The Titans selected Michigan RB Hassan Haskins in the 4th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. At 6'2, 228 pounds, he certainly fits Tennessee's smash-mouth running game. Haskins started for the past 3 years at Michigan but didn't break out until this past season, when he took 270 carries for 1,327 yards and 20 TDs. Haskins packs plenty of power but has below average speed and elusiveness. He'll compete this year to be RB Derrick Henry's backup.
The Packers nabbed Nevada WR Romeo Doubs in Round 4. The 4-year college starter improved his production every season, culminating with an 80-1,109-11 line this past year. Doubs is a long, slender 6’2, 204-pounder with good speed. He averaged 14.8 yards per catch at Nevada and caught 12 balls 20+ yards downfield in 2021 – 25th most in the country. Doubs has reliable hands (4.8% drop rate last year) but has a tendency to play small, winning just 28 of 68 contested-catch opportunities over the past 4 seasons, per Pro Football Focus. Doubs joins fellow rookie WR Christian Watson in Green Bay, alongside Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb and Amari Rodgers.
The Cowboys added Wisconsin TE Jake Ferguson in the 4th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He opened his college career with a 36-456-4 line as a freshman but never progressed from there. Ferguson was primarily an in-line TE for the Badgers. He has reliable hands and is comfortable working in traffic at 6’5, 250 pounds. But he has 4.8 speed with a below-average vertical, leaving him as a low-upside fantasy prospect. Ferguson will compete for scraps behind TE Dalton Schultz in Dallas this year.
The Dolphins selected WR Erik Ezukanma in Round 4 of the NFL Draft. The 22-year-old goes 6’2, 209 pounds and started for 3 seasons at Texas Tech. He never topped 48 catches, 748 yards or 6 TDs across 4 total seasons. With just average speed, Ezukanma profiles as a contested catch winner in the pros. NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein comped him to former Colt Donte Moncrief. Ezukanma will start out in a battle for Miami’s #4 job behind Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Cedrick Wilson. There’s simply not much fantasy upside here.
Iowa State TE Charlie Kolar went to the Ravens in the 4th round of the NFL Draft. Kolar enjoyed a highly productive college career that found him a finalist for the John Mackey Award each of the past 2 seasons. The 6’7, 252-pounder averaged 4.4 receptions, 42 yards and 0.6 TDs per game over the past 3 years. He then delivered an 87th-percentile speed score and tested out well athletically. Kolar looks more like a “move” TE than a blocker, which should be good for his fantasy upside. Don’t be surprised if his career starts slowly, though. He’ll, of course, open his career behind Mark Andrews in Baltimore.
South Dakota State RB Pierre Strong went to the Patriots in the 4th round of the NFL Draft. Strong brings stellar speed for the position (4.37-second 40) in a frame similar to Tony Pollard’s. He racked up three 1,000-yard rushing seasons over 4 years (plus a redshirt campaign) at South Dakota State, averaging 7.2 yards per carry for his career. Strong added decent receiving production, including 42 total receptions over his final 2 years. He led all of FCS in rushing yards and ranked 2nd in rushing TDs. Strong joins a crowded New England backfield alongside Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, James White and others – although Strong’s speed is something those other guys can’t match.
The Chargers added Texas A&M RB Isaiah Spiller in the 4th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He surprisingly ends up as the 9th RB off the board – likely because of his disappointing Combine. The 6’0, 217-pounder ran a 4.64-second 40-yard dash and also bombed the vertical and broad jumps. Spiller led the Aggies backfield in all 3 years on campus, though, racking up 2,993 rushing yards, 25 rushing TDs and 74 catches. You can see Spiller’s underwhelming speed on tape, but he’s a smart back with good vision and contact balance. Spiller has a chance to immediately win the ‘big-back’ role in Los Angeles behind Austin Ekeler. Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree are underwhelming competitors.
