COMPLETE "USFL Dynasty League" Rookie/Free Agent Draft

I will be posting the picks made from my dynasty league as they occur. The league's format is 12 teams, standard scoring with PPR, no IDP, and our starting requirements allow the possibility of starting a second QB in a flex position. I will comment on every pick as they are made. The draft officially begins May 1st, but early picks may be made. Since owners from this league visit this site, I will not mention, and attempt not to reference, any players who have not yet been picked. Here is the direct link to the draft forum we made our official picks in and the discussions held (many not involving the picks): http://usfldynastyfootball.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=draft2010

**My picks

1.01 ~ RB Ryan Matthews, SD

This is pretty much the consensus top pick of any rookie draft. He will be immediately inserted into the Chargers lineup as the starting and primary RB, with Darren Sproles returning back to his change-of-pace role. Norv Turner has already expressed interest in giving Matthews around 250 carries and 40 receptions during his rookie year, which would be more than what LaDanian Tomlinson racked up last year (223 carries 20 receptions). Matthews is the only RB in this draft who is guaranteed to have a primary role, and not splitting carries in a committee situation.

1.02 ~ WR Dez Bryant, DAL

He wasn't the first WR taken in the NFL Draft, but he is certainly the most talented WR and wound up with the Cowboys and a very good QB in Tony Romo. He isn't the fastest WR, but he is quick, can run all the routes, has solid hands, and is very strong and athletic. He will find success immediately in the Cowboys offense, but he will need to improve his consistency. In a PPR league, he certainly makes sense as the second pick off of the board, and he may even be picked here in no-PPR leagues, if the team drafting from this spot needs WR help. Both of these picks have been made by the same team, as they are in a rebuilding mode.

1.03 ~ RB C.J. Spiller, BUF

Spiller getting drafted by the Bills is a perfect example of a player having his value drop because of the team who drafted him. He is arguably the most electric and dynamic offensive player in this year's NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he finds himself on an NFL team with a ragtag offensive line and a forgettable passing offense. Let's not forget the crowded backfield he joined with Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch. Ultimately, his talent alone causes him to be an undeniable top five rookie/FA draft pick. He is a pure home run hitter who lives by the big play and can break them off at any time. He can be comparable to Reggie Bush, which is good and bad. If he learns to run up the middle and absorb hits from linebackers, he will be a successful NFL RB.

1.04 ~ RB Jahvid Best, DET

The Lions have drafted the player who I think is the most talented and gifted offensive player out of this draft. Best is versatile, has ridiculous lateral quickness, is faster than most NFL players, can run between the tackles, and does a pretty good job of breaking tackles, even though he is 199 lbs. The only main problems with Best is his ability to stay healthy and his poor blocking. Many people would make an argument for C.J. Spiller or Ryan Matthews as the best RB talents in the draft. Just because Matthews got drafted into the best situation and Spiller doesn't have injury issues doesn't mean Best is not the Best RB (just had to say it) in this draft class. Many people also worry about a committee situation with Kevin Smith. Best has a golden opportunity to shine before Smith returns to the lineup, since it appears more and more likely that Smith starts the season on the PUP. So far, this draft seems to be the standard across dynasty leagues and rookie rankings everywhere.

**1.05 ~ RB Ben Tate, HOU

My first draft pick rounds out the top tier of talent in this rookie/FA draft. Tate finds himself in a zone-blocking system that fits his skills perfectly. He has NFL size, NFL speed, and comes from a notorious RB factory, Auburn. Tate possesses the size and skills to be an every-down NFL RB. He finds himself in a slightly crowded backfield, but Steve Slaton is coming off of a season filled with fumbles, the inside of Coach Kubiak's doghouse, and the neck injury that ended his rocky season. Also, Arian Foster may have ended the season in workhorse fashion, but he does not possess the speed of Tate. The Texans made it apparent before the draft that they were going to address the RB position, and they landed a RB who was near the top of their list. I will predict Tate becomes the featured RB with Slaton taking the passing down roles and Foster playing the primary backup role. I was hoping the owner at 1.04 took Tate so I could draft Jahvid Best, partially because I am a Lions fan, and partially because Best is a playmaker extraordinaire. However, I was perfectly happy to land whichever player was left over. I predict Tate, Best, and Ryan Matthews will compete for rookie of the year honors.

