Dynasty Rookie IDP: Day Two Review

The NFL Draft’s faster-paced Day Two is always pretty intense from an IDP analysis perspective. Friday night saw 35 IDPs come off the board, and we learned some much-anticipated linebacker landing spots.

Landing spot and talent brings opportunity, and I decided to rank each position group to try to provide some more immediate and actionable IDP takeaways.

Edge Rushers

1. BJ Ojulari, ARI

Drafted in Round Two, Pick No. 41 (tenth edge rusher selected)

Arizona owned on-paper the worst defensive line going into the draft, so anyone coming away with Day One or Two capital was going to get tossed into the post-draft bucket of winners. That it was Ojulari, who I thought would be a first-round pick, makes it all the better from a fantasy perspective. Sporting very good speed-to-power rushes, deadly spin moves, and good combinations, Ojulari should have no problem leading Arizona in snaps considering his top edge mates are sophomores Myjai Sanders and Cam Thomas, and Seahawks bust L.J. Collier.

2. Isaiah Foskey, NO

Drafted in Round Two, Pick No. 40 (ninth edge rusher selected)

New Orleans landed its Marcus Davenport replacement – they’re Relative Athletic Score twins – in Foskey, a smooth operator who at times at Notre Dame looked like a first-round talent. The Saints, who constantly push cap hits into future years, have both starting edges playing on contracts that void after this season – the venerable Cameron Jordan (nearing 34 years of age) and Carl Granderson – along with former first-rounder Payton Turner. Foskey is set up well to see some real IDP value post-rookie season.

3. Keion White, NE

Drafted in Round Two, Pick No. 46 (11th edge rusher selected)

New England craves versatility, and White offers it with quick movements in a 6-foot-4, 285-pound body. Of course for fantasy purposes we much prefer a clear path to snaps, and White is going to see a good bit of rotational work in New England, so this isn’t ideal. He’ll play a role very similar to that of Deatrich Wise, and I’d expect similar production – worthy of lineup consideration at times, but very unpredictable for when it will happen.

4. Byron Young, LAR

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 77 (14th edge rusher selected)

The Rams had a big need at the edge after letting go of Leonard Floyd and Terrell Lewis. Converted interior lineman Michael Hoect was interesting off the edge in 2022, and Young should slide into an immediate high-volume role as a rookie. No doubt the better of this draft’s two Byron Youngs, the former Tennessee edge has quick movements, is exceptional on stunts, and creates movement on his rush despite being undersized (6-foot-2, 250 pounds) for an edge. He’s not perfect – the size is an issue and he’s already 25 – but Young should gain value as an IDP asset early in the season.

5. Derick Hall, SEA

Drafted in Round Two, Pick No. 37 (eighth edge rusher selected)

Hall has an almost prototypical outside linebacker build at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds with long 34.5-inch arms. He creates a nice powerful push once he gets into a tackle, and really drives through ball carriers and quarterbacks. He’s not a turn-the-corner, high-ceiling edge rusher though, and the landing spot is less than ideal.

Uchenna Nwosu’s contract expires after this season but following a breakout season he’s a candidate to stick around, and sophomore Boye Mafe showed some promise during his rookie campaign. Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson are on the final years of their rookie deals, so Seattle is simply restocking its edge rotation. Hall may be worth occasional fantasy starts, but he doesn’t strike me as a fantasy difference-maker.

6. Tuli Tuipulotu, LAC

Drafted in Round Two, Pick No. 54 (12th edge rusher selected)

The Chargers couldn’t allow themselves to be in the position they were in last season after Joey Bosa’s injury, forced to rely upon Chris Rumph for starter-level snaps. Tuipulotu is an easy like given his non-stop motor, power and youth (he’s not quite 21). He’ll begin his career as edge insurance for Bosa and Khalil Mack, and will provide the veterans with a breather when needed. He’s a dynasty stash in the meantime, and be prepared to utilize patience if you add him to a roster.

7. Yaya Diaby, TB

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 82 (16th edge rusher selected)

Diaby is no doubt an explosive athlete with a good power rush. There’s not much more to him as an edge rusher though, so his value is very dependent on his development curve. He steps into a fluid situation in Tampa Bay, with 30-year-old Shaq Barrett recovering from a week eight Achilles tear, and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka coming off a disappointing sophomore campaign. Assuming Barrett is far enough along to see the field early in the season, Diaby should work in behind No. 3 Anthony Nelson. I see Diaby as a total wild card without a lot of short-term fantasy value.

