QB & RB Rookie Preview + Fantasy Crushes - Fantasy Football Podcast for 4/5

a first round draft pick and Gino Smith fell to the second and it just, you know, Mike Glyn. They're just what, there just weren't great options. Now, it could be similar to 2014 where you've got some later, you know, some second round guys because I think it's a little, it's deeper. Like the quality of most of these quarterbacks to me, it goes like the same tier.

There's like six or seven. Like more. So someone in the second or third round could become a Jimmy Garoppolo type of career here. But yeah, there is no superstar here. No teams are clamoring to get, you know, to fight over one another to get the next great quarterback. And, you know, we were talking in the studio. If I was a GM, like if I'm the Falcons GM, I need a quarterback. I can get one.

I'm not taking one. I'm waiting and grabbing a great one in 2023. So Malik Willis, I think, does represent the highest potential. Yes. Simply because of his dual threat ability, escapeability, being able to rush the football. You know what that value is. Comes out of Liberty, 6-1-215, almost 23 years old. And I think the consensus is that he's likely the first quarterback to go. We know how rushing ability is gold in fantasy.

But there's weaknesses to his game as well, right? Yeah, for sure. He is not accurate. He's okay. He actually has a good deep ball. He really does. Like I think that he's got a nice placement on his deep ball. But all the other throws, he's not very accurate. There's also some other red flags, right? Like he's a.

fifth year senior, not an early declare type of guy. Had a transfer out of Auburn. Had a transfer out, played less competition. And he's not a Josh Allen. Like Josh Allen is the reason we can hope for Malik Willis. Because Josh Allen turned into a top three NFL quarterback because he figured out the accuracy and got it together. But Josh Allen had.

More arm strength. Josh Allen, you know, was not 6-1-215. Josh Allen's a tank. Now, his rushing ability is outstanding. Yeah. You know, he's someone that could go to the NFL and put up 800 rushing yards. So for fantasy purposes, I'm in on Malik Willis. I don't know if he will develop to becoming, you know, a really long-term successful NFL quarterback. There's definitely a group of folks that.

think a redshirt season for him at the NFL level is going to be important to continue to develop. When I was looking at him, accuracy was obviously an issue, but also being calm in the pocket and being able to make, you know, make that decision not to dip the eyes and take off immediately. You know, you saw Trey Lance with the draft capital he was drafted with still sit out at full season. There could be some comparisons there. But Mike, when you see Malik Willis, is there a destination?

Is there a place you think he could go and that might be the best fit to represent dynasty value for players? I mean, for me it is the team he's being mocked to, which is the Pittsburgh Steelers, because Tomlin is an elite coach. If he drops that far in the NFL draft, like if he actually makes it pass the Saints, which he could be okay for the Saints too, but I like to establish coaching tree of Mike Tomlin. And if he falls to 20, I feel like the

the pressure of we have to force this guy in. It's not nearly as strong, and you can then, you know, let... Have a bridge year. Yeah, have Mitch Trubisky be a bridge year quarterback, work on Malik Willis. I think the stat that stands out to me that tells you everything you need to know about the quarterbacks is Malik Willis, which electric on the ground, basically averaged 900 rushing yards as a starter and double-digit rushing touchdowns both those years. But of this...

crop of quarterbacks when it comes to intermediate passes, which it's a pretty important area of the field to throw to. He has the worst adjusted completion percentage in the class. And he is expected, or by some, not everyone, but at least the Vegas odds has him as the first quarterback taken. And he has the worst accuracy in intermediate portions of the field. That's just, that's such a wild place to be.

for the quarterback position. It certainly doesn't scream day one starter franchise quarterback as much as it does some development. Let's talk about Kenny Pickett, who unfortunately for him. He can picket. No. Wait, is that, what is that supposed to be? As can you all dig it? There's it. Oh, okay. It took me a minute to get there. I don't know if we were doing a boppet thing. Oh, I don't know.

Well, look, I was going to say he's been the unfortunate player associated with the small hands situation. Jack Doyle retires. Kenny Pickett is here. But I kind of like him. Yeah, he's okay. I know. But there's some, you know, when you saw the massive jump from the junior season to last year, you know, you saw him end up with a 42 to 7 touchdown to interception ratio. Maybe that's just me thinking.

about that Joe Burrow season. You know, Joe Burrow went from 16 touchdowns to just setting the world on fire. So huge improvements, big armed talent. I think that he is the other guy that you look at and say, right system, right team, you could develop this player. He's my favorite quarterback of this year's group. I would take him off the list of the quarterbacks I hate. Everyone else.

pretty much I'm now what are your thoughts on him though what's the word to describe your feelings towards him if if hate is everything else uh is it neutrality or is it somewhere in the the better it's better it's better than neutral i think he's good not so for fantasy purposes he can move he can scramble he can get out of the pocket and run and pick up a first down but he doesn't project as someone who's going to truly be a dual threat in the NFL so for fantasy as more of a pocket passer um

I think his ceiling is a little bit capped, but he did look like a quarterback that had good poise, who could throw those intermediate, very important NFL routes. He kind of checked a lot of the boxes, a little bit older, but he has, he's played a lot. So, you know, he did well with Pitt. Pitt won games because of him. So I like Kenny Pickett. He's got tiny hands.