1.06 ~ RB Montario Hardesty, CLE

Even though I dropped him a tier below the above picks, Hardesty tends to be the most popular pick at 1.06. He is very comparable to Ben Tate, but he is not quite as fast, he is slightly more agile, and he has been injury prone. He gets drafted into a rebuilding Browns team, who lacks a respectable passing game and have a few very good RBs already on the roster. We all know how Jerome Harrison finished the season, including his 286 yds, 3 TDs explosion in week 15 last season. Part of why he found so much success at the end of the season was because Coach Mangini gave up on their pathetic passing attack and ran Harrison 106 times in the last 3 games. James Davis will be easily forgotten about, but he had a very impressive preseason last year before Mangini decided to allow a linebacker in pads hit the padless Davis in some kind of moronic drill, causing him to find the IR. There is also Peyton Hillis and Chris Jennings in the mix. Ultimately, none of these guys pose a major threat to Hardesty seeing the field often, but the presence of most of them (Jennings should be the odd man out) means Hardesty will not be an every down RB, and he will probably face eight defenders in the box quite a bit. He still has a ton of talent, though, and deserves to be picked here.

1.07 ~ QB Jimmy Clausen, CAR

This is a surprise pick here, and a bit of a reach considering who is still available. However, this is kind of a homer pick for the team owner, who is a huge Notre Dame fan, so picking this second or third ranked QB is understandable. Clausen got drafted by the Panthers, who have already declared Matt Moore the starter, but apparently are still wary about trusting him. To make matters worse for Clausen, he wasn't the only QB drafted by the Panthers. Nonetheless, Clausen has been proclaimed as the most NFL ready QB in the draft, which really means nothing if he doesn't see the field in his first year. He has all the talent to succeed in the NFL, but he tends to be very overconfident, which could get him in a lot of trouble on the field. Most of his mechanics are sound, but he can telegraph which throw he is about to make. Overall, he could very well be the starter for the Panthers within a few years, and he can be very successful if he understands that he still has a huge learning curve to travel. He also needs Moore to either struggle or be traded in order to be on the field.
Disclaimer: I have been notified by the owner who selected Jimmy Clausen at 1.07 (with Sam Bradford still on the board), that even though he is a huge Notre Dame fan, his pick had nothing to do with Fighting Irish bias. He believes Clausen is indeed a better prospect than Bradford. I guess it does help that Clausen is on a better team and ran a pro-style offense under Charlie Weis' tutelage.

1.08 ~ QB Sam Bradford, STL

I actually traded out of this pick because I knew Bradford was the best available player here (or maybe second or third best behind the next two picks), and I was not targeting Bradford for my draft. I traded down to 1.10 and traded up into pick 2.07 from 3.02 as compensation. After Bradford, there is a small group of WRs who can be grouped into the same tier, which is what I had interest in. Bradford is essentially the top QB prospect, not only in the NFL draft, but also in most every rookie draft. He has all the tools, leadership abilities, and an immediate opportunity to prove himself worthy of the number one overall draft pick in the NFL. Very smart and somewhat obvious pick to a rebuilding dynasty team.

1.09 ~ WR Demaryius Thomas, DEN

I was kind of surprised that he lasted until this pick. I figured he would be picked at the most obvious position, which is after the big drop in RB value after Montario Hardesty, but before the QBs. He is a very popular pick at 1.06 or 1.07. Thomas was the first WR taken in the NFL Draft, even though Dez Bryant is certainly the most talented. Thomas possesses elite size and strength, runs pretty fast, and has great hands. Unfortunately, his major problem is route running. He comes from a very run-heavy offense with limited passing plays, so he never really had the opportunity to polish his route running or learn a full route tree. He may be more of a project WR in his first year, but if he studies the playbook well and practices hard, he could flourish in his second year on a Broncos team who has limited playmaker receiving options and needs him to step into the primary WR role as soon as possible. The owner of this pick also happened to own picks 1.06 and 1.07, so passing on Thomas at 1.07 still ended up working in his favor.

