Breaking Down the 2009 Draft: Fantasy Style

It may be a bit early to start discussing which rookies will have big fantasy football impacts this fall considering we still don’t know which teams they’ll even be playing for.

But around the Bruno Boys it’s hard for us not to discuss such a topic. Certain players are primed for first-year successes regardless of what teams they’re selected by and below is a list of the top rookies for the 2009 season.

Allow me to preface the list by saying that the quarterback class, while talented, may need a year or two of seasoning. The top quarterback prospects this year—Matt Stafford, Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman and Nate Davis—are all early entries and history is not on their side.

Recent early-entry quarterbacks that looked like sure things include Heath Shuler, Ryan Leaf, Tommy Maddox, Andre Ware and Tim Couch. Compare to players who stayed all four years—Carson Palmer, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning—and the deck appears to be stacked against the quarterback class of 2009. So keep that in mind while perusing the list.

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QUARTERBACKS

Matt Stafford  – The college statistics for Matt Stafford are similar to those of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan when he entered the draft. Stafford is a guy that had a career completion percentage of 57.2, with a high of 61.5, and never threw more than 25 touchdowns in a season.

What he brings to the table is an incredible arm and a decision-making in the pocket. His final two seasons at Georgia he never threw more than 10 interceptions and displayed a good ability to check off receivers.

Mark Sanchez – Mark Sanchez appears to be another great quarterback in the recent line of players from the same position at USC. But the book on Sanchez is more difficult to read because he started for just one season prior to declaring for the draft.

He went for 3,207 yards with 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while playing in a “pro-style” offense. That would be good except he never really faced a pro-caliber defense.

Sanchez has displayed the ability to make the necessary throws and had an uncanny pocket presence for a first-year starter last season. 

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RUNNING BACKS

Knowshon Moreno – Knowshon Moreno had a chance to solidify his status as the top running back in the draft but ran a horrible 40-yard dash at the event. Considering he’s hovering around 215 pounds, he should’ve been in the 4.45-4.55 range yet ran a 4.60.

But Moreno is best with his pads on. He shows no fear running up the middle even though he can get around tacklers, and can be a versatile pass-catching option out of the backfield.

Chris Wells – It appears the main thing that could stop Chris Wells in tracks are injuries. The injury that Wells sustained last season saw him finish the year out with a special shoe made with concrete in it to hold the foot in place and prevent it from arching too much.

When healthy, Wells has a dangerous combination of speed and power, as he checks in a 235 pounds but ran a faster 40 (4.56) than Moreno. Wells is the kind of the guy who can step in right away and produce as a runner, but as a pass-catcher he is nonexistent. 

LeSean McCoy – One of the most talented runners in the draft, the knock on LeSean McCoy is his size as he weighed in under 200 pounds at the combine.

Still, when Moreno and Wells were checking in with 40 times in the high 4.5s, McCoy came in at 4.44. He’s got the speed and agility to be great but will need a solid offensive line in front of him to become a 1,000-yard rusher as a rookie.

Donald Brown – When Donald Brown declared for the draft, it was overshadowed by the news that Moreno, Wells and McCoy also were planning on doing the same thing. But Brown should not be overlooked.

He rushed for an amazing 1,822 yards last season and also caught 21 passes. His 40 time of 4.51 was also respectable but at 210 pounds, he’ll need to bulk up a bit if he expects to make it through 16 games.

Andre Brown – Andre Brown may be a little bit lower on the running back draft board than others but let’s not count out this guy from North Carolina State. He’s a very versatile player who’s good running and pass-receiving.

He comes in at 225 pounds yet still managed to run an impressive 4.49 at the combine. Brown won’t be taken until the later rounds but is a guy to keep your eye on, especially if he gets behind a decent offensive line.

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WIDE RECEIVERS

Michael Crabtree – The injury to Michael Crabtree hurts his value and could see him slip from a top-five pick to top-15. But the potential here is very real as Crabtree is extremely talented and has great hands.

He enters the draft in the same regard as Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald did. He is just that good. Assuming Crabtree is healthy and isn’t stuck with a bad quarterback, he should produce as a rookie.

Jeremy Maclin – It’s tough to gauge a guy like Jeremy Maclin who doesn’t possess the same physical traits of somebody like Crabtree or Heward-Bey. Playing in an offense which passed on almost every down, Maclin caught a lot of passes last year but you wonder how well he’ll fit into a more traditional offense.

He’ll likely have more of an impact as a return man as a rookie.

Darrius Heyward-Bey – Darrius Heyward-Bey never caught a lot of passes at Maryland. He doesn’t have the hands of some receivers in this draft nor the polish of others. What Heyward-Bey brings to the table is speed.

When other receivers were running 40 times in the mid 4.4s at the combine, Heyward-Bey clocked in at a 4.30. He’s not going to catch everything, but if he finds open space he’s going to be real hard to catch.

Kenny Britt – Kenny Britt will fly under the radar compared to the previous three wide receivers mentioned but that’s OK.

At 6'3" and 220 pounds, Britt has the size advantage over any cornerback in the league. He’s got decent hands and we feel we should also mention that he benched 225 pounds 23 times at the combine.

That’s more than some of the top offensive linemen prospects. Britt’s not spectacular but is an all-around solid guy and could make a good No. 3 receiver on a decent team.

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TIGHT ENDS

Brandon Pettigrew – Brandon Pettigrew is the only surefire first-round pick at the tight end position and if you’ve ever seen him play then you know why. Sure he’s 6-5, 263 and can like he’s only 220 but the guy catches everything.

He’s hard to tackle, has no problem going over the middle and is good at getting the tough yards. His combine time of 4.85 is not doing him any favors but he is likely the only tight end in this class that can step in and produce right away.

Jared Cook – Jared Cook is on this list for one reason: He ran a 4.50 in the 40 at the combine. Cook caught a fair number of passes last season but it came in Steve Spurrier’s pass-or-nothing offense, which in the past has not produced quality NFL pass-catchers. 

Travis Beckum – The biggest knock on Travis Beckum has always been his size. At 6'3" and 240, he’s more like a big receiver than a tight end however it didn’t seem to effect him much playing in the Big Ten.

He did not run at the combine but did manage to put up 28 reps of 255, so we know he’s got the strength. Still, Beckum does not appear to be a player that can step in and be a consistent fantasy option as a rookie.

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