Dynasty Rookies

Jacksonville has made no secret about their desire to hand Fournette as much of the workload as possible. After a couple disastrous seasons of T.J. Yeldon, and the addition of Chris Ivory leading to little improvement, the Jags used the fourth overall pick on the consensus top running back in the draft. Fournette is a beast of a back that drew Adrian Peterson comps throughout his prep and college career. And while he may never quite live up to that hype, there's no denying that he has a chance to be a special player. After a 2016 season in which Blake Bortles' limitations were on full display, expect the Jaguars offense to run through Fournette, with the explosive rookie getting as much work as he can handle. He still has a ways to go from a receiving standpoint, but the Jacksonville defense is steadily improving and the ideal game plan from week to week is going to be pounding the rock with Fournette 20+ times a game.

The Vikings never expected Cook to fall as far as he did in the second round of this year's draft, but when it happened they weren't shy about making a move to get him. Despite signing Latavius Murray to replace Adrian Peterson, Minnesota clearly sees Cook as the long-term answer in this backfield, and with good reason. After a highly productive college career Cook failed to wow at the combine-in fact, he was downright terrible in some often telling measurables. But Minnesota obviously believes the college tape over the combine times, and on full display at Florida State was a three down back that showed patience and burst, excellent receiving ability, and an above average penchant for pass protection. Already the early returns seem to indicate that Cook could render Murray nothing more than a short yardage and change of pace option before he even makes his way off the PUP list. Cook is not without risk however, as ball security has always been a bit of an issue. Still, he continues to be on the rise in dynasty drafts and could legitimately approach 300 touches even as a rookie.

Kamara has a bright dynasty future and should carve out some passing downs work as a rookie, but barring an injury to starter Mark Ingram or veteran Adrian Peterson, it's difficult to imagine him having a huge impact in 2017. A versatile back, the Saints took Kamara in the third round and envision him filling their immediate needs as a change of pace and passing downs back, but Ingram has proved a capable receiver throughout his career and has caught 50 and 46 balls respectively over the past two seasons. Kamara is a fantastic dynasty option in this offense, but if Peterson can recapture some of his form in New Orleans then it's difficult to see Kamara handling more than 100-125 touches in 2017.

Hunt is the other half of what is going to be a painful fantasy backfield scenario for owners going forward. Spencer Ware has been far better over a season and a half than many expected, but he did seem to slow a bit as the season wore on in 2016. With that in mind the Chiefs went out and took one of the more intriguing running back prospects in the draft, in Kareem Hunt. While the measurables don't jump off the page, his college production behind a dreadful offensive line is impressive. He's a bigger back that can make tacklers miss and find more yards than what is blocked, but like Ware he lacks breakaway speed. He's a capable pass catcher and could eventually supplant Ware as the starter, perhaps as early as this season. The far more likely scenario though is that, barring injury, the two backs cannibalize each other's production over the next couple years until the Chiefs have to make a decision on Ware's contract after the 2018 campaign is a wrap.

The trade of Sammy Watkins to Los Angeles and the abrupt retirement of Anquan Boldin opens the door for Jones to make his mark as a rookie. Yes, Jordan Matthews is now in town and the "number one" option, but his durability concerns persist and in the final year of his contract he was more of a dice roll for a team that needed receiver help. He's also going to run out of the slot, while Jones projects to spend plenty of time outside. An elite athlete, he put up an eye-popping 158 receptions as a senior at East Carolina last year, but was vastly underrated due to the short average depth of target. Rest assured that it had more to due with his quarterback and the offense he was playing with, and he'll be able to get open downfield in the NFL. He's in for a large rookie year workload, but this is still going to be a run-heavy offense so temper the early expectations. That said he's in a pretty ideal spot for both redraft and dynasty purposes.

