NFL Draft Aftermath: Winners and Losers from the AFC East

Jaron Foster

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As part of our ongoing post-draft coverage, we’re going to bring you an all-encompassing list of winners and losers from each and every one of the NFL divisions. These recaps are sure to get you set for the upcoming season and shed light on the new-look depth charts all over the league.  We begin the series with a look at the AFC East.

Buffalo Bills

Pick #50, Ronald Darby, CB
Pick #81, John Miller, OG
Pick #155, Karlos Williams, RB
Pick #188, Tony Steward, LB
Pick #194, Nick O’Leary, TE
Pick #234, Dezmin Lewis, WR

Draft Overview

The Bills did their off-season heavy lifting prior to the draft with the acquisitions of LeSean McCoy, Percy Harvin and Charles Clay. Although they used four of their six picks on the offensive side of the ball, it is very possible the only impact player will be guard John Miller. Running back Karlos Williams was selected in the fifth round, but he looks more like a special teams player and backup than NFL starter. Tight end Nick O’Leary projects as more of a blocking tight end with little upside as a receiver, and seventh-round wide receiver Dezmin Lewis probably won’t make the 53-man roster. For Bills fans, it is best to hope cornerback Ronald Darby and Miller turn into starters and focus on their new free agent playmakers.

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Winners

The player who benefitted most from the Bills’ draft was LeSean McCoy. No true competition was brought in to challenge the running back for carries, and the team added a physical guard the offensive line has been lacking to help clear paths for him. Though no quarterback has been named the starter for Buffalo, defenses will challenge whichever underwhelming passer emerges with the job by stacking the box against McCoy. Bulking up the offensive line was critical, and Miller should help keep McCoy on his feet.

Losers

Despite Williams’ limited upside in the backfield, his selection can only be bad news for Bryce Brown and Anthony Dixon. Largely ineffective when given the opportunity for carries following injuries to Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller, these players were already in roster bubble territory. Though Spiller left for New Orleans, the addition of a running back using the third of only six picks likely pushes Brown or Dixon off the roster altogether (especially if Williams proves to be an asset on special teams).

Selected 222nd overall in the seventh round of the 2013 draft, Chris Gragg has caught twelve passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns in two seasons. He has bounced back and forth between dynasty rosters and the waiver wire, but he can safely be ignored altogether as the Bills throw money at Charles Clay and draft competition at backup tight end in Nick O’Leary.

Miami Dolphins

Pick #14, DeVante Parker, WR
Pick #52, Jordan Phillips, DT
Pick #114, Jamil Douglas, OG
Pick #145, Bobby McCain, CB
Pick #149, Jay Ajayi, RB
Pick #150, Cedric Thompson, S
Pick #156, Tony Lippett, WR/DB

Draft Overview

Offensively and defensively, Miami found good value throughout the draft. Jordan Phillips and Jamil Douglas could prove to be solid contributors in the trenches while Bobby McCain is a playmaker in the secondary. The players we are primarily concerned with are DeVante Parker and Jay Ajayi, both of whom were going in the top six in many pre-NFL draft mocks. Parker is still my 1.05 rookie pick although many aren’t high on his landing spot while Ajayi will likely be the most polarizing player in drafts.

Winners

This summer, all eyes will be on the status of Ajayi’s knee. He could have high upside in an improving offense, but this is assuming the injury does not completely derail his progress. In either case, that Miami waited until the fifth round to draft their only rookie running back (inclusive of undrafted free agents) is a good sign for Lamar Miller. I am the lowest top 100 ranker on DLF for Miller, so I do not normally speak of him highly in dynasty. However, if I owned any shares I would feel a little more comfortable with his 2015 outlook today than a week ago when many mocks included the Dolphins taking a running back on day one of the draft.

Losers

After signing a two-year deal with the Dolphins for $8 million, it appeared Greg Jennings would be starting opposite Kenny Stills with Jarvis Landry in the slot. At the very least, he was an improvement over players like Rishard Matthews and Matt Hazel. After drafting Parker (who should run circles around Jennings in training camp), the 32-year old receiver finds himself with an even lower ceiling and likely a one-and-done situation with Miami.

New England Patriots

Pick #32, Malcom Brown, DT
Pick #64, Jordan Richards, S
Pick #97, Geneo Grissom, DE/LB
Pick #101, Trey Flowers, DE
Pick #111, Tre’ Jackson, OG
Pick #131, Shaq Mason, C
Pick #166, Joe Cardona, LS
Pick #178, Matthew Wells, LB/S
Pick #202, AJ Derby, TE
Pick #247, Darryl Roberts, CB
Pick #253, Xzavier Dickson, LB

Draft Overview

The reaction to the Patriots’ draft has been a resounding “meh,” which generally averages some great picks (Malcom Brown, Tre Flowers and Tre’ Jackson) with some very questionable picks with regards to value (Jordan Richards, Joe Cardona, Matthew Wells). New England clearly focuses on finding intelligent and versatile players who they feel fit their scheme best, regardless of how the rest of the league may value those players. The only offensive skill player selected was sixth round tight end AJ Derby, a former quarterback who is raw but has some upside, so this draft was largely overwhelming for dynasty league purposes.

Winners

Simply put, every New England running back or wide receiver who is battling for a spot on the 53-man roster is breathing easier post-draft. The Patriots head into the 2015 season with Dion Lewis, LeGarrette Blount, Brandon Bolden, Travaris Cadet, Tyler Gaffney, Jonas Gray and James White vying for jobs in the backfield. After Brandon LaFell and Julian Edelman, there are currently nine wide receivers who will battle for a few available spots. Who wins significant playing time or a backup role at either position is anyone’s guess, but they did not lose any value as a result of the draft.

Losers

The other side of this coin is Tom Brady was not given any new weapons to throw or hand off to. Should Rob Gronkowski, Edelman and LaFell stay healthy, Brady will have a familiar group of receivers, but which of the running backs will take most of Shane Vereen’s third down snaps?

New York Jets

Pick #6, Leonard Williams, DE
Pick #37, Devin Smith, WR
Pick #82, Lorenzo Mauldin, OLB
Pick #103, Bryce Petty, QB
Pick #152, Jarvis Harrison, OG
Pick #223, Deon Simon, DT

Draft Overview

Though by most accounts the Jets had a productive draft, for dynasty leagues there isn’t much to get excited about. Leonard Williams was the consensus best overall player in the draft, but he enters a less-than-fantasy-friendly 3-4 defense. Offensively, wide receiver Devin Smith is a deep ball threat who has run a very limited route tree and Bryce Petty is a long-term project at quarterback. They also acquired running back Zac Stacy from St. Louis and wide receiver DeVier Posey from Houston in mid-draft trades, though neither projects as a strong contributor on offense.

Winners

For the short term, quarterbacks Geno Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick still find themselves in a competition to win the starting job. Rumors swirling around a trade up to the second pick to select Marcus Mariota would have spelled the end of dynasty value for both quarterbacks, at least with the Jets. Both remain rosterable in 2QB and superflex leagues as Petty needs a lot of work and should not be a factor in 2015.

Losers

Already a messy situation, the Jets’ backfield added Stacy for a seventh round pick after Chris Ivory and Stevan Ridley were already taking value from each other. Ivory should get the bulk of the carries, but Ridley and Stacy have both shown flashes of fantasy relevance. With a new coaching staff in town, it is difficult to project which direction this backfield will take.

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jaron foster
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