Pre-Combine Rookie Mock Draft: Round Two

Jacob Feldman

teddyIt seems tough to believe, but it is already the middle of February. The NFL combine kicks into full gear this weekend. For a lot of people, this weekend is their first time to get a firsthand look at a lot of the 2014 rookies.  It is also the official start of the rookie fever season. Once people get to see the athletes with their own eyes they instantly start to fall in love. Few players rocket up draft boards like a 230 pound running back that runs a 4.40 second forty or a 6’3” receiver that jumps a 38” vertical while running a sub 4.4 forty.

This mock is designed to give you our impressions of the players prior to the combine measurements and performances. There are several players with question marks in terms of size, speed, and just about anything else. The combine will definitely impact their standing in rookie drafts and could easily push them up boards if it is a good result or way down if they are shorter, smaller, or slower than expected. To help you with those changes, we will also do a mock draft a few days after the combine.

Here is a quick refresher on the guidelines given to our drafters before each mock begins:

1)     Standard PPR scoring with normal lineup requirements
2)     Draft order is randomly generated and no trades are allowed
3)     Draft the best player available without any consideration for team need

Once the mock is complete, each drafter was asked to provide some comments about the player they drafted. In order to provide a second perspective on each selection, I will also provide some comments on each of the choices. I’ll be the first to admit that we, and especially me, will get a few of these players wrong. This is especially true at this point in the year when the vast majority of us are just beginning our 2014 rookie evaluations.

The players in this mock, especially in the third round, are players that have caught our eye early in the process. There will be many changes as time goes on, both players shooting up and falling off our draft boards. A perfect example from last year is Le’Veon Bell. He wasn’t drafted in the first of our initial mock draft last year but was a top four pick in our later mock drafts.

We continue with the middle round of our draft. You’re going to recognize a lot of the names near the top of this list because at the current point in time this draft seems to be one of the deeper ones in recent memory. Of course that is destined to change as time goes on just because it always does when talented players go to terrible situations, but there is the promise of great value this year through the middle of the second round.

2.01 – Charles Sims, RB West Virginia

Ghost’s thoughts: Sims has been moving up the charts lately in fantasy circles and I’m going to take a huge part of that credit. I’ve been telling anyone who will listen that this guy is something special and people shouldn’t sleep on him. If he can land in a nice situation, look out. He’s a great rusher and a threat to catch passes out of the backfield. I’d gladly take him in the second round and never look back.

My thoughts: Ghost can take some of the credit for Sims’ rise up boards, but I think Senior Bowl week had something to do with it as well. Like Ghost, I really like Sims. I think he definitely belongs in the same breath as some of the other top running backs in this draft. The combine could easily make some others take notice of him and push him further up the boards. Sims is drawing a lot of comparisons to Matt Forte right now because he is so prolific in the passing game. He is a little bit smaller than Forte, but his ability in the passing game definitely fits. Playing in the fast paced spread offense of West Virginia makes looking at his productivity a little difficult. The combine will be big for him to see exactly how quick and fast he is.

2.02 – Allen Robinson, WR Penn State

Jeff B’s thoughts: Robinson is a player who is growing on me quickly.  When watching film of him, the thing that pops off the screen is how incredibly natural he is as a wide receiver.  I’m not sure if he possesses the type of straight-line speed as the other receivers in this draft but he makes up for it with very nimble feet and supreme agility that allow him to create separation without laboring very hard.  I’m very excited to see his combine and/or pro day as I anticipate he could skyrocket up draft boards with impressive showings.

My thoughts: Robinson is another player who is flying way below most radars at the moment. He’s my fifth receiver by a pretty comfortable margin right now behind only the big three and Jordan Matthews. He is one of the best in this draft when it comes to winning contested balls at the point of the catch, which goes a long way in the NFL. I do have some questions, as for others like Jeff, about exactly how fast and quick he might be. A good showing at the combine would go a long ways towards answering these questions and making him a first round fantasy pick.

2.03 – Teddy Bridgewater, QB Louisville

Karl’s thoughts: I’m not completely surprised to see Bridgewater at 2.03, but I would be beyond ecstatic to select him at this spot. Bridgewater is one of my favorite players of the 2014 draft. He doesn’t do anything great, but he can do everything well. I compare his game to Aaron Rodgers. His intermediate game is what makes him a great prospect. He makes good decisions, and I’ll take that over John Elway-type arm strength any day.

