2014 NFL Draft: Day Two Review

Jeff Haverlack Posted On May 10, 2014

Day two is in the books and things got intriguing relatively quickly. Prior to the draft getting underway, the news broke that Cleveland may lose elite receiver Josh Gordon to yet another drug offense, this time for the season.

There has yet to be any confirmation of the news but there seems to be plenty of fire beneath the smoke. Curious, though, in that the Browns did nothing via the draft to prepare for this seemingly imminent announcement. Perhaps the media has been too quick to pounce on this topic? We can only hope.

Moving on to the selections:

Round Two

36. Oakland – Derek Carr, QB FRESNO ST

The thought was Carr could slip into the bottom of the first round on day one of the draft. Instead, he remained a second day selection but didn’t have to wait long to hear his name called.

More than one team believed Carr to be this year’s best true passer while others had him firmly no better than fourth on their list. The Raiders will enter 2014 with the underachieving Matt Schaub at quarterback and it’s only a matter of time before Carr hears his number called. Circle week eight on your Raider schedule.

38. Tampa Bay – Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE WASH

The belief was that hybrid TE Tim Wright wasn’t well thought of by the new incoming coaching staff and, true to that rumor, the Bucs wasted no time in selecting Seferian-Jenkins (ASJ).

ASJ is an ultra-athletic “move” tight end WHO should immediately slide into a starting role, supplanting the aforementioned Wright. It’s a great fantasy situation for those losing out on day one selection Eric Ebron (DET). ASJ will provide a nice consolation prize for the patient coach.

39. Jacksonville – Marqise Lee, WR USC

Much like Kelvin Benjamin on day one, Lee falls to what would seem to be an immediate starting opportunity. Common belief suggests Jaguar brass is not counting on the return of Justin Blackmon in 2014, meaning Lee should slide in across from Cecil Shorts.

Lee has fallen due to a poor combine performance along with what has been reported to be medical flags relating to his knees. Aside from that exists a NFL-ready, ultra-dynamic receiver that, if injury free, could have easily been a top ten NFL rookie selection. Fantasy ballers will be nervous to spend a high selection on him and holders of late-first round selections should be salivating.

42. Philadelphia – Jordan Matthews, WR VANDY

Matthews was a sexy pick to be taken at the bottom of round one. With a great size-speed dynamic, Matthews has extremely capable hands and can run a full NFL route tree. He’s a hard working player who finds himself in an offense needing a bigger receiver to play on the outside. Matthews should be a late first round selection in fantasy given Chip Kelly’s opened up offense. There’s no denying the attractiveness of his drafted situation.

45. Seattle – Paul Richardson, WR COLO

Richardson is a burner who tore his ACL in 2012. It’s an interesting pick given some of the names still on the board and the fact the Seahawks could use a bigger bodied receiver (not named Sidney Rice).

Expect Richardson to bring a speed dynamic into space for Russell Wilson, running bubble screens and other quick hitting routes. Despite his second round selection, Richardson likely doesn’t project to much more than a late second round fantasy pick, potentially even falling into the third round.

49. New York Jets – Jace Amaro, TE TEX TECH

The J-E-T-S fill an immediate need with the selection of Amaro. He isn’t nearly as fluid as Ebron or ASJ, but he’s physical and has a high football IQ. Most importantly for fantasy players, he pencils in immediately as a starter in all likelihood.

It’s a badly needed piece for the Jets who never replaced the athleticism of the departed Dustin Keller. Amaro will be a late second or early third round selection in most fantasy formats, well behind Ebron and ASJ.

[inlinead]52. Arizona – Troy Niklas, TE ND

The door closes on Robert Housler, a player who just never developed a role despite being a huge target. Niklas has both in-line and move flexibility, which could generate a large number of snaps early in his career. Third round in fantasy is likely and he’ll need time to develop.

53. Green Bay – Davante Adams, WR FRESNO ST

Here’s an intriguing selection. Adams was ultra-productive and clearly in first round consideration both in the NFL Draft and fantasy drafts. Despite his late-second round selection, Adams could be in play as early as pick five in your first round. Aaron Rodgers combined with Adams’ size and collegiate production makes for a very interesting selection.

54. Tennessee – Bishop Sankey, RB WASH

Breaking all records for the draft, the first running back was finally selected at #54 overall. Sankey, the top back on my board in the way of rushing and receiving dynamic in combination, falls to a perfect situation with the Titans. Shonn Greene was in line for the lion’s share of carries but should give way to Sankey in most situations. His size has been questioned and he’ll need to add bulk.

Sankey is now the likely first running back off the board given the situation. He’ll be a mid first round selection.

55. Cincinnati – Jeremy Hill, RB LSU

The Bengals get their “next” big back, likely relegating Gio Bernard to further rotation and time share duty. Hill, who many have as the top overall back in the draft, is a gifted but troubled runner, having been arrested twice before turning 21. He has better than advertised hands and should command first year touches. His upside will be limited due the presence of Bernard, but any injury could provide a huge opportunity.

