The Saints keep improving their offensive line with the selection of Peat with the 13th pick.
Peat is huge at 6’7″ and is polished enough to start immediately. He should begin his career at right tackle but could potentially end up at left tackle. The Saints offensive line already ranked 11th last year but with Peat and Max Unger, who came over in a trade for Jimmy Graham, but should be solidified giving Drew Brees and the rest of the offensive time to operate.
The Browns drafted interior lineman Danny Shelton with the 12th overall pick.
Despite the mess in Cleveland, they do have some good, young parts and Shelton will just add to that. He’s a big player and will fill the gap nicely. However, he’s a classic case of inconsistency and will have to improve on that in order to fulfill his lofty draft status.
He’ll start behind Phil Taylor in the middle but should take over soon. He won’t garner a lot of IDP stats but if he can be a major disruptor along the lines of Haloti Ngata, then the edge rushers in Cleveland could benefit.
The Vikings drafted the first corner of the draft in Trae Waynes from Michigan State.
Waynes isn’t big but is fast with a 4.31 40-time and will play under defense-minded Mike Zimmer. He’ll be added to a good, young defense and should help the offense get more opportunities. For IDP purposes, he won’t be a big contributor.
The Rams pulled a fast one with the selection of Todd Gurley at tenth overall.
Gurley slipped in to the top ten despite tearing his ACL towards the end of last season. He heads to a Rams team with very little talent around him offensively. He has inconsistent Nick Foles at quarterback but no receivers and an offensive line that ranked second-to-last.
By himself, Gurley is a top talent. But for dynasty purposes, it’s hard to see him making an impact and certainly not anytime soon. Could be a good value pick in dynasty leagues if taken in the mid-first round of rookie drafts. Obviously, it’ll drop incumbent running back Tre Mason’s stock considerably.
With the ninth pick, the Giants select tackle Ereck Flowers out of Miami.
After ranking 30th in run blocking last year, the G-Men take the best run blocker in the draft. The impact should be felt immediately and help the backfield of Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams and Shane Vereen. His pass blocking still needs plenty of work but is only 20-years old and will have plenty of time to learn. If he can round that part of his game into shape, Eli Manning and company will have solid protection for many years to come.
The Falcons address their defense with the selection of edge rusher Vic Beasley with the 8th overall pick.
Seemingly fielding a weak defense every year, the Falcons added the best edge rusher available in Beasley. He’ll slot in to linebacker in the Falcons 3-4 scheme with his talent alone being enough to start immediately.
For IDP purposes, much like Fowler, his only value is if you’re in a big play league with an emphasis on sacks. His ceiling is a consistent double-digit sack artist in a division that’s known to sling it around.
The Bears add a weapon in receiver Kevin White from West Virginia with the 7th overall pick.
White, whom many consider the top receiver in the draft, goes to one of the better situations for fantasy purposes. With gunslinger Jay Cutler as his quarterback and Alshon Jeffery taking the heat off, White will have an opportunity to produce immediately even if he’s more raw than fellow first round receiver Amari Cooper.
But he has the makings of a top-flight receiver and could very well be the top player taken off rookie dynasty boards. He’s fast, he’s strong, he’s the complete package.
The Jets take what some consider to be the best player in the draft in Leonard Williams.
Williams can play any position along the line and joins an already talented Jets defense with Sheldon Richardson and Darrelle Revis. The 20-year old is still growing and, depending on what position he ends up, can be a top-flight IDP player in dynasty leagues. If you’re in big play leagues, Williams could be taken in the first round while the other Jets players should also benefit.
A bit of a surprise as the Redskins draft tackle/guard Brandon Scherff fifth overall.
While Scherff himself won’t have fantasy implications, his addition firms up an offensive line that was already ranked 12th in the league according to Pro Football Focus. It’s great news for Alfred Morris’ dynasty value and whoever the Redskins settle on at quarterback.
After hitting a home run last year with Khalil Mack, the Raiders (seemingly) drafted another stud in receiver Amari Cooper with the 4th overall pick.
Cooper battled Kevin White to be considered the top receiver in this year’s class and ended up winning out. However, he goes to an Oakland team that hasn’t been relevant in some time. He’ll be catching passes from Derek Carr, who had a decent rookie year, but should be heavily covered as the only weapon in that offense.
For dynasty purposes, Cooper may not be drafted as high as White based on the higher floor and situation. I’d be hesitant to draft Cooper now that he’s in Oakland.
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