My thoughts: Bridgewater’s fantasy stock is falling quickly right now due to all of the reports coming out where NFL teams prefer one of the other quarterbacks over Bridgewater. Personally, I think it is a little ridiculous. Bridgewater has been the top quarterback prospect for the last two years. While I don’t know about Karl’s comparison to Rodgers, I think Bridgewater has a very promising future in the NFL. He has the complete package other than having average arm strength. With that said, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the top quarterback in this year’s draft fall into the top of the second round though.

2.04 – Jeremy Hill, RB LSU

Scott’s thoughts: Hill is a talented pure runner. He has excellent size (6’2” 235 lb) and speed, but didn’t catch much with only 18 receptions in 2013. Boy can he run though. He abused Auburn for 184 yards and three touchdowns – not bad production considering he was playing in an LSU committee situation. Off-the-field issues will drop him, but he is a nice value in round two of rookie drafts since he possesses solid upside. I bet he rises into round one of rookie drafts after the NFL Combine.

My thoughts: I think I like Hill even more than Scott does. Along with Sims, I think Hill will be one of the fast risers after the NFL combine. Much like Ben Tate or Christine Michael, he is going to walk into the combine and light it up. NFL and fantasy fans alike will be in awe of his physical talents. The problem is of course the off the field risk. I think a lot of fantasy owners are willing to overlook that though, which could push his stock unrealistically high, just like Michael’s, and cause some issues because physically he belongs with the top group of running backs but there are other concerns.

2.05 – Odell Beckham Jr, WR LSU

My thoughts: Beckham is a playmaker in the mold of Randall Cobb, Percy Harvin or Tavon Austin. He isn’t quite on their level, but he can still be a very effective player in the NFL. Like most speed freaks, Beckham is likely to shoot up the draft boards after the combine, but his value in the NFL is going to be highly dependent on where he is drafted and how they use him. Much like what happened to Austin this past year, if Beckham ends up in a place with traditional playcalling that can’t use Beckham’s unique talents he could be the next Dexter McCluster.

Beckham also needs some quality coaching. He isn’t very big and from a wide receiver stand point he has some things he needs to work on, which means he is likely to start his NFL career as a return man who slowly sees his role in the passing game expand. The team that he lands on will determine just how long it will be before he sees the field. Patience will be a huge deal with him from a fantasy owner stand point.

2.06 – Johnny Manziel, QB Texas Tech

Ryan’s thoughts: I wasn’t always a believer in quarterback Johnny Manziel. In fact, it wasn’t until the last few games of this past college football season that I believed the former Heisman winner could be a starting quarterback in the league. Now, not only am I on board with Manziel as a starter, I can see him being an elite fantasy option. Chances are though, he (or Teddy Bridgewater) won’t be first round rookie picks in dynasty leagues and though there will still be some very good fantasy options in the mid second round, grabbing a player who could be an elite fantasy starter is something you can’t pass up.

My thoughts: Opinions on the big four quarterbacks in this draft are all over the place. There are definitely a lot of teams that need quarterbacks, but the value of those quarterbacks in fantasy will be very dependent on which team drafts them. Manziel is the ultimate wildcard at the position as well. He could be the next Tim Tebow or he could be the next Russel Wilson. No one really knows for sure, but there will be a whole NFL front office that is staking their current job on his success, so you know he’s going to be given every chance to succeed.

2.07 – Devonta Freeman, RB Florida State

Jeff M’s thoughts: I love that Freeman was still on the board 18 picks into the draft because he is my third ranked rookie running back. While a bit less dynamic than my first round selection, Tre Mason, Freeman is even more compact and perhaps more powerful than Mason. He runs with great vision and shows little deceleration in and out of cuts. Freeman isn’t exactly a burner, but plenty of players in the 4.55-4.6 range are effective NFL runners. Honestly, I hope he runs slow at the combine – maybe then I will be able to grab him in the third round instead of the second.

My thoughts: At this point in the process, I love the players who are available in the early second round, but there is a drop off as you get to the rest of the second round. I’m not as high on Freeman as Jeff is because he just seems very average to me in a lot of areas. He is very good in pass protection and runs well between the tackles. If he runs faster than expected at the combine, he could be a steal in drafts. However, I think he is most likely destined for the power part of a committee.

2.08 – Davante Adams, WR Fresno St.

Andy’s thoughts: I was excited to get my sixth ranked receiver in the middle of the second round. This receiver might be the reason why his teammate Derek Carr will get drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft.  While he isn’t the biggest receiver, Adams long arms makes his catch radius as big as someone 6′ 4″ despite being two inches shorter.  He did not run a complete route tree, but has the athleticism to adjust to the ball in the air and make silly, unbelievable receptions.  Adams uses his body to shield the defender from the ball and can outleap almost anyone.  An NFL team and your dynasty team might find fantasy gold this late in the draft with this selection.