**1.10 ~ WR Arrelious Benn, TB

The Buccaneers entered this draft with one of worst corp of WRs I have ever seen. WR was their most obvious need entering the draft, and they wasted no time drafting the highly touted Illinois University product, early in the second round. Benn enters a situation that demands his presence on the field early and often. He is one of two rookie WRs that the Bucs will be forced to have on the field as primary WRs, starting week 1. That's not really a bad thing considering Benn is big, incredibly athletic, has great hands, and is pretty fast. He should be making a case to be Josh Freeman's top target for many years. I traded down into this pick, hoping Demaryius Thomas would land here, but I am still happy to "settle" for Benn, who is one of three WRs I had grouped together in the second tier of WRs (Dez Bryant commands his own tier).

1.11 ~ RB Jonathan Dwyer, PIT

This pick was a bit of a surprise, but not a bad pick. This pick demonstrates the tactic in dynasty to draft talent disregarding the team situation they are in. Dwyer is a very good RB, but does not have much opportunity with the Steelers...yet. There are a few options on the draft board that I would have taken over Dwyer, but at the same time, the RB value fizzled out quickly after Hardesty was selected, and the owner of this pick needed RB help. Dwyer saw his stock plummet from the combine into the NFL Draft, mainly because he didn't run very well at the combine. He was originally projected to be first or second round talent, but scouts got scared off when he was slow in his combine drills. It also didn't help that he ran out of the fullback position in the triple option at Georgia Tech, and he dropped from 240 lbs to 229 lbs for the combine. Ultimately, he is capable of being a featured power RB since he has the size, quick feet, and toughness to do so, but he currently has to be Rashard Mendenhall's backup.

1.12 ~ RB Toby Gerhart, MIN

Again, this pick is a surprise, but not bad. Gerhart has the unfortunate scenario of being drafted to spell one of the most established workhorse RBs in the NFL, known by some as "All Day." There has been much speculation as to how Gerhart will fit in the NFL and if he can be a starting RB for an NFL team. Those questions were answered when he got drafted as essentially a backup. In fact, it puzzled me why the Vikings would bother spending such an early draft pick on a RB. Gerhart will likely be used to spell Adrian Peterson on passing downs as a blocker and in short-yardage and goalline scenarios. There could be the threat of Gerhart being a TD vulture. There is also the possibility the Vikings might groom him to be a FB in the mold of Mike Alstott, where he will touch the ball much more than a standard FB. I don't think he has the potential to make a huge impact in the NFL since his speed and agility are very average, and he certainly would have to wait a long time for a starting opportunity.

2.01 ~ WR Golden Tate, SEA

He is the third of the three WRs I mentioned to be in this second tier of WRs. He is also the main reason why the Jonathan Dwyer and Toby Gerhart picks surprised me. In a PPR league, WRs and RBs have very similar values, and to pass on a WR who will probably start right away and be a factor, for a RB who will be a backup for at least two years is not a strategy I would employ. Tate is all around impressive and showed it at the combine, when he scored high in just about every drill. He reminds me of Steve Smith from the Panthers without the elite speed and acceleration. He has great hands, runs good routes, fights for every jump ball (and usually wins), and can break tackles. He is considered a little short in stature, but that hasn't stopped the likes of Smith, Greg Jennings, or DeShaun Jackson from being superb. Unfortunately, he enters a system where he is similar to all the other WRs (T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Deion Branch, Deon Butler), and playing similar roles to those guys in certain passing situations will cause the receptions to be spread around. He is definitely insurance for the Seahawks if Houshmandzadeh continues to struggle this season.

2.02 ~ TE Jermaine Gresham, CIN

2.02 seems awfully early for a TE to come off the board, but if you look at the options left over after Montario Hardesty, Golden Tate, and (Sam Bradford and) Jimmy Clausen at each position, you could make a case for Gresham to be on par with the players left on the board. Gresham is the premier TE in this year's draft, who has a rare mix of size, speed, and athleticism for a TE. He may not have elite TE speed, but he can still stretch the field and make big plays. He is also an excellent down-field blocker. However, there is concern that Gresham may not be fully utilized as a receiver with the Bengals. They have never found much use to pass to TEs, but at the same time, they have never had a TE of Gresham's talent level. Potential under-use along with the knee injury that ended his final season at Oklahoma are points of concern when drafting him to your team. I was targeting him for my draft, but I was fully expecting him to fall at least close to my next pick at 2.07.

2.03 ~ WR Brandon LaFell, CAR

This is a solid pick of a WR who has a leg up on the position opposite of Steve Smith on the field. LaFell should immediately beat out the bust Dwayne Jarrett to become the possession WR for the Panthers. He is a strong and aggressive WR who is not afraid to make catches in traffic. He is not fast enough to create separation, so he is perfect to run short to intermediate routes under zone coverage and create yards after the catch. This is a very solid pick in a PPR league.

