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The Football Guru

2012 NFL Draft - Round 2

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STL - Brian Quick WR Appalachian State

The Rams had four large receivers to choose from (Stephen Hill, Rueben Randle, Alshon Jeffery), but it is hard to fault them for choosing the 6-foot-4, 220-pound former high school basketball standout. Quick has an incredible catch radius with 34 1/4-inch arms and instantly becomes the most likely red-zone weapon for QB Sam Bradford. He'll take some time to develop as a complete, but the long-term upside is pretty high. For redraft purposes, he deserves late-round consideration simply because of his potential to score TDs.

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IND - Coby Fleener TE Stanford

Despite his limitations as a blocker, it seems a bit hard to believe the Colts would be able to take a TE so much like Dallas Clark the same year they chose to move on from him. He obviously joins his college teammate (Andrew Luck), which should help both players establish success quicker for a rebuilding team like Indy. He definitely belongs among the top 20 dynasty TEs and should make for at least a middle-of-the-road TE2 this year in redraft leagues. His upside is short of Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski, but he'll be a fantasy TE1 in 12-team leagues sooner than later.

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NYJ - Stephen Hill WR Georgia Tech

The Jets trade up and select the raw Yellow Jacket, who follows Calvin Johnson and Demaryius Thomas as large receivers from the "receiver pipeline" that triple-option offense has managed to turn out lately. While Hill has much development ahead of him as a receiver, he is a big play waiting to happen (nearly 30 YPC his final season) and finds perhaps his best fit in New York, which figures to run the ball about as much as any team. Hill is well above average as a blocker and has little competition for a starting spot opposite Santonio Holmes. It's that same ball-control offense that squashes his redraft value, but Hill's dynasty value is very good considering Holmes is such a wildcard. It's also worth pointing out that he may be a favorite for Tim Tebow in the Wildcat in much the same way Thomas was last season.

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CHI - Alshon Jeffery WR South Carolina

The Bears may have just assembled the most impressive pair of receivers in the NFC North or signed on for more headaches than any team could ever want. Considered the second-best draft-eligible receiver befpre the 2011 season, Jeffery saw his weight balloon to nearly 240 pounds this season, robbing him of his ability to get deep on a regular basis. Assuming Jeffery can stay at his current weight (about 215) and Brandon Marshall is just about done with his off-field troubles, Jay Cutler's fantasy stock has shot up considerably this offseason. As for Jeffery, redraft owners could consider him with a late-round pick because he certainly has enough talent to be a 40-catch contributor in 2012. His dynasty value is marginal considering he will be third in the receiver pecking order in Chicago behind Marshall and Earl Bennett for the foreseeable future.

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STL - Isaiah Pead RB Cincinnati

The Rams' solid draft continues with the explosive Bearcat runner, who should help St. Louis reduce its reliance on Steven Jackson. Pead is also an explosive returner in kicking game, but his initial role should be as a third-down/change-of-pace option. Pead's presence isn't so threatening that Jackson shouldn't be among the league leaders in touches again, but he will curb Jackson's PPR appeal a bit. He should be considered strictly as a Jackson handcuff in redraft leagues. His dynasty value is reasonably high considering Jackson's age, but comparisons to Jamaal Charles are probably a bit too high for him. He's unlikely to be anything more than a committee back once Jackson moves on.

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DET - Ryan Broyles WR Oklahoma

The Lions' collection of ridiculous receiving talent continues, although this is a pick most likely with an eye on 2013. Broyles tore his ACL during 2011 and will be lucky to contribute in any major way in 2012, but when he isn't battling knee injuries (as he has for most of his college career), he projects as an ideal fit in the slot for the pass-happy Lions and figures to be heavily involved in 2013 when he is completely healthy. Ideally, he begins to dent Nate Burleson's fantasy numbers at that time while Calvin Johnson and Titus Young stretch the defense from the outside.

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DEN - Brock Osweiler QB Arizona State

This is definitely a "future/worst possible case scenario" pick, but a very interesting selection nonetheless as the Broncos take Peyton Manning's protege and likely fill-in should Manning ever have a setback with his neck. It goes without saying that a healthy Manning pretty much suffocates any redraft value Osweiler has. A healthy Manning over the next 4-5 years also squashes his dynasty value as well, although he is worth consideration in the deepest of dynasty leagues considering the fact he will be learning from Manning and John Elway.

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SF - LaMichael James, RB Oregon State

This selection (and whole offseason) speaks to just how much HC Jim Harbaugh wants to bring the big play back to San Francisco since it could be argued the Niners have three deep threats at WR and two undersized but explosive RBs. James figures to be used initially as a returner and in a mini-Darren Sproles role. His redraft value is almost non-existent initially behind Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and Brandon Jacobs. However, I do like his dynasty value a bit since he could easily evolve into a Sproles-like RB.

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NYG - Rueben Randle, WR LSU

The rich get richer. Randle was easily the best player available and hardly a "need" pick for the Giants with Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz already locked in as starters. Randle, who got knocked during the evaluation period for not always giving 100% effort, has first-round talent and could easily fill the Mario Manningham role in this offense this season. His redraft value is end-of-draft in that scenario while his dynasty value is hurt since Nicks and Cruz aren't likely to give up their starring roles anytime soon.

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The two guys who I elevated for dynasty purposes from round two are Fleener and Pead.

 

I know he has some real fans on this board, but I wasn't really too high on Fleener. He's not a do everything TE because of his blocking deficiencies, and if he had gone to the wrong situation it would have been bad for his dynasty prospects. Turns out that Indy was the perfect storm for him, being reunited with Andrew Luck. Even the Duane Allen pick in the 3rd round helps him IMO because he will be able to play as a true move TE, whereas Allen is more an H-back type. So I believe Fleener moves solidly into the 1st round for rookie dynasty consideration.

 

Likewise, Pead landed in a great spot for dynasty. At this stage in his career he is a natural 3rd down back - one of the better pass receivers and pass blockers in the class. So he should have some fantasy value from day 1 in PPR leagues. His deficiency is that he is a bit light (I believe 5'10, 197 is about right), and he would rather cut his runs outside than press then hole between the tackles. He will have a few years to add bulk, and he will be mentored by S Jax, one of the true pros at RB. Three years out he has a good chance at being a franchise RB. In addition to his early PPR value, there's a great chance he will provide extra value in leagues that reward return yardage.

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Considering how fragile SJax is, Pead could be a very valuable handcuff in the event that SJax goes down. He'd fill in admirably, but he could stand to put on a little more bulk to ensure he stands up to the more physically demanding game at the pro level.

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Considering how fragile SJax is, Pead could be a very valuable handcuff in the event that SJax goes down. He'd fill in admirably, but he could stand to put on a little more bulk to ensure he stands up to the more physically demanding game at the pro level.

S-Jax has missed two games in three years, but I think (hope) you are referring to the likelihood that he will stay healthy going forward. Pead really stood out to me during the all-star games and throughout the entire pre-draft process. I probably worded my final sentence wrong (suggesting he would be nothing more than a committee back) because he could be a lead back of a committee attack (like Ahmad Bradshaw or Jamaal Charles), but I don't think he is a special enough to be featured at any point.

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I like that you pointed out that S-Jax has only missed 2 games in the past 3 years. It always seems like he's on the injury report every week though. He shows up on Wednesday reports as "questionable" & becomes a game-time decision more often than nought by Sunday morning. I owned him 2 years ago in a PPR league & it was a headache trying to decide whether to start or sit him in these situations.

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