaje Perine, Redskins
Washington got a lot of mileage out of Rob Kelley last year,
but the Redskins could very well be drafting his eventual replacement
here. Perine rivals Leonard Fournette as among the most physical
runners in this draft, and he possesses more speed than Kelley.
Although Chris Thompson will continue to hold onto the majority
of passing-down duties, Perine also is a more natural receiver
than Kelley. "Fat" Rob will almost certainly begin the
season as the starter, but it should really only be a matter of
time before the NCAA single-game record-holder in rushing yards
passes him on the depth chart. He should be able to give Washington
what it hoped it was getting for Matt Jones and is certainly worth
a look late in redraft leagues.
4.10 - WR Josh Reynolds, Rams
Los Angeles continues to remake its receiving corps, and Reynolds
is a solid addition who could be starting - along with Cooper
Kupp - by the end of the season. Reynolds is a long-strider who
may be the best bad-ball/50-50/end-zone fade receiver in this
draft. At 6-3 and 194 pounds, he needs to add some muscle, but
he gives the Rams a much-needed tall wideout who can potentially
bail Jared Goff. There is a bit of Alvin Harper to his game, and
he could eventually settle into being a very good No. 2 receiver
in the NFL.
4.13 - RB Tarik Cohen, Bears
The 5-6, 179-pound Cohen is virtually no kick or punt return
experience, so Chicago is rolling the dice he can earn his keep
as an explosive third-down/passing-down option. Here's saying
he will. Nicknamed "The Human Joystick", Cohen is ridiculously
elusive and should become a fan favorite in short order. Most
amazingly for a player of his size, he is a bit of a freak show
physically with huge hands (10 1/8") and a powerful lower
half. He obviously presents no threat to Jordan Howard, but Chicago
will almost certainly try to use him in a Darren Sproles-like
fashion, which obviously makes him a potential fringe option in
PPR leagues.
4.15 - RB Joe Williams, 49ers
Sitting behind Carlos Hyde and Tim Hightower on the depth chart,
Williams isn't going to see any immediate playing time, but he's
going to be worth a stash in deeper leagues given Hyde's injury
history and Hightower's age. Furthermore, any middle-round pick
new HC Kyle Shanahan makes needs to be monitored. Williams is
a more physical runner than his size (5-11, 210) might indicate,
and it is very possible Shanahan sees this Utah Ute as his new
Tevin Coleman, although he has work to do as a receiver. Still,
with the issues Hyde and Hightower (one-year contract as well)
have, Williams is a dark-horse candidate to be a lead back in
San Fran by 2018.
4.21 - TE Michael Roberts, Lions
Eric Ebron has been put on notice, as if the fact Detroit not
yet picking up his fifth-year option wasn't enough. The 6-4, 270-pound
Roberts is more Brandon Pettigrew than Ebron, but he gives Detroit
a dependable set of hands as a possession receiver and a plus-blocker
in the run game, which makes him a possible three-down option
if the Lions want to move on from Ebron at some point in the near
future. While this selection means more for the running game now
than it anything, Roberts has a shot of being a starter in 2018
and a low-end fantasy TE2 option at that point.
4.26 - RB Donnel Pumphrey, Eagles
Philadelphia obviously has no desire to move away from a running
back by committee. While Pumphrey leaves college football as the
NCAA’s all-time leading rusher, he is much more likely to
replace Darren Sproles as the team's primary passing-down option
in 2018 than steal the starting job. Like Sproles, the 5-8, 176-pound
Pumphrey made his living at San Diego State thanks to elusiveness
and speed - qualities which will allow him to excel in the return
game and on designed shot calls when the Eagles see a matchup
they like.
4.27 - WR Ryan Switzer, Cowboys
Switzer was a dynamic slot option for North Carolina this season
and quickly emerged as Mitchell Trubisky's favorite option in
the passing game. He is better known for his exploits as a return
man, tying the NCAA record with five punt return touchdowns in
2013 and finishing one shy of the NCAA career mark with seven.
On the surface, Switzer seems like he'd be a carbon copy of Cole
Beasley, but the former is a better all-around player and will
probably overtake him at some point this year or next. He's obviously
not going to overtake Dez Bryant as Dak Prescott's top option,
but Switzer should eventually be able to become a consistent 50-catch
player and will obviously have a ton of upside in return leagues.
4.28 - RB Jamaal Williams, Packers
Attention, fantasy owners: we have our first Day 3 running back
who should have immediate value in redraft leagues. Williams did
not get nearly enough buzz during the draft process and should
quickly find himself working in tandem with Ty Montgomery as the
power complement in the Packers' backfield. Williams' leg drive
is among the best in this draft and, to that end, PFF charted
him with 55 missed tackles in 2016, eighth-best in this draft
class. Williams is a bit more than just a between-the-tackles
bully, however, as traditional power backs typically don't fare
overly well running behind zone-blocking lines, which is what
he did for the Cougars. He is fast enough to hit the edge and
repeatedly shows the vision to do a lot of damage once he plants
his foot in the ground. Williams only fumbled twice on 369 touches
over his last two seasons as well. Long-term, the Packers may
have just found themselves their successor to Eddie Lacy.
4.34 - RB Wayne Gallman, Giants
Gallman finds himself in a pretty good situation, but a bit of
an ordinary runner and may not give the G-Men anything more than
a younger, more powerful version of Bobby Rainey. Paul Perkins'
job security should remain pretty safe with this pick, even if
he loses a few short-yardage/goal-line carries to the new guy
as a result of this selection. Gallman should probably be selected
late in deeper leagues because he should be the No. 2 option in
relatively short order, but he doesn't possess a ton of upside.
4.35 - WR Chad Hansen, Jets
Just about every skill-position player drafted by New York warrants
a write-up, if only because the Jets are in full-scale rebuild
mode. Hansen has a bit of Eric Decker in his game but should be
a long-term reliable possession receiver in the league. Especially
given the quarterback situation, Hansen isn't anywhere close to
being on the radar in redraft leagues, but his is a name to keep
in mind down the road.
4.37 - RB Marlon Mack, Colts
Perhaps it shouldn't be all that surprising given the depth of
this draft class, but it comes as a bit of a shock a big-play
back like Mack is still available. With only Robert Turbin and
Josh Ferguson in front of him, South Florida's all-time leading
rusher becomes a name to know in fantasy with Frank Gore near
the end. Mack is also an exciting cutback runner with enough power
to break arm tackles, although he runs a bit too upright at this
point to be considered an "inside runner" - something
Gore should be able to help him with. Mack does his best work
on the perimeter, however, and he will be able to contribute more
in the passing game than his 65 receptions over three seasons
might suggest. On 651 career offensive touches, he committed 12
fumbles - a rate of 1.8 percent (roughly 2.5 times what evaluators
deem acceptable). With that said, it might take a year or two
for Mack to get there, but once he irons out his flaws, he has
a good chance of being a lead back at the next level.
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.