2.04 ~ WR Mike Williams, TB

He has a big giant red flag hovering over his head, but his talent level could be elite. The first thing you should know about him at Syracuse is he missed the 2008 season due to academics and he actually quit the team in November 2009. It is an absolute shame because this moron possesses first round talent. He is big, strong, quick more than fast, and gives full effort on the field. Just like Arrelious Benn, he will be on the field early and often during his rookie year, given the lack of depth the Bucs have at WR. If he is able to pull his head out of his ass and take his job with the Buccaneers seriously, he will pay huge dividends to those who have drafted him in their rookie/FA drafts.

2.05 ~ WR Carlton Mitchell, CLE

This pick pretty much marks the start of "everything goes" in this draft because after Jermaine Gresham got picked at 2.02, it pretty much becomes a crapshoot, even though Brandon LaFell and Mike Williams are rightfully popular picks early in the second round. Mitchell brings a rare mix of size and speed to the table, and can make an impact right away within the weak Browns WR corp. Mitchell fits into the West Coast System that the Browns employ, but he has problems running routes and using his hands to make catches. Those are two problem areas that can be fixed in a couple of years. Now if Colt McCoy can get the ball down the field to him on his standard deep routes in future years...

2.06 ~ QB Tim Tebow, DEN

I am sick of talking about him, hearing about him, speculating about him, etc. I will simply say to draft him only if you have an incredible amount of patience. You will be waiting for a really long time to see him help your dynasty team. He is a common second round pick, but I suggest letting someone else draft him.

**2.07 ~ QB Charlie Whitehurst, SEA

This might possibly be the earliest you will ever see a free agent get drafted in a rookie/FA draft. He was a draft target of mine long before the draft started, partially because I am also the owner of Matt Hasselbeck as my third QB. Nobody knows a lot about Whitehurst since he has not thrown an NFL pass during the regular season, while serving as the third QB for the Chargers during his four year tenure in the NFL. What I do know, is Pete Carroll knows his QBs. Once he became the Seahawks' head coach, he immediately pegged Whitehurst as the future of the team by trading for him and paying him $8 million over two years. Carroll has been a factor in developing current NFL starters Carson Palmer, Matt Cassell, Matt Leinart, and Mark Sanchez while they played at USC. I repeat...Pete Carroll knows his QBs. Whitehurst has a big arm and two fast WRs in Golden Tate and Deon Butler at his disposal, once he becomes the starter. I thought about trading down a few spots thinking he would slide a bit, but once I saw Tim Tebow get taken with the previous pick, I wasted no time selecting Whitehurst.

2.08 ~ RB/WR Dexter McCluster, KC

The Chiefs drafted him as essentially a Swiss army knife. He will be lined up often as a WR, and will probably see very little time in the backfield. He is very diminutive for the NFL and is not suited to run between the tackles, but he should be a dynamic playmaker in the open field. He could also help return kicks. I think his official listed position will be WR, so don't draft him if you are looking to bulk up your RB depth. This pick was originally my pick, but I traded down assuming the owner who traded with me was looking at him as a BPA (best player available) pick. I really don't see him making a huge fantasy impact, since he will be more of a situational player, but Coach Haley will look to find ways to get him mismatched against defenders. Don't expect him to touch the ball more than ten times in any given game, and when he does, hope for the homerun.

2.09 ~ WR Taylor Price, NE

It seems as though he was drafted by the Patriots to be the heir apparent to Randy Moss. He is a bigger WR who is a burner down the field and can make athletic catches with ease. However, he still needs to work on his route running and is very raw at this point. Moss is getting older, and has mentioned that this may be his last year with the Patriots. The Patriots need a big play, downfield WR to help the offense click and keep Wes Welker open underneath. If and when Moss departs from the team, Price should be plugged in as his replacement. I love this pick and the value this late in the second round. If I didn't already have a huge stack of WRs on my roster, I would've targeted this man once he slipped into the second half of this round.