8. Zach Harrison, ATL

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 75 (13th edge rusher selected)

Atlanta’s edge room certainly lacks standouts, and Harrison likely fits right in as a solid player lacking difference-making ability. Harrison (6-foot-5, 270) at least brings the size that new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen prefers at the edge, and post-rookie season it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s starting and providing bottom-of-your-roster fantasy value. Arnold Ebiketie didn’t set the world on fire as a rookie, but he’s still the best hope in Atlanta for fantasy goodness. Bud Dupree and Lorenzo Carter (both on one-year deals) should also play ahead of Harrison in 2024.

9. DJ Johnson, CAR

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 80 (15th edge rusher selected)

Johnson’s speed (4.49 40) and size (6-foot-4, 260 pounds) got him drafted in the third round, but it’s fair to call Johnson raw given he only moved full-time to defense last season after converting from tight end. Carolina offered a prime opportunity for immediate snaps opposite Brian Burns, so it’s a bit of a shame the Panthers didn’t pick up a more NFL-ready caliber prospect.

Interior Defensive Linemen

1. Zacch Pickens, CHI

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 64 (seventh interior lineman selected)

2. Gervon Dexter Sr., CHI

Drafted in Round Two, Pick No. 53 (sixth interior lineman selected)

Chicago set out to remake the interior of its defensive line this off-season, and Dexter and Pickens bring immediate depth and upside to a group that includes holdover Justin Jones and free agent acquisition Demarcus Walker, who was effective playing over the tackle with Tennessee in 2022.

Pickens, with his quick first step and long arms, has the highest fantasy upside of the group as a pocket disruptor. Dexter has a build that profiles better as a run-down option. None of this is fantastic for fantasy, and we’re likely looking at a four-man rotation in 2023. At a minimum, the Bears should be better prepared to defend inside runs; they can’t be much worse than what they showed in 2022.

3. Kobie Turner, LAR

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 89 (ninth interior lineman selected)

Turner has nice upside as a three-tech with plenty of juice to wear down guards and was a frequent visitor in the backfield at Wake Forest. His landing spot couldn’t be more ideal, with Los Angeles’ inside depth looking barren behind the great Aaron Donald.

4. Keeanu Benton, PIT

Drafted in Round Two, Pick No. 49 (fifth interior lineman selected)

Benton was often connected to Pittsburgh, where he’s a natural fit on the interior given his size and length. He should immediately push Montravius Adams and Breiden Fehoko for snaps at the nose in five-man fronts, and has enough quicks to slide out to three-tech as a pass rusher. This pick is more exciting from a real-football perspective than a fantasy one, but Benton also won’t be a zero like many other base-down nose tackles.

5. Byron Young, LV

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 70 (eighth interior lineman selected)

The Raiders continued a recent tradition of bringing in unexciting, plodding interior defenders with the selection of Young. The Alabama product was a solid collegian, but this was a real reach for an early third-round selection. He’ll see volume but otherwise struggle to carry any fantasy value as a pro.

6. Brodric Martin, DET

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 96 (tenth interior lineman selected)

Martin should essentially take Isaiah Buggs’ job in Detroit. For fantasy purposes, you can say no to this nose tackle.

7. Siaki Ika, CLE

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 98 (11th interior lineman selected)

The Browns continued their off-season remake of their interior defensive line, adding Ika to provide a massive option next to Dalvin Tomlinson. Ika is another nose tackle that we can ignore for fantasy.

Off-ball Linebackers

1. Drew Sanders, DEN

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 67 (second linebacker selected)

College football fans are familiar with Sanders as one of the headliners (along with Will Anderson and Bryce Young) in Alabama’s 2020 signing class. Sanders transferred to Arkansas for his final collegiate season, converted to off-ball linebacker, and brought his same pedal-to-the-metal mindset to his new position. Watch Sanders and you’ll be impressed with his quicks and physicality. You also can’t help but notice the missed tackles – 22 in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus – something that he’ll need to clean up as he continues to learn how to play as a stack ‘backer.

In Denver, Sanders gives new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph a weapon at linebacker as a blitzer. Starter Josey Jewell is on a one-year deal, and No. 2 Alex Singleton – an IDP stud for his tackle production – is borderline NFL starter material. Be patient, and Sanders should still provide us with a fantasy starter with “boom” upside.

2. Dorian Williams, BUF

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 91 (sixth linebacker selected)

Williams is an explosive athlete, but like many other linebackers in this class tips the scales at less than 230 pounds. One thing (well, two things) Williams has going for him are his long arms, unfortunately he doesn’t use them to his advantage when attempting to shed blocks. If he can figure out how to utilize his length to better disengage from blocks, and speed up his play recognition skills, Williams has starting potential.

