Last season, Jordan Howard dropped to the fifth round of the NFL draft. In 2017, he will be drafted in the majority of fantasy league first rounds. A few years prior, T.Y. Hilton was nabbed at the end of the third round, and we all remember where Tom Brady and Kurt Warner came from. These type of sleepers are due to surface every few years, let me show you who it might be from 2017’s draft.
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Adam Shaheen (TE – Ashland): 3rd or 4th round
The most exciting sleeper of the class could surge even further up the board in the coming weeks. He was a Division II basketball player who transferred to give football a chance. He ended up using his remarkable athleticism to break records and catch the attention of NFL scouts. The 6’6″, 278 pound Shaheen has immense upside and could be a big threat in the red zone.
Marlon Mack (RB – South Florida): 3rd or 4th round
After rushing for 15 touchdowns and 7.1 yards per carry, many scouts think Mack to be one of the more polished backs in the draft class. His 40 time in Mobile was 4.50 and he can catch the ball out of the backfield. Mack could be one injury from getting a big NFL workload in 2017.
Aaron Jones (RB – UTEP): 4th or 5th round
In 2015, Jones missed most of the season with torn ligaments in his ankle. He bounced back for one of the top running back performances of 2017 with 17 touchdowns and 1,773 yards on 7.7 yards per carry with 28 receptions and another 3 touchdowns through the air. Jones isn’t the biggest back, but we saw that work for Ray Rice who was the same build.
Joe Yearby (RB – Miami): 7th round or priority free agent
This is another 5’9″ running back, but Yearby didn’t have anywhere near the stats as Aaron Jones. In fact, Yearby was the backup running back to Mark Walton last year. There is no denying the ability, however, as Yearby was the #3 running back prospect in high school. He just needs an opportunity to showcase what he can do, and when he does, his legs will be fresher than the rest of the backs in this draft class.
K.D. Cannon (WR – Baylor): 4th or 5th round
This isn’t the first wide receiver out of Baylor with elite athleticism who won’t be drafted anywhere near the first round. Like Yearby, Cannon is a former top high school recruit who hasn’t quite put it all together in college. He was a Freshmen All-American and could return to strong production once an NFL team gets their fingerprints on him.
Amara Darboh (WR – Michigan): 5th or 6th round
Darboh never put together an impressive stat-line at Michigan because he was part of a run-first pro-style offense. Everything else about him suggests he can be a good NFL receiver. He is big, strong, smart, a great blocker, an excellent route runner and displayed plus athleticism at the combine. He doesn’t have the upside of a WR1, but he could be a fantasy contributor from day one.
Kenny Golladay (WR – Northern Illinois): 6th or 7th round
If you came to this article for upside, this is your guy. No, he isn’t a strong route runner yet and doesn’t have experience against talented secondaries, but he has the rare combo of size, speed and hands that is impossible to teach. It won’t happen right away, but if you are hoping to hit the lottery two or three years down the road, Golladay could be the winning ticket.
Brad Kaaya (QB – Miami): 4th or 5th round
It wasn’t long ago that everyone considered Kaaya to be the best bet to go first overall in the 2017 draft. He has always been terrible when under pressure, and seeing that his offensive line took a major step backward last season, his stock plummeted. With that said, he has a perfect QB body, can make all the big throws and is sensational when provided time in the pocket. If the Pats trade Jimmy G, Kaaya could be a perfect fit in Belichick’s system.
Chad Kelly (QB – Ole Miss): 5th or 6th round
We all know the story about Jim Kelly’s nephew with a big ego being kicked off Clemson. What a lot of people don’t realize is that Chad has a big NFL ready arm and enough athleticism to handle pressure. He has made some very poor off-the-field choices and has been known to meltdown in big moments, but if Kelly can get his head on his shoulders and recover from his injury, this could be a quality NFL starter some day.
Ep. 72: Dynasty Rookie Draft
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