2.10 ~ QB Colt McCoy, CLE

The Browns drafted him as their future franchise QB. In his arsenal, he possesses superb accuracy, a quick release, has a high football IQ, is a great leader, has excellent footwork, and he also fits into the West Coast system the Browns run. That being said, here is what could seriously compromise those wonderful assets...he is short in stature by NFL QB standards, lacks arm strength, and has to translate his skills from a spread offense to a pro-style offense. All things considered, he will be the Browns' starter no later than next season, and he is certainly worth taking a chance on with this pick...but no earlier than this pick.

2.11 ~ RB Joe McKnight, NYJ

A bit of a homer selection for the owner of this pick, but a very solid choice at this point in the draft. McKnight is supposed to take over the role Leon Washington had in the Jets offense as a passing down RB, along with helping in the return game. It remains to be seen if he can be just as effective, but he has the quickness, agility, and vision to gain huge chunks of yards and make defenders miss him. His inability to stay healthy will assure his role doesn't expand further in the future.

**2.12 ~ RB James Starks, GB

My fourth pick of this draft is a very nice sleeper pick. In an attempt to further build my RB depth while finalizing a trade giving up DeAngelo Williams and Felix Jones for Maurice Jones-Drew (a third round pick this year and a second round pick next year), I was happy to select Starks here. He fell on a lot of draft boards because he missed his senior season at Buffalo University after undergoing surgery to repair his injured shoulder. He was considered to become second or third round NFL Draft material before the injury. Starks is a big back who has decent agility and very good speed, and he could earn a larger role in the future if he can prove his durability. Until that time comes, he should edge out Brandon Jackson for the primary backup role to Ryan Grant.

3.01 ~ WR Damian Williams, TEN

I don't know why the Titans bothered to spend another high-ish pick on a WR when they already have Kenny Britt, Nate Washington, Justin Gage (contract expires after 2011), and TEs Bo Scaife and Jared Cook (both excellent pass-catchers) on the roster. Unfortunately, Williams--a superb route runner and pass catcher--has a lot of traffic to fight through to see the field enough for any fantasy relevance, especially in a more conservative, run-oriented offense. Given his talent level and disregarding his current team situation, he has good value at this pick.

3.02 ~ WR Eric Decker, DEN

He is a big athletic WR who is not too fast, but is very quick and agile and runs crisp routes. He fits the possession WR standard and will more than likely make a living underneath zone coverage. He is a good sleeper and has wonderful value here for a PPR league.

3.03 ~ WR Jordan Shipley, CIN

He is a smaller WR who has very average speed and agility. You really don't need to know any more about him because a WR in the NFL under 6' tall and under 200 lbs typically requires a substantial amount of speed and/or quickness to be successful in the bigs. He could make a living with short underneath routes, which could make him a quality PPR pick here. It doesn't help that he joins a WR corp already boasting Chad Ochocinco, Antonio Bryant, Andre Caldwell, and the newly drafted Jermaine Gresham and Dezmon Briscoe. I think he has high bust potential and there are a few better options with this pick.

3.04 ~ WR Emmanuel Sanders, PIT

Sanders fell through one too many cracks in this draft and unfortunately for the rest of us owners, he landed on one of the best teams in this dynasty league. I considered drafting him at 2.12, but again, I had a greater need at RB. The Steelers have once again, disregarded Ben Roethlisberger's desires for a big WR, especially since Lame-ass....errr....Limas Sweed has been a major disappointment. They have picked another smaller, fast WR, who is also a solid route runner and very athletic--a formula that has been successful with the likes of Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Antwaan Randle-El, and Mike Wallace. With Ward aging and Holmes beating women in New York, Sanders should see ample opportunity to secure his spot in the starting lineup. He is a great sleeper, and would have had excellent value in the bottom of the second round of this draft.

3.05 ~ TE Rob Gronkowski, NE

As a TE, getting drafted by the Patriots will kill your fantasy value. Being one of two receiving TEs drafted by the Patriots is even worse. Gronkowski is the complete package, but may be used more for his blocking ability. He is, however, a great receiving and route-running TE but lacks speed and elusiveness and has problems staying healthy. Just about anything goes at this point in this draft, but there is a better TE option made by me at the next pick.

**3.06 ~ TE Jimmy Graham, NO

Supremely athletic for a guy his size (6'6" 260 lbs)--fast, quick, and agile--but only has one year of college football experience after choosing the gridiron over basketball. He is extremely raw, but will have time to develop under Jeremy Shockey, and it doesn't hurt to have Drew Brees as his QB. He has already drawn comparisons to Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez, but is much less polished at this point in his short career as a TE. As this pick was fast approaching, I acquired it as part of the Maurice Jones-Drew trade I mentioned earlier to specifically target Graham.

