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7 NFL Draft Questions (Fantasy Football)

7 NFL Draft Questions (Fantasy Football)

With the pre-draft process entering the final stretch, the stories to track have turned to landing spots and off-field concerns. Here are seven storylines to continue to watch over the next month.

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Lamar Jackson’s Pre-Draft Process

One of the main stories floating around about Lamar Jackson is his agent situation. Jackson chose not to sign with an agent and instead has his mother overseeing his business interest.

Jackson’s concerns about representation may be valid, but his amateur representation comes at a price. There have been stories that teams have had a hard time getting ahold of him to set up meetings and other stories about his struggle on the whiteboard in meetings. In addition, without proper representation, he is not getting quarterback coaching like others in this class or assistance in his pro day.

Jackson is a unique and talented player, but in a league with a traditional and conservative mindset, he must be able to do prototypical quarterback skills. If Jackson’s uneven pre-draft process continues, he may slip into the late first or the early second round of the NFL Draft and drop to the fifth quarterback in dynasty rookie drafts.

The Josh Rosen Saga

Josh Rosen continues to attract negative attention, most recently in the form of comments by former coach Jim Mora, Jr. Mora was quoted as saying, “He needs to be challenged intellectually so he doesn’t get bored. He’s a millennial. He wants to know why. Millennials, once they know why, they’re good. Josh has a lot of interests in life. If you can hold his concentration level and focus only on football for a few years, he will set the world on fire. He has so much ability, and he’s a really good kid.” Mora had previous endorsed Sam Darnold over Josh Rosen to the Cleveland Browns.

Rosen has been the subject of concerns about his off-field interests, and there is a building narrative about his focus on football. Rosen is amongst the best quarterbacks in this draft but cannot seem to avoid controversy. This may hurt his draft stock but make him a value in dynasty drafts if he ends up as the fourth quarterback drafted in late April.

Derrius Guice Off-Field Situation

Derrius Guice has been the subject of some off-field questions in recent weeks. Stories have circulated about his father’s murder and his brother’s arrest for attempted murder. Dalvin Cook faced “off-field concerns” last year at a similar time before the draft. The concerns combined with low athletic testing scores caused Cook to fall into the middle of the second round of the NFL Draft.

Guice does not have the athleticism questions but does have an injury history. His current valuation in the middle to end of the first round may be earlier than he is drafted in late April.

The Second Pick of the Draft

The Cleveland Browns appear poised to pick a quarterback with the first pick of the NFL Draft, with the current speculation centering around Sam Darnold and Josh Allen. The New York Jets appear poised to also pick a quarterback with the third pick after trading up.

That leaves the Giants in a dominant position. If a team like Buffalo or Denver want to jump ahead Jets, the Giants are in a position to acquire a windfall of picks.

The Giants will likely take a hard look at the quarterbacks for a potential heir apparent to Eli Manning. If the Giants select a quarterback, the player is likely to become a value in superflex drafts.

With the prospect of sitting behind Manning for a year or more, owners may pass for a potential immediate return. This will create value for patient dynasty owners.

On the other hand, the Giants could go with another position, the Cleveland pick at four would be a pivotal trade up opportunity for quarterback-needy teams.

What Are the Patriots Doing?

With the Brandin Cooks trade to the Rams, New England now has two late first round picks. There has been speculation they may look to trade up for a quarterback, but the leap into the top five would be difficult to pull off.

The last time New England drafted a skill position player in the first round was 2006 when they selected Laurence Maroney. However, New England does have potential needs at wide receiver and running back they could address in the late first or second round of the draft, with five picks in the top 95.

Do the Panthers Address Offensive Skill Positions?

Carolina has a tepid depth chart at the offensive skill positions. Christian McCaffrey flashed as a rookie but does not profile as a real three-down option. Devin Funchess showed well last year after he was thrust into the number one role, but Carolina has question marks with Torrey Smith and Curtis Samuel as potential number two options. Greg Olsen will play the 2018 season at 33 years old and has flirted with retirement.

The Panthers could look to address multiple offensive skill positions in the first two days of the draft, which could cap the upside of Christian McCaffrey and Devin Funchess. McCaffrey is currently ranked 23 in our expert rankings at RB10, which could represent a ceiling of his value. Giovani Bernard had a similar type of rookie year where he elevated into the second round of startup valuation before Cincinnati drafted Jeremy Hill. Bernard never saw a true feature role, and his value declined as a result. This may be an opportunity to cash out at full value for McCaffrey.

Funchess is cheaper at 55 overall and WR29. He is unlikely to face as direct a threat as McCaffrey with few number one options in this receiving class but could see a cap on his ceiling with the addition of a top two round wide receiver. McCaffrey and Funchess both warrant shopping around to see if you can return their current valuation in the trade market.

What Does Buffalo Do With All Their Picks?

Buffalo has their sights set on a quarterback. Through multiple trades, they have acquired picks 12, 22, 53, 56, 65, and 96, which give them the ammunition to move up as far as the number two pick.

A move up would likely cost them at least half those picks but would leave open the opportunity to select additional offensive players. Buffalo has holes at linebacker and interior offensive line, but still could upgrade at wide receiver, running back, and tight end.

Buffalo would be wise to go the route Indianapolis went with Andrew Luck and take multiple offensive pieces on day two to support their franchise quarterback. If they select Baker Mayfield adding his college tight end Mark Andrews on day two would be an Andrew Luck-Coby Fleener security type connection. Buffalo’s offense skill positions do not look great for a rookie quarterback right now, but neither did Los Angeles a year ago.


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Jordan McNamara is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jordan, check out his archive and follow him @McNamaraDynasty.

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