It's pretty clear that new 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan views Williams as a natural fit for his offensive scheme. And it will be interesting to see how this 49ers backfield scenario plays out. Starter Carlos Hyde was very good behind a pretty bad offensive line last season, but he's a poor fit for this offense and this regime has no loyalty to him. Williams on the other hand, is a speed back that has shown big play ability throughout his college career and was also handpicked by his head coach. He's going to get plenty of opportunities this season and in the future (Hyde is in the final year of his contract), but there are also quite a few red flags here, including enough off the field issues that he was left off of some draft boards this spring. Add in ball security concerns and a limited track record as a pass catcher, and Williams has one of the widest potential range of outcomes among NFL rookie running backs.

With such bad quarterback play from Brock Osweiler last season, the Texans leaned heavily on Lamar Miller from the jump. And the results were less than fantastic, as Houston's new feature back wore down quickly and missed the final two games of the season with injury. Enter third round pick D'onta Foreman, who was brought in as an upgrade over current backup running back Alfred Blue. While Blue hasn't been bad, he's in the final year of his rookie deal and just doesn't have the upside of a player like Foreman. But Foreman doesn't come into Texans camp without his own warts. Pass protection and ball security are known issues, and many would like to see the 235 pound back run with more authority and thump, as despite his size he had a tendency to dance a little too much. The battle between Blue and Foreman is one to keep an eye on, given the amount of running the Texans are expected to do this season. Long term Foreman should be able to capture the backup role for Houston and could see some added goalline and short yardage work.

For a team that already has Antonio Brown and expects Martavis Bryant to be reinstated any day, Smith-Schuster brings a physical presence to the Steelers receiver position that figures to be a perfect addition. He's a football player through and through and an absolutely warrior, with or without the football in his hands. He lacks the sort of speed and explosiveness that NFL teams covet, but he doesn't need much separation to win football and he does all the little things well. With so many mouths to feed in Pittsburgh, targets are going to be the real question. But if he can prove himself early on then he can have success at the NFL level as an Anquan Boldin-type wideout, a player to whom he often draws comparisons.

While he'll initially play behind Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson, Godwin comes into the league at just 21 years of age and is a talented receiver already drawing rave reviews from coaches and teammates. Like Jackson, he has the speed to take the top off a defense, but he's a bigger player at 6'1", 210 lbs, and is going to a perfect complement to Mike Evans once the 31 year old Jackson begins to slow. While Godwin has wheels, he also has a "my ball" mentality and is a willing battler with defensive backs. It would likely take an injury for Godwin to be a significant contributor in year one, but by next season he's a name that should start generating some serious buzz, especially playing in this offense with Jameis Winston and company.

When surveying the rookie quarterback landscape, Watson easily finds himself in the best landing spot of this year's class. The Texans have gone to the playoffs in back to back seasons despite lacking a legitimate NFL signal caller, which made moving up in the first round to take Watson a logical choice for Houston. While Watson may not have the same ceiling as some of the other quarterbacks in the 2017 class, he has the experience and resume to compete for the starting job from day one. The expectation is that Texans could very well roll with Tom Savage under center to open the season, but he's not the long term solution. And although Watson does need to improve some areas of his game, the former Clemson quarterback did lead his team to the National Championship game in each of the past two season, helping the Tigers to capture their second National Title in school history this past season. He should get his shot this season, and if he plays well he's going to hang onto the job for a long time.

With Green Bay electing to continuing using Ty Montgomery as their top running back, the second string role will likely come down to a battle between Williams and fellow rookie Aaron Jones. Taken a round earlier, Williams probably has a slight edge here, but he's got a lot to prove. He's not really a plodder, but he's also not a guy that makes many people miss in the open field. He profiles as a physical back that will get what is blocked, but not a whole lot more due to his lack of both elusiveness and patience. With the Green Bay offense running through Rodgers he isn't going to be much more than a short yardage or change of pace option even if he does wind up backing up Montgomery. His biggest asset right off the bat is his readiness in pass protection. It's an area Montgomery struggled in last season, and if Williams has a chance to make some noise in the preseason that could be the differentiator.

