Post Draft Landing Spots
In all the pomp and circumstance of the post-draft content machine at DLF, I signed up to do a couple articles on rookies who landed in the best and worse situations. At the time it seemed like a great idea, but then the reality of over saturation set in. We all know Bishop Sankey and Kelvin Benjamin ended up in premium locations. We also know Charles Sims didn’t. So instead of rehashing common knowledge, I thought I’d work a little harder and find some rookie talent you could snag on the cheap via trade or, if your league has a late rookie draft, be had in the latter rounds. Because I am a magnanimous gent, I’ll also throw in one guy whose landing spot isn’t nearly as good as it looks.
James White, RB NEP
With an early fourth round ADP, James White is among my favorite rookie targets of 2014. Leaving the board as the 12th running back makes sense when you look at his talent (he is solid at everything and great at nothing), but when you consider his situation, I can make a strong argument White should be drafted at least a round sooner.
Stevan Ridley is likely still on thin ice following a disastrous 2013 season. His backfield-mate, Shane Vereen, has been an oft-injured underachiever and both are free agents after this year. 12 months from now, the door has immense potential to be wide open for White to come in and take over.
If you are not the patient type, I’m confident there is a very real chance he could matter as early as Week 1 of this season. His mercurial head coach is nothing if not a lover of well-rounded running backs who can contribute on multiple levels. LeGarrette Blount, Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead, Brandon Bolden, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Sammy Morris, and Laurence Maroney have all had some fantasy relevance the last five or six years and none of them is any more talented than White.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a guy who landed in a better spot for his skillset. Hop on the train now, before he wins the job and posts a top-20 season.
Jarvis Landry, WR MIA
Continuing the theme of solid, yet not overly-talented players, Jarvis Landry is a great fit in Miami. By now we are well aware of his amazingly poor combine performance, but instead of holding it against him, I think we should be grateful it went down that way. The egg Landry laid is going to allow you to own the next Brian Hartline on the super cheap.
I hear the groans now…
“Brian Hartline is a mutt!”
“Brian Hartline? I’d rather own a half-eaten box of generic Grape Nuts where the bag is torn because somebody opened it carelessly so now all the cereal goes everywhere when you try and pour it.”
“No, I don’t want Big-Mac sauce. It is disgusting.”
Without writing another Hartline love letter (DLF has published many-a-word on our favorite Dolphin over the last few years), I will simply say players like him make roster management a much easier proposition. Landry, who should start in the slot this year, profiles as a future 70 catch, 1000 yard, three or four touchdown player. As boring as those numbers are, they translate into a WR3. I wouldn’t want him there every week, but considering guys like this can be had at a WR5-6 price, sign me up.
Hartline is overpaid by NFL standards and will be 28 in November. Landry is an extremely polished route runner who is ready to step in and produce now. A changing of the guard for the complementary receiver role on the Fins is clearly in the works. With such a low price of entry, I’m buying as many shares as I can.
Lorenzo Taliaferro, RB BAL
I’m digging deep on this one, so bear with me.
The Coastal Carolina product is a big bruiser of a back with surprisingly quick feet, good patience, and excellent college production. In the pros, he projects as a gets-what’s-blocked sort of guy who can be a nice complimentary piece to a smaller, faster runner. So why is he on this list? Because the Raven’s backfield is a potential disaster.
Ignoring the upcoming Ray Rice suspension, let’s look at the debacle of a season Raven’s RB’s had in 2013. In a less than stellar showing, their backs ranked 27th in the NFL in fantasy scoring at 18.2 PPR PPG. And while it isn’t a coincidence their offensive line ranked 27th in Pro Football Focus’ run block ratings, Rice looked slow, old, and finished. His partner, Bernard Pierce, didn’t fare much better. Like Rice, he was dinged up, but when on the field Pierce looked awful.
If Rice is cooked/suspended and if Pierce continues to struggle catching the ball, blocking, and staying healthy, somebody will need to handle early down work. It would be a short term add only, but Taliaferro has perhaps the most-clear path to playing time of any undrafted rookie in this year’s class.
Storm Johnson, RB JAX
I promised to throw in a guy whose landing spot may be fool’s gold, which is exactly what we have with Storm Johnson in Jacksonville. On paper, it looks like a perfect storm for Storm (now that is some good writing) to come in and take over on a young rebuilding squad. I’m not so sure.
When you look at the youth and inexperience in the passing game, a steadying force like Toby Gerhart is a perfect match. Considering he was signed for a decent sum of money over his three-year deal, Gerhart will have every chance to run with the job. I fully expect the former Viking to be locked in as a three-down back for the foreseeable future.
If Johnson could pass block or was a speed compliment to Gerhart’s downhill style, he may be better suited to see the field the next few seasons. As it stands, he is a slower (4.60 vs 4.53), less-complete version of the veteran. My suspicion is the Jags have a better option in place long before Storm finds himself with a shot at meaningful carries.
- How to Win Without Watching Football - July 22, 2021
- 2018 Summer Sleeper: Chicago Bears - July 9, 2018
- NFL Draft Aftermath: Winners and Losers from the AFC North - June 18, 2018