56. Denver – Cody Latimer, WR IND

Another receiver who was widely believed to be in first round consideration, Latimer finds his way to the Mile High city to play with Peyton Manning. He’ll take time to learn the offense given the maturity of the Broncos’ in-place receivers, but with good size, great wheels and capable hands, Latimer holds good value in the early second round of fantasy drafts.

It remains to be seen how much value Latimer would have as Manning’s career comes to an end but if you think three years remain on the elder Manning’s arm, you can bump up Latimer on your board.

57. San Francisco – Carlos Hyde, RB OSU

The consensus top back in 2014 is third off the board within his position. It’s a curious fit given that the 49ers still have Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and the recovering Marcus Lattimore. Hyde is fully healthy, a tough inside runner and likely renders either Hunter or Lattimore as a luxury and perhaps available for trade. Lattimore conceded he has yet to recover his first-step quickness or burst which is not something you wish to hear from your future bell-cow runner. The selection of Hyde is not a coincidence. As for Hyde’s value, you’ll need to have patience if you are running back needy and figure to hazard a pick on Hyde.

61. Jacksonville – Allen Robinson, WR PENN ST

Robinson was rising on draft board in fantasy and falls well beyond expectation. He’s a strong receiver with leaping ability but lacks straight-line speed. He has an Alshon Jeffery style of game but with better after the catch ability and lands in a good situation which should allow him to compete immediately for snaps. He brings a bigger size dynamic than earlier selection, Marqise Lee, so the competition begins now.

62. New England – Jimmy Garoppolo, QB E ILL

Garoppolo has the quickest and smoothest release in this year’s class and goes to a dream situation to be mentored behind Tom Brady. He’s not going to be starter for a number of years but he’ll be a nice later round stash for the patient coach while he continues to work on his lower-body mechanics.

63. Miami – Jarvis Landry, WR LSU

When watching tape on Landry, it was impossible not to notice his field awareness, toughness and his route running ability. He struggled with speed at the NFL Combine and pro day, but the tape doesn’t lie. He’s a gritty possession style receiver and should be able to carve out a role for the receiver needy Dolphins.

Round Three

65. Houston – C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE IOWA

An under-the-radar athletic tight end who will need to wait his turn in a somewhat crowded depth chart at the position. He’ll be a later round stash.

69. Tampa Bay – Charles Sims, RB WVU

A good all-around back with great hands, Sims slides into a crowded backfield to be Doug Martin’s backup at best. Sims excels as a receiver but has shown some inside ability as well. But it’s another situation that likely won’t pay dividends for many years. It’s another running back to a somewhat poor situation.

75. St. Louis – Tre Mason, RB AUB

Next back up for a poor situation: Tre Mason. He’s selected by Jeff Fisher in a good value selection, but yet another crowded depth chart. Fantasy impact is hard to ascertain here as the Rams have many young runners. He’ll be a late second round selection at best, more likely destined for the third round.

86. Philadelphia – Josh Huff, WR ORE

Huff fits the mold more as a running back, but has field-stretching ability and plus-speed in game situations. More importantly, he’s familiar with the Chip Kelly offense from his days at Oregon and has a work ethic generated from a troubled youth. He’s a player to root for as he grows into a receiver role.

90. Indianapolis – Donte Moncrief, RB MISS

Moncrief is raw, but extremely athletic with an abnormal size-speed dynamic. He’s a legitimate 4.40 athlete with a near 40″ vertical. Has a high ceiling, but will need a lot of time to develop.

94. Cleveland – Terrance West, RB TOWS

One of the board-climbers in 2014. From D2 Towson, West caught the eye of many a scout with his ability to get small through the line of scrimmage, run with power but with limited long speed. He reminds me a bit of a poor man’s Montee Ball. In Cleveland, he’ll have an opportunity without big-name talent ahead of him on the roster. That said, one of my favorite sleeper backs, Edwin Baker, shares the same backfield.

96. Minnesota – Jerrick McKinnon, RB GA SOUTH

This is a pick not to simply ignore. McKinnon has good size for a small back. He also has a dynamic impossible to miss, small hands and comes from a gimmick offense that produces extremely raw NFL players. But behind Adrian Peterson, McKinnon may see touches in 2014.

98. Green Bay – Richard Rodgers, TE CAL

Nothing to see here, move along.

99. Baltimore – Crockett Gillmore COLO ST.

See selection #98.

Follow me on Twitter: @DLF_Jeff

Author
Recent Posts

Jeff Haverlack

Co-Founder at Dynasty League Football

Appreciative husband and proud father who poorly attempts to balance family life with his passion for creating the largest, most helpful and most impactful fantasy community on the planet! DLF was created for the community and we're committed to each member within it! Hope anyone playing this great game will call DLF home in some way!

You can find Jeff on Twitter at @dlf_jeff

Latest posts by Jeff Haverlack (see all)