

The first round is in the books. And what a round it was!

For the first time in nearly fifty years, no first round running back was selected. The top two quarterbacks on many a list, Geno Smith and Mark Barkley, did not hear their names called. The over-hyped Manti Te’o wasn’t drafted, either. Unless you play at or near the line of scrimmage, there’s a strong chance you’re still waiting for the phone to ring. It was as odd a draft as I can recall. As far as mock drafts go, it was my worst one ever. At least I seem to be in good company.

Let’s take a look at the first round with an eye toward fantasy, and dynasty, league relevance.

Round 1

1. Kansas City – Eric Fisher, OT

Good news for Jamal Charles as well as the passing game. Alex Smith will have a bit more comfort in the pocket. Slight uptick in value for the run game and passing attack, Dwayne Bowe specifically.

2. Jacksonville – Luke Joeckel, OT

J’ville needs big, mobile, bodies on the front line and they get a very good one in Joeckel. Whoever is under center come week one gets an upgrade, but not enough to make them fantasy relevant.

3. Miami – Dion Jordan, OLB

Oakland makes a nice trade and sends the pick to Miami. The Dolphins surprise most and select Jordan. While there’s a chance he’ll have an impact like Denver’s Von Miller, I don’t see that level of near-term talent. But he should be on your IDP radar as a high-upside player in formats that reward sacks.

4. Philadelphia – Lane Johnson, OT

Johnson is a huge need in Philly and the entire offense gets an upgrade in the form of greater pass protection as well as run blocking.

5. Detroit – Ezekiel Ansah, DE

He’ll be an IDP target with a high ceiling, but there’s nothing uber-exciting here.

6. Cleveland – Barkevious Mingo, DE

See pick five (Ansah) above.

7. Arizona – Jonathan Cooper, G

As big a need as you could find for any team this year. Recently acquired Carson Palmer needs to stay off his back and while a single player won’t accomplish that, it’s a start. Cooper is athletic and possesses good hands. He’ll provide a few more milliseconds of time for Palmer to locate Larry Fitzgerald.

8. St. Louis – Tavon Austin, WR

Finally!

The most dynamic player in the 2013 draft goes off the board at number eight, to a team that can not only use his talent, but also knows how to utilize it. Immediately slated to start in the gaping hole created by the departure of capable slot receiver Danny Amendola, Austin is sure to to be targeted early and often. Few situations would provide better upside for the pocket rocket and owners of the 1.01 selection in fantasy drafts will need to give serious consideration to the selection of Austin. If you play in a PPR format, he’s likely to be a highly productive player, at least initially. If you play in a PPR system that also awards points for special team KR/PR yardage, he’ll be an absolute must-have. Remember in my film review, however, that Austin tends to lower his head into contact and that is a serious concern that I haven’t heard or seen mentioned elsewhere.

9. New York Jets – Dee Milliner, CB

Huge shoes to fill for Milliner and there’s no way his feet are big enough. It’s doubtful that he’ll make the Jet faithful forget about Revis Island, but he’ll be a worthy stash in IDP leagues that require cornerback starters.

10. Tennessee – Chance Warmack, G

Inside toughness should immediately help Chris Johnson, but we’ll believe it when we see it.

11. San Diego – D. J. Fluker, OT

A good run-blocker, the hope here is that he can develop into a left tackle, but if not, he should still add some value to Ryan Mathews and the run game.

12. Oakland – DJ Hayden, CB

An athletic and capable defensive back, but like most rookie cornerbacks, there’s not enough to get excited about for IDP participants.

13. New York Jets – Sheldon Richardson, DT

Like most defensive line players from this point on, we’ll need to see production first before recommending addition to fantasy teams.

14. Carolina – Star Lotulelei, DT

Fell a little further than expected and the Panthers get a good player for the middle of their defensive line. No real fantasy relevance here.

15. New Orleans – Kenny Vaccaro, S

The safety I’m most excited about goes to a team that could provide immediate fantasy relevance in IDP leagues. He’s worth an addition in tackle heavy formats.

16. Buffalo – EJ Manuel, QB

A bit of a shock here, but not as much to me as perhaps others. Manuel was quickly rising on my board and nearly took over the top spot (Geno Smith) on my board at quarterback, save for my inability to make the switch. He has a higher ceiling than Smith as well as a lower floor. He has a strong arm, is athletic and will give the Bills some excitement at the position for the first time in many, many years. Buffalo is not an attractive destination for fantasy quarterbacks, but Manuel has the skill-set to rise above this if the stars align. He’ll likely be the first quarterback off the board in fantasy now.