My thoughts: Andy mentions Adams made Carr what he was. I get the feeling it was either that or the other way around. One of them made the other one look extremely good, but I have no idea which way it goes. The combine will help us to figure out who actually has the physical tools for the next level, but I do have some concerns about Adams. Like Andy mentions, he got by on his athleticism. In the NFL, everyone is a supreme athlete and Adams is going to need some time to adjust his game and learn how to run routes before he can be productive in the NFL. He’s a great pick in the second round though and someone that could have a brief future for a patient fantasy owner.

2.09 – Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE Washington

Dan’s thoughts: I was planning on selecting Jared Abbrederis with this pick until ASJ got to me.  Of the three tight ends at the top of this draft class, he’s my least favorite due to his off the field issues along with concerns about his effort on the field.  That said, he’s still easily a top 20 pick in my opinion.  He’s listed at 6’6″ and 276 pounds, is very athletic and has great hands.  Couple those traits with his skills as a blocker and he has the potential to become a TE1 with top-five upside at the position.  I’ll gladly take that near the end of round two of any rookie draft.

My thoughts: The third of the top three tight ends, I think ASJ is a step behind the two who were selected in the first round of this mock draft. He is the biggest of the bunch by a fair amount while being almost athletic. That makes him a very tempting target for teams and fantasy owners alike. Some will compare him to Rob Gronkowski, but I think a more appropriate comparison would be Jermichael Finley. Much like Finley, the ability is there but the effort and mental side of the game are questionable. If an NFL team can get the best out of him, he is going to be a star.

2.10 – Brandin Cooks, WR Oregon State

Tim’s thoughts: Probably limited to slot WR in the NFL due to his size. Not likely to be a weekly starter in 12-team standard leagues, but he will get drafted in all rookie drafts unless his situation is atrocious. Expect him to run a fast 40 time and push him up boards.

My thoughts: A great athlete and a supreme college football player, Cooks might be one of those players who reached his peak in college. His game at his size is a bit of a concern when we try to figure out how it translates to bigger and stronger cornerbacks in the NFL.  Tim could be right in saying Cooks fits as a slot receiver, but that really isn’t his type of game. I struggle trying to figure out where Cooks fits best at the next level, but I know he’ll put on a show at the combine and get a lot of people excited.

2.11 – Donte Moncrief, WR Ole Miss

My thoughts: At 6’3” and 225 pounds, Moncrief is a big bodied receiver. Unfortunately for him, his draft stock fell throughout his junior season as he didn’t take the next step and might have even taken a step backwards from his sophomore year. He has excellent speed and quickness for his size, but he isn’t very polished in the finer arts of playing the wide receiver position. He was inconsistent this year and also struggled anytime he was asked to run a route that took him away from the sideline.

He’s likely to get a lot of press at the combine because he is a bit of a size-speed freak, but the more interesting part will be how he looks running the routes since he didn’t do much of that at Ole Miss. I think he is a prime candidate to have an Alshon Jeffery type of start to his career. I expect many owners to be disappointed with him during his rookie season, because he has the skill set to become a top flight receiver in the NFL if he works hard and learns how to play the position.

2.12 – Paul Richardson, WR Colorado

Brian’s thoughts: Richardson does NOT have prototypical size for a wide receiver. At 6’1” and 170 pounds, he would likely be split in half or grow the largest set of alligator arms in the NFL if he was cracked going over the middle. Richardson has elite athletic ability and can make adjustments with his feet or in the air to make plays. He has a long frame that will allow him to add muscle, but how quickly he can add muscle to suppress the durability questions remains to be seen. Richardson can use his quick feet and speed to beat defenders outside the numbers with his first two steps. He is raw, but if he can improve his focus, weight and route running he could be a nice addition for any team looking to add a speedster to stretch the secondary.

My thoughts: If you like quick twitch, explosive athletes, you need to keep an eye on Richardson. He can fly with the ball in his hands. The best part is he might not have been back to top form this past season. The problem is with his current build I find it pretty difficult to think he’s going to play receiver in the NFL. He would get utterly destroyed by NFL corners out wide and cut in half by linebackers or safeties over the middle. Unless he can bulk up a bit without losing speed, I think he is destined to be a star returner but nothing else.

That’s it for round two! The third and final round, where we see a lot of our favorite fliers to keep an eye on, will be coming up tomorrow.

jacob feldman