NFL Draft Preview Part 2: QB & WR Rookies

I mean, he checks all the three boxes of what I want to see. So the one team where I don't want to see any wide receiver go to, at least for fantasy purposes, and sorry, it's Baltimore. I just, it would be sad to me to see McKeel Harry or A.J. Brown end up in Baltimore where I know the offense is not going to run through them. Is it similar to maybe how we felt about like D.J. Moore's Opportunity in Carolina last year, where.

We know that one of these guys is going to Baltimore. I mean, one of the 10 guys we talk about today is going to be thrust into the situation where we're depending not just on them to become something, but Lamar Jackson to become something in the passing game. Right. Yeah, I think they'll take a downfield guy having lost John Brown. That's not really, I mean, Akil Harry can get down, but he's not thought of as a burner. He's a really, really, really well-rounded player. I feel like he does everything, not just like everything all right.

He does everything very well except, you know, there's a knock on. He's not an extreme separator. But he, this is the year of the big wide receiver. There's like, there's like 10 monstrous human beings that are 220 plus pounds, 6.3 or taller and run four, five or, you know, quicker. So it's, it's really unbelievable. Nikiel Harry, to me, he doesn't have the ceiling that say, uh, Hakeem Butler or a D.K. Metcalf have.

But I think his floor is so safe. I agree with that. He might be my number one wide receiver in a dynasty draft, depending on his location, because I don't see him failing. I don't see, even if he ends up becoming the number two for his team, I think he's going to be a very successful NFL wide receiver. He's just, he's great at too many things. I think he's a good route runner. He lines up everywhere. I can relate to that. He's on the left, the right slot.

great contested catch. So there's not a, you're nitpicking when you don't like Nikil Harry. Let's talk about a couple of Ole Miss receivers. All right. D.K. Matcalfe. A.J. Brown. Mattcalf, the Combine Freak, 43340, 64, 228. Printed in a laboratory for my understanding in some capacity. These two guys are so interesting to me. Because I think they're, the majority opinion.

is that Metcalf will be drafted higher than A.J. Brown. I understand why. I also understand that there are NFL franchises that prioritize the things that D.K. Metcalf has. One of my notes on him is that I think he can change an offense on accident, even if he's an unrefined route runner, even if he is a developing superstar, a monster. Calvin, you know, Calvin Johnson is the ceiling comp.

I think he can be more impactful to his fantasy team than he may be to his own fantasy stats. He did not have near the production that A.J. Brown had in college. Well, he did not. He was also injured last year. And that's a thing that you don't have the proof of a season worth of wear and tear. But he's an absolute monster. I mean, last season at Ole Miss, 21.9 a catch. When you look at Matt Caffin Brown, who do you like more and then maybe break down?

those guys for me. You know, as far as if I'm drafting a wide receiver, it depends on what I'm looking for, because they're very different. I feel like AJ Brown is a possession type guy, and D.K. McHaff is your downfield amazing talent. There's just not many people in the world, in the history of humanity, let alone the NFL, that are 6-328 pounds and can run a 4-3-340. He is...

lightning fast at a monstrous size. And the production model's bad because he didn't, you know, but if you look on a per game basis, he actually has a really, really good production model. I'm always a little bit worried when you're not the number one on your team. But they used him, I mean, you can't blame him for how he was used necessarily. He was always on one side, pretty much running nines or taking screens. And, you know, if he goes to a good,

team to a team that has a history of developing players. Let's say the Steelers are able to grab them. They have a history of doing the best with the wide receivers they grab. Then D.K. Metcalf is a superstar. I mean, if you watch his games, you're like, eh, if you watch his highlights, you're like, blah. Right. Oh, there's a big difference. In one case, you sound like. I sound like me. And in the other case, more like a, yeah.

The lining up on one side of the field is not what I like to hear about. Like, especially just the translation from college to pro of when you're, when you're that number one outside receiver, the coverage you receive in the NFL is far different. You need to have a bunch of release moves. You need to have some variables to your game. And if college, you,

So what did he play? He played a total of 21 games. And if he's playing on one side, there's not going to be a lot of variation that he has picked up some nuances. So it has me concerned. Do you think the range of outcomes for Metcalf? I mean, do you think that there's a world where he's a first round bust, Kevin White, physical size comp? Aside from the injury that he's had in last year, but it.

It very much seems like Amari Cooper, Kevin White, where one guy had a bunch of production, was a proven wide receiver, and the other guy was just flashed out of the pan at the combine, and everyone started drooling over what he could do. Any other thoughts on A.J. Brown, 61226. A lot of production in college, 75 receptions, 85 receptions the last two years, was obviously on the field a lot more than Metcalf was.

strong guy, shifty. Yeah, I mean, he's a great player. Yeah, he's a very good wide receiver. I've got him as kind of an Anquan Bolden comp. He's strong. He can run every route. He reminds me of Nelson Aguilar with 20 pounds on him. Sure. There are two wide receivers, considered high level guys that completely go green in my average rookie model. And it's Nikiel Harry and AJ Brown. So I really like, well, I like both of those guys a lot.

Let's talk about Kelvin Harmon, North Carolina State, 6321. When you look at him, I see a couple things. I'll weigh in real quick. Had production, ran a 4-6. Not great, Bob. And when you look at Harmon, I didn't know what, maybe you guys, you watched a lot of film on him. Maybe you can help me. I saw a wonderful track record of competitive catches.

