Draft Recap
The Rams had plenty of early picks to work with from their trade with Washington last year in the RG3 deal and made the first big fantasy splash in the draft, moving up to select West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin. It was a great move to fill a huge area of need–someone, ANYONE who can make a play–and they liked what they saw from WVU’s passing game so much that they took their other starting wideout Stedman Bailey in the 3rd round. The rest of the draft went to solidifying an improving defense with Georgia LB Alec Ogeltree being the standout name. I also like the selection of Alabama offensive lineman Barret Jones in the fourth round.
Fantasy Impact
Austin is going to get tones of touches, most of them will be as a slot receiver but he will take some handoffs and be used in the return game as well. He is sure to be an electric play maker (a la Desean Jackson and Percy Harvin) but he is under-sized and we will have to see how his body holds through an NFL season. This is a guy that you want to target, he has extra value in leagues that give points for return yards.
Bailey is a nice depth pick for the Rams, he actually caught more passes than Austin did last season, but is just not the exciting playmaker that his teammate is. I don’t expect to see huge fantasy numbers from Bailey this season, but if he gets the chance to see targets he will take advantage of them.
The defense got better with the addition of Ogletree and USC Safety T.J. McDonald, but it still is not more than a bye week fill in/matchup start.
Barrett Jones will not have a huge impact from a fantasy standpoint, but he gives quality depth to the line so an injury to a lineman will not have huge effect on the teams fantasy numbers.
Sam Bradford got some help here with two solid WRs and it should show in his fantasy numbers next season.
This draft also showed us that the Rams are convinced RB Daryl Richardson can carry the load for them. Richardson has shown that he can be a very effective runner when called upon. Rookie Zac Stacy and second year mad Isaih Pead will also compete for carries, but this should be Richardson’s job to lose. His draft stock will rise now and I expect him to deliver.
Draft Results
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8 | Tavon Austin | WR | West Virginia |
1 | 30 | Alec Ogeltree | LB | Georgia |
3 | 71 | T.J. McDonald | S | USC |
3 | 92 | Stedman Bailey | WR | West Virginia |
4 | 113 | Barret Jones | C | Alabama |
5 | 149 | Brandon McGee | CB | Miami (FL) |
5 | 160 | Zac Stacy | RB | Vanderbilt |