The Raiders chose Georgia RB Zamir White in Round 4 of the NFL Draft. White hit Georgia as a heralded prospect. An ACL tear in the summer before his true freshman campaign slowed his progress, though – and came shortly after a tear to his other ACL that ended his final high school season. White wound up leading the Georgia backfield in carries the past 2 years, averaging 5.4 yards per rush each year. But he watched teammates claim most of the receiving work and beat him in rushing efficiency. White’s 4.4-second 40 at the Combine points to rushing upside, but we see a limited fantasy ceiling here. He’ll struggle to unseat RB Josh Jacobs this year, although Jacobs is currently set to hit free agency next offseason.
The Giants added San Diego State TE Daniel Bellinger in the 4th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Bellinger totaled just 68 catches for 771 yards and 5 TDs across 4 college seasons. He fared poorly in Pro Football Focus receiving grade and yards per route run last year. On the plus side, the 6'5, 247-pounder earned a 97th percentile Relative Athletic Score at the Combine, highlighted by a 4.63-second 40 time. That at least gives him the potential to be more productive in the pros than he was in college. Bellinger joins a wide-open Giants TE group alongside Ricky Seals-Jones and Jordan Akins.
The Texans added Florida RB Dameon Pierce in the 4th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Pierce was stuck in committee backfields at Florida, never topping 106 carries in a season. But he flashes on tape an impressive blend of power and make-you-miss ability on tape. Pierce led all 173 RBs with 100+ carries last year in Pro Football Focus rushing grade and finished 5th in Elusive Rating. He also tallied 36 catches over his final 2 college seasons. Pierce was 1 of our favorite sleepers in this year’s RB class and lands in a wide-open Texans backfield alongside Marlon Mack, Rex Burkhead, Royce Freeman and Dare Ogunbowale. He could make a 2022 fantasy impact and is a target in dynasty rookie drafts.
The Bucs added Washington TE Cade Otton with the 1st pick of Round 4. The 6'5, 247-pounder totaled just 91 catches for 1,026 yards (11.3 YPC) and 9 TDs across 4 college seasons and doesn't look dynamic on tape. Otton is also already 23 years old. This is an intriguing landing spot, especially if TE Rob Gronkowski doesn't return for 2022. But don't overrate Otton in your dynasty rookie drafts.
The 49ers added SMU WR Danny Gray in the 3rd round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Gray spent 2 years at Blinn Community College before making the jump to SMU. He posted a 33-448-4 line in 8 games in 2020 and led the Mustangs with 803 receiving yards and 9 receiving scores this past season. Gray is a tad undersized at 6’0, 186 pounds, is considered raw in the route-running department and is already 23 years old. But he’s explosive on tape and backed that up with a 4.33-second 40 time at the Combine. He’ll compete for snaps behind Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco.
Washington selected RB Brian Robinson in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. At nearly 6’2, 225 pounds, the Alabama product is a load to bring down. He broke out as a 5th-year senior, rushing for 271-1,343-14 after sitting behind guys like Josh Jacobs, Najee Harris and Damien Harris. Despite 2 drops, Robinson added 35 catches in the receiving game. He drew a Chris Carson comp from NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein, and the tape backs that up. In Washington, he profiles as a potential rotational runner right out of the gate. Note that Antonio Gibson is under contract for 2 more seasons.
The Browns selected Purdue WR David Bell in the 3rd round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Bell is a classic case of production vs. measurables. He led Purdue with 86 catches, 1,035 yards and 7 TDs as a true freshman, boosted his per-game production to 8.8 catches, 104.2 yards and 1.3 TDs in a COVID-abbreviated, 6-game 2020 season and then ranked top 15 in the nation in catches (93) and receiving yards (1,286) this past year. Bell finished 13th among 251 WRs with 50+ targets in Pro Football Focus’ 2021 receiving grades. But he bombed the Combine, posting bottom-third-percentile marks in every drill, including a 10th percentile 40-yard dash and a 2nd percentile short shuttle. Bell finished with a 40th percentile Relative Athletic Score. That shows up on tape, too. There’s very little juice to Bell’s game – before or after the catch. He wins with crafty route running and strong ball skills, though. And that college production must be respected. Bell looks like a natural replacement for WR Jarvis Landry in Cleveland.