But I didn't know if that was an indictment on his separation and his 4-6 speed that he had to be in the situation. You know, you watch Hollywood Brown. And not a lot of competitive catches because he's 10 yards down the field behind a guy. I felt like was this bad quarterback play that put him in that position to where he had to make so many contested catches? Was this subpar separation of 4-6 speed? I like the way he competed for the ball. I like his ball skills. I like the tight window catches.

I just don't know if he's more than an average fantasy, you know, kind of prospect. Yeah, I mean, I view him as a little bit of a poor man's Nikiel Harry. He's a quality wide receiver, good at contested catches, lack separation. But I think the lack of separation, he looked slower to me when he played. Like, you know, I don't worry about a four-six. There's plenty of successful wide receivers in the NFL with a four-six.

But it's when you look a little bit slower. And he's a gamer. I like him. I think if he goes to a team with a good quarterback that's willing to force those windows that says, hey, I can get the ball exactly where I need to go, even if he doesn't have huge separation. I think he could be a quality prospect. But, you know, I don't see him as a fantasy superstar. All right. Hakeem Butler, here's somebody I want to talk about for a while. Hakeem Butler is very fun to watch.

Play football. Very phone. Iowa State product, absolute freak. 66, 227, runs a 4-48. I would rather draft a Keene Butler myself than I would DK Metcalf. You saw more production over a longer period of time for Butler. Huge ceiling to me. The comp that is thrown out there constantly is A.J. Green. We don't have enough consistency in route running.

for Hakeem Butler, I think. But I like the fact that unlike D.K. McCaff, who you just brought up, Mike, stays on one side of the field. Butler has a history of being able to be moved around and use that size. That's why I love the idea of him being with a quarterback that you can extend the play, take advantage of his size and strength. Butler has the highest ceiling of, I think, anybody in this draft because his ceiling, his best plays were Randy Moss-esque plays in college. Yeah, he uses his size.

appropriately. His body control in the air is, like, that's what makes him so fun to watch is a man of his size should not be that nimbly blimbley when he's just running around on the field and making like video game turns. You know how when you're playing Mario, you can somehow jump forward yet I can slow down at the same time. Yes. Somehow he has that ability. So his, his 50-50 ball.

percentages are great. And I think that he can succeed in the NFL. But he is, I'll let you talk about this, Jason, but he, Hageen Butler is so interesting because I have lots of industry people, industry good friends of mine that I respect that have him all over the map from number one to like out of their top 10. Well, you'll remember when, when we started looking up, you know, doing all of our research months ago on the on the rookies.

I started falling in love with Hakeem Butler and saying, like, why is this guy not like a consensus top one or two guy? And I was looking around it like really respected long term scouts where all they do is not fantasy, but just like NFL scouts. And they're like wide receiver 18, not like, I mean, nowhere near the top. And I'm just dumbfounded. Yes, I'm dumbfounded because when I watch him, he's.

incredible because look there's not a lot of guys that are 6-6 who have had success in the NFL that's because guys who are 6-6 don't move like him they can't they can't they can't move their body there's nothing I've seen in his game and here's the knock on him one year of production

I mean, one year as a massive producer, he was okay two years ago, but he was not the star. So you go, okay, and he broke out a little later in his age. The drop issues, you know, I think are overblown. If you've ever listened to Matt Harmon, talk about it. You know, you can argue you don't get drops if you don't separate because you don't get the targets. And, you know, so to me, I think Hakeem Butler is a great wide receiver. I think wherever he goes, he's going to do well. And the things he can do.

NFL teams can capitalize on. They can scheme around his sideline work. He's so good on the sidelines. He's a monster. We'll make some predictions in a moment about where we think Keene Butler might land as well as these other whiteouts. Let's talk about Miles Boykin, and then we'll get to Hollywood, Brown. Yes. Hollywood! Miles Boykin out of Notre Dame, 64-220. I was impressed. What's funny to me is...

When I watch the film on Miles Boykin, I see just a man. I see a man. I was reminded of The Avengers. He is not a man. He's just, he does everything right. He plays the position like a big wide receiver, but you're blown away by the speed that he actually has, his top in speed. Did you?

Did you feel like you saw that on film? No, not at all. Okay, that's what I was curious about. That's the thing is the speed blew me away as a surprise. Because he kind of just, it's like long strides, the bigger body, whatever it is, it doesn't show up on film the way that it showed up at the combine to me. So you saw the same thing. I mean, I saw this. I mean...

Look, I hate to say this because he is a combine warrior. We're talking his numbers, depending on how you formulate your percentiles. He is a true world class above D.K. Metcalfe above these other guys. 94th percentile Spark athlete. Yeah, for some, for Spark. He's a three sigma athlete if you, you know, use, use that website to determine your, your athletic rankings, which is very rare. But I've, I mean, when I watch, I'm just like, okay, I,

I love that he's this big, incredible athlete. I just didn't see it. I didn't, as far as, like, I didn't see him on film look like what he can do at the combine. He didn't impress me as a wide receiver. I'm not saying he's bad, or he's a bad wide receiver. But, like, I think he's overhyped because of his combine results. And we've seen that year after year after year. There's always somebody that, oh, man, we thought he was meh. And then it was like his combine comes. He's going to be awesome. You know, Zay Jones style.