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The third and fourth rounds of rookie drafts should be stocked with solid running back and wide receiver talents, certainly moreso than most years, especially at wide receiver. At running back, situation will push a few of these name up higher, and in general running backs will be overdrafted in a weak year at the top of the position. The third round could be prime wide receiver steal territory.
Link to: Pre-Draft 1-25 Pre-Draft 51-100
The Bloom 100 is ranked with the following type of dynasty fantasy football league in mind:
- Full IDP lineups including DT and CB
- PPR, start 3 WR
- Deep lineups and rosters
Of course, depending on your league scoring and settings, the placement of some positions can change, but the tier breaks and rankings within position should be good to use across all league formats.
Previously: Pre-Draft 1-25
26. Devonta Freeman, RB, Florida State - Freeman doesn’t have outstanding physical traits and he won’t be mistaken for a classic bell cow back, but no one in this class gives more effort on every touch. He’ll start out as an RBBC back, but could work his way into a bigger role in short time.
NFL Comparison: Ahmad Bradshaw
27. Colt Lyerla, TE, Oregon - This pick could be a dud before we even get to camp, but he has as high a fantasy ceiling as any tight end in the draft. If he even gets drafted, it will be a decent sign about what teams found when digging into his past. Lyerla is an athletic marvel, but prone to drops.
NFL Comparison: Raw Dallas Clark
28. Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU - Landry is probably not projected as a starting outside wide receiver in the NFL, but in a good passing offense, he could be a PPR monster, and he might hang opposite a true #1. Destination is big, but the hands and ball skills are there to be a QB’s best friend.
NFL Comparison: Middle-class TJ Houshmandzadeh
29. Jared Abbrederis, WR, Wisconsin - Like Landry, Abbrederis could be a fantasy afterthought in a poor passing offense, and a fantasy hit in a strong one. He creates separation with route running as well as any receiver in this class.
NFL Comparison: Brian Hartline
30. Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington - I’m conflicted about Sankey because he’s just a guy who looks like an NFL backup to me, but his measureables may induce a team to bite in the the top 75 and make him “their guy”. This ranking splits the difference. I see a very competent back who does nothing to make him stand out from the crowd in the NFL, but I felt the same about Montee Ball last year.
NFL Comparison: Less well-rounded Knowshon Moreno
31. Kadeem Carey, RB, Arizona - Just like Sankey, there are things to like about how Carey runs (particularly his finishing instincts), but he just doesn’t pop when you picture him against an NFL background. He’s likely to fall much farther because of his poor combine, but Carey’s overall talent is on a part with Sankey.
NFL Comparison: Post-injury Willis McGahee minus a step and some bulk
32. Dominique Easley, DT, Florida - Easley is roughly the equal of Donald on the field, but he has had ACL tears in both knees so the NFL will proceed with caution. If he goes in the top 40 picks or so, he’s worth a rookie pick 3rd to try to get a dominant IDP scorer at a very tough position to find one.
NFL Comparison: Geno Atkins with one more torn ACL
33. Storm Johnson, RB, Central Florida - Many of us who tuned in for Blake Bortles could not help but notice Storm Johnson every time we cued up the UCF tape. Johnson doesn’t have any one attribute to hang your hat on, but the resourcefulness and energy is through the roof on his touches.
NFL Comparison: Upright Fred Jackson
34. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington - This massive tight end has the hands and ball skills to be a big part of a pass offense, but not so much the athleticism. He’ll likely wallow in the TE2 range with maybe a low TE1 peak on the right team.
NFL Comparison: Marcedes Lewis
35. Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida - Once again, quarterback positional value hurts here, as Bortles will surely be drafted to start, and he has a decent fantasy profile with boldness throwing downfield and willingness to run. He’s not as ready to start as Bridgewater or Manziel, which also hurts his fantasy stock out of the gate.
NFL Comparison: Poor man’s Andrew Luck
36. Tre Mason, RB, Auburn - Mason’s acceleration and low center of gravity can remind you of some pretty special compact backs, but he has some holes in his game that will limit big plays, and he’s not really a three-down back. I’ll be more excited if he lands in an offense with a running quarterback.
