2014 NFL Draft Veteran Winners and Losers: Day Three

Ryan McDowell

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Day three of the NFL draft has a different feel. Obviously teams are willing to take more risks and just as obvious is the fact that most of the players chosen in round four through seven are not as highly regarded as those selected on the first two days of the draft. Because of that, the immediate impact on veterans is less, even though there are many more players chosen on the final day.

One other thing that is clear now that the NFL Draft has come to an end is what positions teams feel comfortable and confident with. This turns some players into winners by default. Look for those as well.

Here’s a look at some of the veteran winners and losers from day three of the NFL Draft.

The Picks: Jalen Saunders (4.04), Shaquelle Evans (4.15) and Quincy Enunwa (6.33), NYJ WRs

As I mentioned following the round two selection of tight end Jace Amaro, the New York Jets clearly needed to upgrade their pass catchers. They did that with Amaro and on the final day of the draft, they added three versatile wide receivers in Jalen Saunders, Shaquelle Evans and Quincy Enunwa.  Expect contributions from at least two of these players in 2014. My personal favorite is Enunwa.

The Winner: Geno Smith, QB NYJ

Again, I pegged Jets quarterback Geno Smith as the winner based on the Amaro selection and it only gets better on day three of the draft as the Jets added the three rookie wideouts. The trip gives Smith some youngsters to target in the passing game to go along with Amaro. The pressure is firmly on holdovers Stephen Hill and Jeremy Kerley.

The Pick: Andre Williams, RB NYG (4.13)
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The Giants running back position has been in flux in recent years. After they released Ahmad Bradshaw, their longtime starter, the team seemed ready to hand the job to David Wilson, but he struggled and then suffered a serious injury.  Now, they’ve added a big bruising runner in former Boston College back Andre Williams. He’s shown he has no skills when it comes to catching the ball, but he can definitely be an asset pounding the ball and gaining tough yards.

The Loser: David Wilson, RB NYG

The Giants signed former Oakland Raider Rashad Jennings to presumably be their starter in 2014 and this selection of Williams could affect his value as well, although he had little long-term value anyway. The player this really sends a message about is Wilson, who is battling to return to the field after suffering that serious neck injury. Although most of the recent reports have been positive, at one time, there was a fear that Wilson would never play again. Combining the worry about his injury with his all-around poor play last season, and it appears the Giants may be moving on.

The Pick: James White, RB NE (4.30)

Former Wisconsin running back James White is a solid all-around runner and can be an asset in the passing game as well. Basically, he’s perfect for what Bill Belichick likes to do, which made him an ideal fit for the New England Patriots in the late fourth round. We all know Belichick likes to rotate his running backs and keep defenses (and dynasty owners) guessing. Because of that, I’m not sure how much dynasty value White will have, but he will certainly have an impact on some of the other Patriot backs.

The Loser: Stevan Ridley, RB NE

It seems running back Stevan Ridley has been in the doghouse of Belichick more than he’s been out of it and this is another sign Ridley simply can’t be trusted. The Patriots coaching staff never forgets a lost fumble and Ridley has had more than his share. Again, I don’t think White will necessarily be a fantasy force, but he’s another mouth to feed and White only fumbled twice in over 750 college touches. If he keeps that up, he will see the field and Ridley’s value will continue to plummet.

The Pick: Tom Savage, QB HOU (4.35)

This pick had been rumored much of the weekend and some even thought it could happen in the second round. Instead, the Houston Texans waited until the end of the fourth round to select former Pitt quarterback Tom Savage. It’s no surprise the Texans added a quarterback during the draft, but after some premature reports of a trade, it was a surprise they drafted one.

The Loser: Ryan Mallett, QB NE

It seems like the Patriots have been rumored to be trading backup quarterback Ryan Mallett ever since they drafted him three years ago, but this weekend was evidently the closest they came to actually pulling it off. Mallett was nearly dealt to the Texans, according to multiple reports, but instead the Texans added Savage in the final day of the draft. Meanwhile, Mallet remains buried behind future Hall of Famer Tom Brady, not to mention the Patriots pick of Jimmy Garappolo on Friday. This certainly signals the end of Mallett’s Patriot career, but the bad news for Mallett and his dynasty owners is that there may be another year of waiting.

The Picks: Jared Abbrederis (5.36) and Jeff Janis (7.21), GB WRs

The Green Bay Packers have some tough decisions coming up when it comes to their wide receiver depth chart. Their top three wide receivers entering draft weekend were Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Jarrett Boykin and all three will be free agents following the 2014 season. It will be nearly impossible to retain all three, so they did just what they had to do. In addition to the day two selection of Davante Adams, the Packers chose two more receivers in the draft’s final day, adding Jared Abbrederis from Wisconsin and a favorite of the fantasy metrics-heads Jeff Janis. Don’t expect either to contribute much this season, but their addition gives the team the flexibility it needed to address the wide receiver position as a whole over the next year.

The Loser: Jarrett Boykin, WR GB

As we’ve seen with Greg Jennings, and I expect we will soon learn about James Jones as well, leaving the Packers and Aaron Rodgers is not ideal for a wide receiver. One of the trio of Packer holdovers will certainly be gone following the 2014 season and the prime candidate will be Jarrett Boykin, who excelled when called upon in 2013. Boykin does not have the track record of the other two veteran receivers, so his services will not be in demand in the same way.

As I mentioned above, some veterans come out of NFL Draft weekend as winners as a result of players their team did not take. Here are some examples.

Quarterback Winners

Nick Foles, QB PHI

This may sound crazy, but there were actually rumors heading into the draft that the Eagles would consider trading their breakout quarterback Nick Foles, which would obviously negatively impact his dynasty value no matter which team he ended up with. Of course, that didn’t happen and the Eagles did not add a rookie quarterback either. Foles job is safe and the team even added more pass catchers to improve his dynasty value.

Sam Bradford, QB STL

The St. Louis Rams were often rumored to select a quarterback early in the draft, possibly Johnny Manziel with the second overall pick. That clearly didn’t happen and the only quarterback the Rams did add this weekend was little known Garrett Gilbert late in the sixth round. This all means Sam Bradford has one more year to prove he can lead this team in the right direction and, for now, he maintains his dynasty value.

Running Back Winners

Andre Ellington, RB ARI

With the surprise retirement of former starting running back Rashard Mendenhall this off-season, the Arizona Cardinals were left with second year backs Andre Ellington and Stepfan Taylor. Of course, Ellington had a great rookie year, but the Cardinals coaching staff seemed intent on limiting his touches, which they reportedly planned to do again in 2014. The draft has ended though and Arizona did not add a running back, meaning the bulk of the carries should go to Ellington, stabilizing his dynasty value.

Montee Ball, RB DEN

Another player who will likely benefit from his team ignoring the running back position this weekend is Montee Ball, who is expected to take over for departed Knowshon Moreno as the Broncos starting back. Ball has already shown in college that he can handle a heavy workload and Peyton Manning has proven to be great for running back production with his constant threat to throw the ball. Expect Ball to have a great year and his value could see a nice increase over the next few months.

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