17. Pittsburgh – Jarvis Jones, OLB

I’m not overly high on Jones and his stenosis is a concern. He’s worth a stash if you have a need, but he’ll likely be a bottom-of-your-roster player until otherwise determined.

18. San Francisco – Eric Reid, S

Replacing Dashon Goldson, Reid has a chance to be a productive young IDP player from the start. I like the safeties in this round more than the linebackers.

19. NY Giants – Justin Pugh, OT

A surprise pick here. As someone said in our chat room session, “Add 200 yards to David Wilson’s yardage in 2013.” I’m not ready to go there, but the addition is a good one for the G-men.

20. Chicago – Kyle Long, G

Nothing to see here fantasy-wise.

21. Cincinnati – Tyler Eifert, TE

This is why rookies always lose value following the draft. This is a head-scratcher of a pick except for the fact that two tight-end sets are becoming common-place. That giant sucking sound you hear is the value being taken out of both Jermaine Gresham and Eifert. No two ways about it – Eifert is a high-ceiling player with a lot of developed talent, but now is in situation where his role and production will be severely questioned, and rightfully so. Fantasy leaguers were licking their chops when it appeared that he could fall into the hands of the Falcons. No such luck.

22. Atlanta – Desmond Trufant, CB

Move along, nothing to see here. I do like Trufant’s ability as a gifted cornerback.

23. Minnesota – Sharrif Floyd, DT

The Vikings receive a gift with the uber-athletic and versatile Floyd. No real fantasy relevance to be had here, but it’s a nice get for the Vikes.

24. Indianapolis – Bjoern Werner, DE

Check back in a couple of years.

25. Minnesota – Xavier Rhodes, CB

The only interesting thought on this pick was the fact that the Vikings passed over greater need at the receiver position. I was as shocked as I could have been following this pick.

26. Green Bay – Datone Jones , DE

Okay. Sure. No running back selection keeps hope alive for DuJuan Harris and James Starks owners. Here’s a tip: Move on.

27. Houston – DeAndre Hopkins, WR

The Texans get another Andre. I thought Justin Hunter would have been a better fit for Houston’s offense, but Hopkins is no slouch and is arguably a better receiver. ‘Nuk” is hard not to like. He’s young, aggressive and has just enough of a chip on his shoulder to provide that drive needed for early-career production. This selection will likely help the entire Houston offense, including Andre Johnson, who is seeing double-teams on nearly every snap. Hopkins is a beast underneath or going across the middle and is physical with the ball in his hands. The Texans badly need another receiver presence and the hope here is that Hopkins will finally be the one they have been seeking. It’s likely he’ll be the second receiver off the board in rookie drafts and may be in play for the 1.02 depending on how the running back draft pans out on Friday.

28. Denver – Sylvester Williams, DT

Picture me falling asleep. Knowshon Moreno, Willis McGahee and Ronnie Hillman owners were holding their breath in hopes that the Broncos didn’t select Eddie Lacy. You can breathe again…at least for now.

29. Minnesota – Cordarrelle Patterson, WR

The Vikings have put together a very nice draft and chime in with their third first round selection of the night, getting great value on Patterson here. He’s a gifted receiver with the ball in his hands and I believe he has the highest ceiling of any of the receivers in this year’s class, as well as an extremely low floor. An ex-running back and versatile player, Patterson is a raw prospect with only a single year of division-one ball under his belt. But on tape his athleticism is impossible to ignore. His hands appear bigger than their 9″ listed size and he’s got gifted field-vision after the catch. If he works hard and is able to overcome the football IQ tag that has been hung upon him by many scouts, he’ll be a steal here late in the first. Fantasy coaches will need to pick-and-pray when selecting him in the top five picks of rookie drafts.

30. St. Louis – Alec Ogletree, ILB

The first real inside linebacker that fantasy IDP’ers should take note of. He should start immediately and be in line for a significant workload from day one. It remains to be seen whether or not he’ll be expected to be a three-down backer, but he’s worth a selection while you wait to see.

31. Dallas – Travis Frederick, C

I didn’t see this selection coming. I was thinking we might here Lacy’s name called.

32. Baltimore – Matt Elam, S

A big need for the Ravens, arguably more than ILB. Keep him on your radar if you have a defensive need.

Summary

It was just an odd night and really quite a ‘snoozer’ of a round one. The one good thing that came out of it is the fact that Friday’s action is going to be even more fun what with so many offensive names still in the hat. As expected, the first five picks in this year’s fantasy rookie draft are going to be anything but solid and with a lot of attached risk. This is a year to have multiple later picks in the late first round and beyond. Strong teams with those later picks are going to likely get stronger as better talent is lesser situations fall during rookie drafts.

Values and ADP are going to be all over the board. It’s going to be fun!