NFL Comparison: Donald Brown
37. Telvin Smith, LB, Florida State - This one is a bit of a projection, as Smith wasn’t big on the stat sheet with the Seminoles, but he has the athletic profile and passing game impact to be an everydown linebacker who makes plays all over the field. He is a safety/linebacker ‘tweener, which is exactly the kind of linebacker needed in the 21st-century NFL.
NFL Comparison: A cross between Malcolm Smith and Kam Chancellor
38. Anthony Barr, DE/OLB, UCLA - Barr is a former running back and still raw in some aspects of the game, but his closing speed and overall athletic profile has the NFL drooling over his potential. As a defensive end, he’ll move up, as an outside linebacker, he’ll move down.
NFL Comparison: Mathias Kiwanuka
39. Charles Sims, RB, West Virginia - Sims fits into the Sankey/Carey competent-but-not-special RB talent who could be productive if he is not blocked on the depth chart, but could also languish as a backup for his entire career. His receiving ability may get his foot in the door.
NFL Comparison: Stiffer, less explosive Matt Forte
40. Jeremy Hill, RB, LSU - Hill is probably the #2 true power back in this class, but I have a bigger gap between he and Hyde than most. Hill does have plus burst and footwork for a big back, but he still looks like a committee back in the best case scenario.
NFL Comparison: LeGarrette Blount
41. Marion Grice, RB, Arizona State - Grice is similar to Sims in terms of what he has to offer (including receiving ability), with maybe more flexibility and fluid athleticism, but he lacks Sims' post-Senior Bowl buzz.
NFL Comparison: Lighter Rashad Jennings
42. Kevin Norwood, WR, Alabama - Norwood is probably going to spend his career as a strong #3/#4 receiver who makes clutch catches to bail out his quarterback, but never breaks into the starting lineup permanently because he lacks great physical ability. He could, however, start in a poor wide receiver corps and make a name for himself.
NFL Comparison: Rod Streater
43. Bruce Ellington, WR, South Carolina - Ellington is an athletic wonder who split time with basketball and is far from a polished receiver. His mental toughness and occasional “wow” play will certainly draw NFL interest, and he’ll be worth stashing to see if there’s hidden upside once he concentrates on football.
NFL Comparison: Antwaan Randle-el
44. Jeremy Gallon, WR, Michigan - Gallon’s lack of size and speed will limit his NFL ceiling, but his execution and surprising toughness at the catch point makes him look like the kind of receiver that outperforms expectations in the pros.
NFL Comparison: Davone Bess
45. Brandon Coleman, WR, Rutgers - Coleman is a very big bodied receiver with good enough speed to scare a smaller corner, but he doesn’t play with my ball mentality and he’s stiff. He has more upside than some of the receivers listed above, but hasn’t shown as much ability to hit it.
NFL Comparison: Ramses Barden
46. Joe Don Duncan, TE, Dixie State - As you watch the 2014 draft TEs, you get to the crude tape from Duncan at Dixie State and it becomes clear quickly that he is the most polished receiving TE in this class. Questions about being from a small school and a lack of top-end athleticism may keep him in the late parts of the draft, but he will be drafted to be a receiving specialist and that should get our attention.
NFL Comparison: Middle-class Zach Ertz
47. Robert Herron, WR, Wyoming - Herron is a burner who can take the top off of a defense and threaten big plays after the catch, but he’s a raw route runner and inconsistent.
NFL Comparison: Marquise Goodwin without elite turbo
48. Andre Williams, RB, Boston College - Williams has natural size and when he gets in the open field, you see the above average speed, but he is not a true power runner creating a lot of yards after contact, and he lacks great initial burst.
NFL Comparison: Shonn Greene
49. Josh Huff, WR, Oregon - Huff’s ceiling is probably a strong #2 contributor, but it could be hidden by the run-first Oregon offense. Huff is a great blocker and will stick on a roster. Given a chance, he might crack the starting lineup and have a run of fantasy relevance in deep leagues.
NFL Comparison: Smaller, pre-injury Josh Morgan
50. Brett Smith, QB, Wyoming - Smith is a barnstormer who hasn’t seen a challenge he’ll back down from. The results are mixed, but there’s a lot there to work with in terms of athleticism and mentali toughness, and his running ability combined with a fearless attitude will equal fantasy numbers if he gets a shot to start.
NFL Comparison: Ryan Fitzpatrick with top-end athleticism and speed