Regardless of the limitations, Williams hit the linebacker lottery with his landing spot in Buffalo, where Tremaine Edmunds’ departure in free agency left a big hole at off-ball. Veteran Matt Milano is locked up long-term, but the Bills run a two-linebacker scheme and – at the risk of seriously angering Terrel Bernard fans – there’s not another starting-caliber linebacker on the roster. Williams has an immediate opportunity to compete for IDP value in the short- and long-term.

3. Trenton Simpson, BAL

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 86 (fourth linebacker selected)

It’s hard to believe but Patrick Queen is already playing the final year of his rookie contract. And after spending big money to lock up Roquan Smith, it never seemed likely that Baltimore would pick up Queen’s fifth-year option or entice him with enough money for an extension. If he’s not traded before the end of the draft, expect Queen to hit the free agent market next off-season, and see his snaps decline over the course of the season as the team sees what it has in the high-upside Simpson.

We ultimately don’t know if Simpson can handle a full-time linebacker job following a college career that saw him play overhang, slot defender and edge rusher in addition to inside linebacker. But given his experience and success as a pass rusher, the Clemson product fits in as Queen’s replacement with nice upside as a blitzing ‘backer with coverage traits.

4. Daiyan Henley, LAC

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 85 (third linebacker selected)

Eric Kendricks is set up nicely for 2023, but at 31 he’s a short-term play in Los Angeles. Kenneth Murray busted and is on the final year of his rookie deal, and is sure to move on next off-season. With little depth behind those two, Henley slides in as a young option with hopes that he can develop quickly and be ready for a larger role in 2024.

Henley certainly has a little developing to do, and that’s not surprising given he began his college career as a receiver before switching to safety, and finally linebacker. At 225 pounds, Henley is light for a linebacker but uses his long 33-inch arms to keep blockers from eliminating him from run plays. And while he’s quick and fast, he’s not laterally agile – I was disappointed but not surprised he passed on running the short shuttle and three-cone drills at both the combine and Washington State’s pro day. I like Henley a lot, but he has limitations.

Henley grew up in Los Angeles, so seeing him head back there to begin his professional career certainly makes for a nice story.

5. DeMarvion Overshown, DAL

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 90 (fifth linebacker selected)

Overshown has the body type of a safety and honestly still kind of plays like one with his reaction speed, attacking mindset, and tendency to get eaten up in the box by bigger blockers when they get their paws on him. He’ll work into the rotation in Dallas behind Leighton Vander Esch. Overshown’s immediate competition is 2022 fifth-rounder Damone Clark, who showed well as a rookie, and my guess is Overshown will start the season as the No. 3 linebacker and hold that spot. There’s appeal here, but it might take a couple of seasons to realize an IDP asset.

Safeties

1. Sydney Brown, PHI

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 66 (third safety selected)

Now we’re talking. Brown had the look of a fantastic safety prospect as a prototypical downhill enforcer. He brings physicality and he brings it quickly, and he’s limited working deep – a perfect match for fantasy purposes. Philadelphia offers a great opportunity for immediate and long-term snap volume, with just Terrell Edmunds (one-year deal) and undrafted sophomore Reed Blankenship as the Eagles’ only other viable options at the position. Brown should garner consideration for top rookie safety, for fantasy purposes.

2. Brian Branch, DET

Drafted in Round Two, Pick No. 45 (first safety selected)

The Lions got a steal with the versatile Branch, who can play safety or any corner spots. He’s likely best as a nickel, where he’s able to read, break downhill and disrupt passes or wrap up. He’s as sure a tackler as they come as a defensive back, making him appealing from a fantasy perspective. How he’s ultimately classified for fantasy (safety or corner) is a bit of an unknown, but I’m projecting him to fall in as a corner, at least long-term. For draft recap purposes I’ll keep him at his primary collegiate position of safety.

And safety is where Detroit has plenty of depth with veteran Tracy Walker, sophomore free safety Kerby Joseph, and nickel/strong safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who is on a one-year deal. Branch should slide in as the long-term replacement. In the short-term, Branch should play at free safety next to Joseph while Walker works his way back from a torn Achilles.

3. Jordan Battle, CIN

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 95 (sixth safety selected)

Battle has a clear path to starter snaps in Cincinnati. The Bengals of course lost both Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates in free agency, and have 2022 first-rounder Dax Hill ready to fill Bates’ role. Battle will, ahem, battle former Ram Nick Scott for the primary safety spot opposite Hill. Battle brings a lot of high-level college experience (44 starts over four seasons at Alabama), and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he beat out Scott in training camp.

4. Ji’Ayir Brown, SF

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 87 (fifth safety selected)

Tashaun Gipson performed well for San Francisco last season and returned on a one-year deal, but the 49ers needed a long-term solution to pair with Talanoa Hufanga, and Brown is a nice prospect who Daniel Jeremiah had as his top safety. Gipson is likely to start the season and may hold the job, but Brown will see the field in three-safety sets and has a nice runway to fantasy relevance starting in 2024.

