Draft Review: NFC South
The NFC South is loaded with top tier fantasy talent with players like Julio Jones, Mike Evan, Cam Newton, Michael Thomas and many other key fantasy assets. The NFL Draft is the time of the year where teams look to add talent and fill hole on their roster. Let’s take a look at how teams from the NFC South improved in this year’s draft.
Atlanta Falcons
Brian Hill, RB Wyoming (Round 5, Pick 156)
Eric Saubert, TE Drake (Round 5, Pick 174)
[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]
The Atlanta Falcons spent most of their draft capital adding talent to the offensive line and the defensive side of the ball. They did however, made two picks in the fifth round that might become noteworthy for fantasy owners.
Atlanta drafted Brian Hill with their first pick in the fifth round. Hill is a very intriguing prospect because he has the size and athleticism of a three-down workhorse running back. He also was a very productive player in college – 4,287 yards and 35 touchdowns during his collegiate career, with two seasons surpassing the 1,000-yard barrier. The Falcons have a lot of talent at the running back position with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman as the focal point of the run game. Hill will have a tough uphill battle to get playing time and will need an injury or a poor performance from one of the starting running backs in order to get an opportunity for an extensive amount of touches.
The Falcons used their second pick in the fifth round to take a flier on Eric Saubert, tight end from Drake who is considered a developmental prospect with high upside. He caught 190 receptions for 2,253 yards and 21 touchdowns during his four-year collegiate career at Drake. He’s a very raw player and it might take few years before all the bumps get ironed out of his game. The Falcons spent a third-round pick on Austin Hooper in the 2016 draft and it appears he may be the long-term option at tight end for the team, increasing the difficulty for Saubert to capture a large market share of the snaps at tight end.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
O.J. Howard, TE Alabama (Round 1, Pick 19)
Chris Godwin, WR Penn State (Round 3, Pick 84)
Jeremy McNichols, RB Boise State (Round 5, Pick 162)
The Buccaneers immensely needed to upgrade the tight end position going into the draft. They didn’t waste any time at upgrading the position by spending their first-round pick on Howard. This year’s draft was stacked with talent at tight end, and Howard just happened to be one of the best in this draft. He will be paired with Jameis Winston who is a big proponent of targeting his tight ends – which could carry over to a large target share of passing game in the near future for Howard. Cameron Brate is his only competition for the starting reps, but Howard is eventually going to take as the team’s starting tight end. He’s a very talent player and I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes one of the top tight ends in the league in the first couple years of his career.
The team decided to address wide receiver position by drafting Chris Godwin with their third-round pick. Godwin is one of the top receivers in this draft class and he drew rave reviews from a lot of draft analysts due to his incredible career at Penn State. His draft stock increased after combine as he proved to be one of the most athletic wide receiver prospects in the draft. The Buccaneers currently have Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson listed as starters on the depth chart, but Godwin should eventually get the opportunity to start on the opposite side of Evans in the near future.
Running back was another need going into the draft considering the team averaged 3.6 yards per carry last year. Both Doug Martin and Charles Sims missed time due to injuries last season and the team needed another talented option to handle the load just in case the team gets bombarded by injuries again. Tampa Bay selected Jeremy McNichols with the hopes he can eventually develop into their lead back within a few year. He was highly productive in college, rushing for 1,709 yards and 23 touchdowns during his junior season, while owning a 35.52 percent market share of Boise State’s offensive production. Not only was he a tremendous asset running between the tackles but he also was very effective in the passing game, catching 103 receptions for 1,089 yards and 11 touchdowns during his collegiate career. Even though he was just a fifth-round pick, he does have the talent to take over as the team’s lead back if given the opportunity.
New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara, RB Tennessee (Round 3, Pick 67)
The New Orleans Saints spent the majority of their draft capital rebuilding their defense while also using a first-round pick to draft Ryan Ramczyk, offensive tackle from Wisconsin to add much needed talent to their offensive line. They broke away from their tendency of drafting defensive players, by selecting Alvin Kamara, running back from Tennessee in the third round.
Not many people pegged the Saints drafting a running back with any of their top picks with Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson already on the roster, making Kamara a surprise selection in the draft. When compared to other teams in the league, running backs typically own a larger than average target share in the Saints’ passing game, presenting an environment Kamara can thrive in, since it supports his skill sets as a pass catching specialist. He is also more than capable of grinding out yards between the tackles. Even with Ingram and Peterson on the roster, there will still be opportunities for him to succeed in the passing game. Kamara going to the Saints is a match made in heaven.
Carolina Panthers
Christian McCaffrey, RB Stanford (Round 1, Pick 8)
Curtis Samuel, WR Ohio State (Round 2, Pick 40)
One of the biggest needs for the Carolina Panthers going into the draft was running back. There was a lot of speculation that the Panthers were going to draft Christian McCaffrey with their first-round pick before the draft. The speculations were correct, as the team used the eighth pick in the draft to select him, making him the second running back of the board. McCaffrey was one of the top running backs in the draft, rushing for 3,922 yards and 21 touchdowns during his collegiate career with two seasons with over 1,000 yards on the grounf. Out of all the running backs, he was the best route runner in this year’s draft class and can easily be utilized as a running back and a slot receiver. McCaffrey provides a new dynamic to the team because they’ve never had a receiving option out of the backfield like him before and his pass catching abilities can greatly increase the efficiency of the offense. He’s going to be a tremendous fantasy asset in the near future due to his rushing abilities and his PPR prowess.
The team used their second-round pick to draft Curtis Samuel. He was utilized as both a wide receiver and a running back in college where he accounted for 1,636 yards and 15 touchdowns from scrimmage during his junior season. He was a very dangerous deep threat at Ohio State and his 4.31 40-yard dash at the combine is proof that he has the speed to fly by unsuspecting defensive backs. Ted Ginn, who has now moved on to the New Orleans Saints, was the team’s deep threat during the last two years, catching 134 receptions for 2,047 yards and 19 touchdowns during his tenure with the team.
Samuel’s speed provides him the opportunity to take over as the team’s split end. He is the perfect fit for the team, considering the team needed to add more speed to their wide receiver corps. Samuel is a very versatile player, he can find playing time operating out of the slot and as a runner out of the backfield, making him a very important asset to the team going forward. His athleticism and versatility could add to his fantasy appeal once he gets acclimated to the NFL game.
[/am4show]