I'm looking at this picture of our rookie quarterbacks. And I'm trying to decide if somebody like maybe shrunk the hands a little bit. You would think, but that's a real photograph. He's just got small hands. I do think there's a good chance for him to end up as the first quarterback drafted because of Carolina. There's a lot of ties to Matt Rule to the ownership. He likes to take a lot of sacks, which is something Darnold does. So they like that there in Carolina. Not as many as Malik.

Malik was sack king. I was a little worried about, and I guess, you know, I don't know if Justin Herbert gets criticized for this or Josh Allen used to. I felt like there's not a lot of touch on some of the throws that he made, which is kind of just one of those quarterback skill art things that happen. Certain quarterbacks just do it better than others. That was one of my concerns, but massive production, certainly. Yeah. Do you have any? Are you? I'm with you that the jump.

of almost doubling your yardage, absolutely doubling your touchdowns, and your yards per attempt goes from 7.2 up to 8.7. So it's not that he was just, you know, getting dinking and Duncan. Like he's getting after it. So I... 13 to 9 in 2020 was his touchdown interception ratio. Went to 42.

to seven. I like that. My comp for him was Derek Carr. I'm seeing the comp in here as Derek Carr. Is that the peak of this class? Derek Carr? Yes, just like 2014. All right. 2014 was Johnny Mansell, Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, Derek Carr, Jimmy Garap. So Carr is definitely the best of that class. Yep. All right. Matt Corral. What were your thoughts on?

Matt Corral because I see some good in what I was able to. Yeah, he throws the ball stupid. I was, I just can't stand the way he throws the ball. We just had this conversation and I was telling you, I thought it was he's more of a three-quarter throw and you, you were saying it looks like he's almost shot putting it. Yeah, he's like doesn't.

Pull the ball back. He just, he has it by his shoulder and then just throws it. And that being said, Philip Rivers also threw the ball very stupid and he was great. That's my quick release note that I have for Matt Corral. Yeah, it's a shortcut to a quick release. Don't pull the ball all the way back. He throws the ball stupid. He throws the ball so stupid. I can't stand watching him. Like the film just makes me upset. I'm. It's way better than the guys that have like the, like the, the Bortles Loop.

Short, no, obviously. Where they try and like scratch the ball on the ground and they bring it up over their head. There is an advantage. I'll take the shot put. It's the Desmond Ritter loop as well. Yeah, there's an advantage to not, you know, having to sling the ball all the way back, but it looks stupid. Outside of that, he is, you know, he's a little bit older. Most of these guys. A little bit smaller, too, than people would like. Absolutely. Six foot, 200 pounds.

older he's just i don't think he's there was nothing that i watched i was like that's who i would want as my quarterback this is who i this is how i see him succeeding so i'm i'm just like out yeah you're out on the i'm out on the golden corral wow that's a surprise i know right right you'd think have you ever said that in your life no no i mean i've said that at the end i've said like i'm out i'm out wheel me out of here

I'm tapped out. But I think old crowd's a good comp. Did you see anything, Mike, that made you think this was more than a backup he could take over a franchise and better yet give some fantasy value? I thought he's a competitor, which I like from the position. And he's also somebody that I thought was willing to do that, the Peyton Manning, right? Take a sack instead of throw a disgusting interception.

but he's too small yeah and and he's not really i mean he's an okay runner right i think he was in the 500 600 yard range but like he's he's also because of the size he's a dangerous runner like there's injury concerns with something like that um mike i guess the last name i'd bring up is desmond ritter just because of that mock draft with him surprisingly going ahead of every other quarterback

Now he looks okay. He looks sick. I'll throw out Sam Howell. He's 21 years old. Throw him out. And then that's all I'll say about him. Oh, yeah. Please stop talking about these quarterbacks. Let's talk running backs. Yeah, let's move on and spend more time on a position that is more likely to give fantasy value immediately for fantasy players. The running back position. Why do I say that? Because at least two, at least two running backs, rookie running backs have finished in the top 24 over the last decade.

Without a single failed year. Every year at least two, up to five two years ago. The volume went up right there. Last year, Najee, Giovante did it. The year before, like you said, it was Jonathan Taylor, James Robinson was a surprise. Antonio Gibson, DeAndre Swift, Clyde. So what we traditionally see is rookie fantasy impact at running back. The top teams in terms of opportunity, this was one of the problems.

There aren't a lot of like slam dunk spot. Like last year, it's like we all knew that Pittsburgh and Najee, they were going to come together. We knew that that was going to be a great opportunity. This year it's a little bit more questionable. Part of it is like Houston seems to be one that jumps out. It's an A plus opportunity in a C plus offense at best. You know, it's a great opportunity to have volume, but I mean, I just don't know.

whether somebody walks in there and gives you, I mean, I guess James Robinson is the example, right? That's what you hope. You hope you get somebody like Brees Hall that lands in Houston and gets a billion carries, is involved in the passing game. And that could happen, but it's still Houston. And that division is rough. I think I would prefer the New York Jets. I know that they've got Michael Carter and he showed some flashes of being decent. So I don't think that they're going to.

the issue, but if one of the top two backs fell to them, I think that they would draft them, and I believe that they would supplant Michael Carter. And the Jets, to me, at least have, like, they were bad. They were a C-minus offense, but they have enough glitz and glam there to be like, they could take that leap. If Zach Wilson, you know, really takes that sophomore step forward, I think that the Jets could be a good offense. Buffalo would be my favorite.