3.07 ~ WR Mardy Gilyard, STL

Gilyard will be battling for time on the field with Laurent Robinson, Donnie Avery, and Brandon Gibson. He is a good athlete who is quick and has nice hands, but has average speed and bulk for his size. He is a nice prospect to stash, since the WRs he will be competing against for field time are not exactly scaring opponents.

3.08 ~ RB Anthony Dixon, SF

When the 49ers drafted him, the first thing I thought was that they have little faith in Glen Coffee, to not only backup Frank Gore, but also to handle short-yardage duties. Dixon could certainly relegate Coffee and become a TD vulture. He possesses big time power and quick feet, though his speed is very average. Considering the RBs left on the board, Dixon was a solid pick and worth taking a chance on.

3.09 ~ WR Andre Roberts, ARI

The Cardinals drafted this small school prospect to acquire WR depth after both Anquan Boldin and Jereme Urban departed. With Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston, and the emerging Early Doucet on the roster, drafting a WR wasn't a great need, but it was necessary, and they got good value with this gem. Roberts is very quick and agile and is a good route runner, but he should find it difficult to be more than the fourth WR for the Cardinals, considering the players in front of him. Drafting him here at 3.09 is excellent value if you have room to stash him on your roster for a few years to let him develop and get opportunities.

**3.10 ~ QB John Skelton, ARI

Skelton possesses one of the strongest arms you will ever see in an NFL QB. Being a small school prospect with a gun for an arm and big NFL size has drawn favorable, but unfair comparisons to Joe Flacco. However, he is not nearly as polished as Flacco was at this point in his career. He is overconfident in his wonderful arm strength, causing him to try to force a lot of throws, and he needs to learn how to read NFL defenses. He is a project that will take no less than two years to properly develop, but sitting behind Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson is assuring to dynasty owners who draft him. He will find opportunities soon.

3.11 ~ RB LeGarrette Blount, TEN

Blount's character issues and poor offseason training habits caused him to go undrafted in the NFL draft. As a really big and strong power back who breaks tackles everywhere, he is a steal for the Titans to find as a rookie free agent. He will compliment Chris Johnson, taking some of the short-yardage duties. Unfortunately, LenDale White was also supposed to compliment CJ last season, but was nothing more than a cheerleader while CJ handled a lot of the short-yardage duties. If Blount keeps his poor attitude under control, he will be a nice prospect to own.

3.12 ~ WR Jabar Gaffney, DEN

The second free agent off of the board could be the Broncos top WR this season, while Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker develop. While Brandon Marshall sat out in week 17 of the 2009 season, Gaffney had a career day with 14 receptions for over 200 yards. If he is a free agent in your league, he is a nice pick if you need immediate WR help.

3.13 ~ TE Aaron Hernandez, NE

This pick is a compensatory selection for winning the fantasy playoff challenge amongst our league members. Hernandez is the second TE drafted by the Patriots. He is faster and more athletic than Rob Gronkowski, but he is also slightly undersized. He is good talent to stash on your roster, but you should hope he can find another team within the next several years so he can fully utilize his fantasy potential.

4.01 ~ RB Charles Scott, PHI

Scott is a big strong pile-pushing RB, but not much more. He will compete with FB Leonard Weaver to be the Eagles primary short-yardage and goalline RB.

4.02 ~ TE Tony Moeaki, KC

Moeaki was drafted by the Chiefs as primarily a blocker. His fantasy value will be limited, mainly because neither Coach Haley or Coach Weis has been known to utilize TEs as receivers.

4.03 ~ RB Deji Karim, JAC

He will battle Rashaad Jennings in a losing battle to be Maurice Jones-Drew's primary backup.

4.04 ~ WR David Reed, BAL

He will have to make his name on special teams before he will catch passes from Joe Flacco. He has limited upside and too much WR traffic in front of him on the depth chart.

4.05 ~ QB Byron Leftwich, PIT

He will battle Dennis Dixon to be the starting QB early in the season while Ben Roethlisberger serves his suspension. He still has very little dynasty value, and should only be selected or owned by a team desperate for QB help early this year.