Veteran DeAngelo Williams was sent packing this offseason, and despite being a top tier fantasy running back, Le'Veon Bell has only played all 16 games once in his four year NFL career. Obviously the Steelers thought Conner was up to the task, as they spent an early third round pick on the former ACC Player of the Year. There's no doubting Conner's resilience, as his story of beating cancer and returning to the field last season is well documented. But most teams didn't have him ranked nearly as high on their draft boards. Still, one has to think the Steelers know exactly what they're getting in the former Pitt Panther and likely view him as more than the short yardage and goal line option he's often been pegged as.

Moving up to draft Mahomes sent a pretty clear signal that the Chiefs have decided they've gone as far as they can go with Alex Smith under center. While not in line for immediate playing time, Mahomes has arguably the highest ceiling of any quarterback in this draft. He has good wheels, but is far more concerned with using them to prolong plays than to take off downfield. He also has the biggest arm in this draft class by far. The trick is going to be settling him down and getting him to stay in the pocket. He's a straight up gunslinger who always thinks there's a play to be made, and his natural ability and enough positive outcomes kept him improvising throughout his career at Texas Tech. He won't be able to get away with some of that stuff at the NFL level, but that said, he's also so good that some of it is still going to work. You couldn't find a more polar opposite of Alex Smith if you tried so it will be interesting to see how that dynamic plays out, both with the coaches and the fans. Expect him to drive Andy Reid a bit insane early in his career, but if he develops he could be very very good.

Everett will certainly have an adjustment to make, going from South Alabama to the NFL. A Jordan Reed clone, Everett was handpicked by Sean McVay and company to fill a similar role to the one McVay carved out for Reed in his offense in Washington. His biggest competition comes from second year pro, Tyler Higbee, but given their very different skill sets, there's a strong chance they wind up playing quite a bit together in two tight end sets. Everett's ceiling may ultimately be higher, but as a receiver-first move tight end he has less margin for error than a player like Higbee.

After tearing his right ACL (for the second time) in the Orange Bowl, Butt fell to the fifth round of the draft, where Denver opted to roll the dice on the talented rookie. Tearing the same ACL twice in the span of three years definitely raises some red flags, but Butt is a talented enough traditional in-line tight end that it was worth the risk. With Paxton Lynch still slow in developing and plenty of tight end depth on the roster, the Broncos can afford to be patient. Butt will start the year on the PUP list and may sit out the entirety of the 2017 season.

The diminutive Pumphrey was projected as the heir apparent to Darren Sproles when the Eagles selected him in the fourth round. That said, it feels like Sproles has had quite a few "heirs" over the course of his career. Still, reports are that Pumphrey has been outstanding so far, and he should eventually take over the receiving and change of pace role in this backfield.

Going into the 2016 college football season, Kizer was the top quarterback prospect on more than a few draft boards. But a poor junior season in which he failed to live up to expectations, and was even benched at times, sent Kizer's stock tumbling to the point where many questioned his choice to leave school a year early. Still, Kizer looks the part of NFL quarterback at 6'4" and 235lbs, with excellent mobility and a big time arm. He's still a long way from fulfilling the Steve McNair comparisons that have been thrown around, but you can't teach size and athleticism. The expectation had been that Kizer would land in a spot that allowed him to compete in camp, but ultimately had him spend most of year one watching from the sideline. And while that still may be the case, reports out of Cleveland suggest that he may be in the mix for early playing time after all. The Browns have done a solid job of acquiring building block-type talent on both sides of the ball, and if they believe getting Kizer under center sooner will help speed up the clock on their rebuilding effort, with his dual threat ability the rookie could offer some interesting upside for 2017 and certainly needs to be on the radar of every dynasty owner. He's going to open camp competing with Cody Kessler for the starting nod and should garner the backup role unless he's thoroughly and completely outplayed by Brock Osweiler, which no one expects.

McGuire isn't big enough to be an every down back in the NFL, but he was a highly productive college player for four seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette. Finishing his career as the all-purpose yards leader in school history, McGuire projects as a pass catching and change of pace back at the pro level. And given the absence of talent up and down the Jets roster, there's a strong chance the rookie will have an opportunity to compete for at least some playing time in year one.