Fantasy Football Impact: New England Patriots 2013 Draft

In true Belicheck fashion, the Pats traded out of the first round to stock up on additional picks later in the draft. New England used all but two of their seven picks to add to their already young and talented defense. Those other two picks were spent on a pair of wide receivers (Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce) brought on to fill the void left by the loss of Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez. It’s worth noting that both drafted wideouts are currently being overshadowed by undrafted rookie Kenbrell Thompkins, who appears to have the inside track to a starting job and, potentially, a solid fantasy season as a rookie.  Tight end Zach Sudfield, also an undrafted free agent, has been the talk of Patriots camp and could step right into fantasy relevance working in New England’s TE-heavy offense.

Fantasy Impact

The Patriots are thin at WR and are banking on their trio of rookie’s to step up in that spot. Dobson is the biggest name of the group, hyped for his elite size and speed combination. Boyce possesses the best straight-line speed and profiles as a nice nice deep threat. Thompkins, however, is the most intriguing in preseason fantasy drafts. He lacks ideal size but is quick and knows how to get open. This has been a battle we’ve been watching all preseason and judgning by recent playing time, Thompkins appears to have locked up the lead role of the trio. Long term, Dobson is still the favorite to turn into a fantasy superstar, but in 2013, looks like the man to grab at the moment.

Sudfield is a physical specimen at 6’7” and 225lbs, but injury, much like stud TE Rob Gronkowski, health issues hurt his draft stock and actaully pushed Sudfeld out of the draft completely. He is a little light for a tight end and figures to play more like a large WR while becoming an immediate threat in the red zone. As Gronkoiwski’s timetable for return remains uncertain, Sudfeld is a solid sleeper tight end in drafts at the moment, and could potentially hold solid value even after Gronk makes his way back.

The defense was already young and talented, and thoug this draft may not provide immediate contributors the added depth will pay off as the season progresses.

Draft Results