4.06 ~ WR Marcus Easley, BUF

I'm kind of surprised he fell this far. He is a good WR who landed in an opportunistic situation with the Bills. He has an excellent combination of size, speed, and athleticism and flashes big-play ability. With Lee Evans once again entrenched as the Bills top WR, Easley has weak competition amongst the likes of James Hardy, Steve Johnson, Roscoe Parrish, and Chad Jackson. It's safe to say he'll see the field sooner rather than later, as long as he improves his hands and route-running, but don't get too excited with Brian Brohm, Trent Edwards, or Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing him the ball.

4.07 ~ QB Seneca Wallace, CLE

He has minimal fantasy value as the occasional trick play player or WR. Even if Jake Delhomme blows his new opportunity this season, Wallace's dynasty value as his backup does not increase because Colt McCoy is the future QB of the Browns.

4.08 ~ WR Dezmon Briscoe, CIN

He was highly rated until he ran poorly at the Scouting Combine. He has a lot of traffic to fight though and will need to out-perform Jerome Simpson and Matt Jones just to be the fifth WR on the Bengals. He is athletic and has great hands, so I like his chances to stick around for a while in Cincinnati and have time to develop.

4.09 ~ TE Ed Dickson, BAL

Dickson is one of two TEs drafted to eventually inherit the primary TE role from Todd Heap. Dickson is a solid receiving TE who is athletic and quick. He could see an increased role in the near future, but he will still have competition. Very nice value at the bottom of the fourth round of this draft, and I would say the same thing if he got picked ten picks earlier.

4.10 ~ RB Jalen Parmele, BAL

He is the third RB behind Ray Rice and Willis McGahee on the depth chart, but this younger RB has been a popular dynasty prospect the last two years of his NFL career. He has yet to live up to dynasty owner's expectations, and he won't do it this year either.

4.11 ~ TE Anthony McCoy, SEA

If anyone can teach McCoy to live up to his potential, it should be his former college coach, Pete Carroll. Character issues caused this solid TE prospect to slide in the NFL Draft. Unfortunately, since John Carlson is entrenched as the starting TE, primarily for his receiving abilities, McCoy's more than adequate blocking capabilities might be of more interest to the Seahawks' coaching staff.

4.12 ~ QB/WR Armanti Edwards, CAR

It seems more than likely that the Panthers drafted Edwards to add a respectable Wildcat dimension to their offense. This fast, play-making prospect will be converted to a WR, but he could see some time running Wildcat plays (ala Joshua Cribbs) since they would be very similar to the options plays he ran at Appalachian State. He has a high football IQ, so he could convert to the WR position quickly and cut through the very average competition to become the primary slot WR within the season. This is a very solid sleeper pick this late in the draft.

5.01 ~ K Neil Rackers, HOU

He will be put in direct competition with Kris Brown since Brown struggled badly last season.

5.02 ~ Pick Forfeited.

5.03 ~ Pick Forfeited.

5.04 ~ RB Brian Westbrook, FA

Westbrook was released by a team in need of space for a prospect in one of the previous rounds. He should still have a roster spot on at least a team in desperate RB help this year or next.

5.05 ~ TE Zach Miller, JAC

This pick is proof of a small oversight by many of the owners in this league, including myself. He ended last season with an 8 catch, 69 yards, and 2 TD performance in week 17 as a rookie. I guess since we have 30 player/defense rosters (that's 360 owned players/defenses), there is potential to overlook someone like Miller in this draft. I actually thought he was already owned and I didn't even think about him during the draft. He should have been an early fourth round target for owners.

5.06 ~ QB Mike Kafka, PHI

He is a decent sleeper prospect to develop behind Kevin Kolb, but his opportunities will be very limited for a long time, pending any injuries to either Kolb or Mike Vick.

5.07 ~ Pick Forfeited

**5.08 ~ Pick Forfeited

I have nobody I want to drop from my roster.

5.09 ~ Pick Forfeited

5.10 ~ QB Dan LeFevour, CHI

Solid prospect who can develop under the tutelage of Mike Martz, and learn from Jay Cutler. This was a surprise pick by the Bears, since they have many other pressing needs and no veteran QB to backup Cutler. LeFevour's opportunities will be limited until either he or Cutler find another team in the future.

5.11 ~ RB Martell Mallett, PHI

Huh??? Doesn't matter.

5.12 ~ Pick Forfeited