The Panthers chose QB Matt Corral in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. Corral’s college career infamously finished with a high-ankle sprain in the Sugar Bowl. Before that, though, came a pair of successful starting seasons under HC Lane Kiffin. Corral threw 49 TDs vs. 19 INTs over those 2 campaigns, cutting his turnovers down as a senior. More importantly for fantasy, he also tallied 1,120 yards and 15 TDs on the ground in an RPO-heavy offense. Corral doesn’t look like a future fantasy stud, but he could be a useful QB2. He’ll immediately push QB Sam Darnold for the starting job in Carolina.
The 49ers selected LSU RB Tyrion Davis-Price in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. The 6'0, 219-pounder ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at the Combine, giving him an 89th-percentile speed score among NFL RBs. He turned that into just 4.6 yards per rush across 3 seasons with the Tigers, though. Davis-Price took over the backfield in 2021, carrying 211 times for 1,003 yards and 6 TDs. He added just 10 catches, though that number did lead LSU RBs. San Francisco selected him in the same round it chose RB Trey Sermon a year ago. We'll see about the planned role for Davis-Price in his rookie season.
The Bucs added Arizona State RB Rachaad White in the 3rd round of the 2022 NFL Draft. White spent the past 2 years at Arizona State after transferring from Division II Nebraska-Kearney. White posted nice per-game production in a mere 4-game, COVID-shortened 2020. He broke out as a senior, averaging 5.5 yards per carry and 10.6 yards across 43 receptions – with 16 total TDs. He reminds us of a poor man’s David Johnson. White figures to sit behind Leonard Fournette for at least this season but has the upside to eventually develop into Tampa’s lead back.
The Cowboys added South Alabama WR Jalen Tolbert in the 3rd round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Tolbert was just a 2-star recruit out of high school and didn’t win a starting job until his 3rd year at South Alabama. He led that 2019 squad with 6 receiving TDs and ranked 2nd with 521 receiving yards. 2020 brought a true breakout: 64 catches for 1,085 yards and 8 TDs. Tolbert accounted for 40% of South Alabama’s receiving yards and 44% of the TDs that year. He was even more productive as a redshirt senior this past season, posting an 82-1,474-8 line. Only 5 WRs in the country tallied more receiving yards. Tolbert ranked 18th among 251 qualifying WRs in Pro Football Focus’ 2021 receiving grades. The 6’1, 194-pounder is at his best working deep. He has good-not-great speed (4.49-second 40 time) and is an excellent ball tracker with sticky hands. Tolbert is already 23 years old and faced lower-level college competition, though, so the ceiling feels capped. He likely maxes out as a field-stretching #2 or #3 WR as a pro. He’ll compete for the #3 WR job with James Washington in Dallas.
The Titans stopped Liberty QB Malik Willis’ slide, taking him with the 86th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Willis began his college career at Auburn before transferring to Liberty and starting the past 2 years. Willis threw for 47 TDs vs. just 18 INTs over that span, but it’s the rushing that drives his fantasy outlook. Willis racked up 1,822 rushing yards over his 2 starting campaigns and profiles similar to Jalen Hurts. Willis will sit behind QB Ryan Tannehill this year, but Tannehill turns 34 in July and has a $36.6 million cap hit in 2023. Willis has a good chance to be Tennessee’s 2023 starter.
Former Georgia LB Nakobe Dean came off the board in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft. Dean totaled just 71 and 72 total tackles over the past 2 seasons. He exploded in the big-play categories on last season’s national-champion defense, though, tallying 10.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 2 INTs and 5 passes defensed. Dean checks in small for a LB, at 5’11, 229. But he brings the movement skills and coverage upside that most defenses are looking for these days. Dean might have slipped for injury issues. He lands in a Philadelphia defense with immediate opportunity available, and Dean has been lauded for how quickly he can learn the playbook.
Search