5. Marte Mapu, NE

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 76 (fourth safety selected)

New England isn’t afraid to mine non-majors for talent, and Mapu (Sacramento State) joins 2020 Day Two selection Kyle Dugger (Lenoir-Rhyne) in New England. And like Dugger, who was 24 when he was drafted, Mapu is an older prospect (he’ll turn 24 in November). Big (6-foot-3, 221 pounds), physical and solid in coverage, Mapu provides the Patriots with a box safety/linebacker hybrid, and will join a rotation that includes Dugger, the aging Adrian Phillips, and former first-rounder Jabrill Peppers. He’s a nice prospect who lands in a not-so-nice spot for fantasy.

6. Quan Martin, WAS

Drafted in Round Two, Pick No. 46 (second safety selected)

Like Branch, Martin is a versatile defensive back who likely projects best as a nickel defender. Like Branch, ultimately I think Martin will get classified as a corner, and he is likely the long-term replacement for Kendall Fuller on the inside for Washington. It’s also possible he takes over a safety spot if Kamren Curl moves on from Washington in the 2024 off-season, but for now Curl and 2022 surprise Darrick Forrest should man the primary safety spots.

Cornerbacks

1. Joey Porter Jr., PIT

Drafted in Round Two, Pick No. 32 (fifth cornerback selected)

Pittsburgh kicked off Day Two with a familiar name. Porter’s father was of course a star at outside linebacker for the organization, helping the Steelers to a win in Super Bowl XL. Lengthy and physical, Porter will need to play right away given Pittsburgh’s lack of quality options at the position (Levi Wallace and soon-to-be 33-year-old Patrick Peterson are the likely top two starters).

Once established, Porter should be a streamable fantasy option given the quarterback-driven teams in the AFC, including North rivals Cincinnati (Joe Burrow) and Cleveland (Deshaun Watson).

2. Julius Brents, IND

Drafted in Round Two, Pick No. 44 (sixth cornerback selected)

The Colts were desperate for a top corner with nothing else on the depth chart outside of Isaiah Rodgers and slot Kenny Moore. Standing 6-foot-2, Brents tips the scales at almost 200 pounds and sports long 34-inch arms. He’s an easy mover who could have gone in the first round if not for some reported injury concerns.

3. Cam Smith, MIA

Drafted in Round Two, Pick No. 51 (seventh cornerback selected)

Miami prioritizes the cornerback position, and Smith should line up opposite Xavien Howard with Jalen Ramsey manning the slot. Smith gets dinged for his thin frame and for being grabby, but he’s studly in his ability to move quickly without losing his balance.

4. Garrett Williams, ARI

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 72 (tenth cornerback selected)

Marco Wilson, Antonio Hamilton and Rashad Fenton probably aren’t going to deter many passing offenses. Williams fills a need for Arizona as a corner with outside-inside flexibility. He’s coming off a torn ACL suffered in October and has some size concerns (5-foot-10, 190 pounds), but tracks the ball well.

5. Tyrique Stevenson, CHI

Drafted in Round Two, Pick No. 56 (eighth cornerback selected)

If you like press man prospects, Stevenson is your guy. He’s strong, lengthy and has good speed and reaction skills, and should step into a starting outside corner spot opposite Jaylon Johnson, with Kyler Gordon manning the inside. This isn’t a great spot for fantasy production, but Chicago landed a very good corner in Stevenson.

6. DJ Turner, CIN

Drafted in Round Two, Pick No. 60 (ninth cornerback selected)

With Chidobe Awuzie returning from a torn ACL suffered halfway through the regular season, and nearing the end of his contract, Cincinnati needed a long-term option on the outside next to sophomore Cam Taylor-Britt. Turner is fleet afoot (4.26 40 at the combine) and shouldn’t get stacked by deep threats, but he’s on the small side at 5-foot-11, 179 pounds with short arms. He’ll probably struggle to provide turnovers and consistent tackle numbers, so I’m not crazy about him for fantasy.

7. Riley Moss, DEN

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 83 (11th cornerback selected)

Moss has very good short area movement skills to pair with 4.45 speed. He should provide Denver with some competition for Damarri Mathis at the outside corner spot opposite Patrick Surtain.

8. Mekhi Blackmon, MIN

Drafted in Round Three, Pick No. 102 (12th cornerback selected)

Free agent addition Byron Murphy and sophomores Andrew Booth and Akayleb Evans should man the top three corner spots in Minnesota for the next couple of seasons. Blackmon appears to be a rotational depth option.