This is Not the Year to Draft a QB High

This doesn’t mean there won’t be any drafted high, because the NFL is always desperate to find “the guy.” But they may not go as high as you think, at this point of the draft cycle odds are Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are the two that’ll go top 10. The team that wants the big playmaking potential and highest ceiling will go with Ward, and the team that wants precision, accuracy and steady presence will go with Sanders. But after that, there'll be a lot of second-round picks. Jalen Milroe, Drew Allar and Garret Nussmeier are all athletically gifted and have their unique playstyle, but probably not first-round picks. 

Ashton Jeanty isn’t the Only Good RB

Ashton Jeanty should and will go in the top 10. He’s one of the most dynamic players in the history of college football, and whichever team drafts him will have their running back for the next decade. If you love Jeanty and your team doesn’t draft him, odds are your team will still end up with a legitimate player. Omarion Hampton and Kaleb Johnson are two guys who could sneak into the back end of the first round. Hampton is a more physically punishing runner, compared to Johnson who’s done more zone-scheme running and uses his vision. Both are high-level prospects that need a certain fit to be completely maximized as players. There are many more that’ll go on day 2, but I’d be remiss as an ASU student if I didn’t highlight Cam Skattebo. He won’t get drafted very high because he’s not very fast or big, but if you’ve seen this dude play, you just know. A bowling ball of a runner, nobody can tackle him one-on-one. He has great vision on those runs up the middle, lots of counter and power runs. He’ll go way later than he should and some team will be very lucky for it.

Defense Will Go Fast

The offensive players that get drafted high (aside from Jeanty) will be “premium positions,” meaning quarterback, wide receiver and tackle. After those positions get raided, defensive players will have the highest value. If your team has a pick in the 10-20 range, odds are you’ll be getting great value. Guys like Nic Scourton, Malaki Starks, Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams (basically Georgia’s defense) will be impact players from day one. I listed these guys because they’re my favorite of those projected to go 10-20, but there are many more after that range too. It’s a loaded and deep defensive draft.

It’s a Weird Year to Need a Tackle

I chose my wording carefully here because the tackle class isn’t bad. It’s great, depending on who you ask. Kelvin Banks Jr. and Aireontae Ersery are plug-and-play tackles who will start and play well right away, and both will go top-20. Will Campbell is widely known as the best offensive lineman prospect playing tackle at LSU, but a lot of people think he’s a guard in the NFL. Either way, Campbell will be picked very high, but even higher than most think if the NFL sees him as a tackle. There are talented tackles that could go later in the first round, but they’re either raw and need development or have injury concerns. There will be a lot of tackles that get drafted in the first round, but after Banks and Ersery it gets a lot more cloudy. 

More Great Young Tight End’s are Coming

After many years of poor rookie tight end seasons, it’s now the second year in a row the rookie receiving record for tight ends will be broken. Last year it was Sam LaPorta, this year it’s Brock Bowers. Next year, Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren will be first-round picks and produce at a high level. The past rookie seasons from tight ends pushed Bowers down to the 13th pick, and his emergence this year will push Loveland and Warren up the board in this draft. They’re both elite receivers and athletic enough to move around the field. I’m not saying they’ll be as good as Bowers, but what I am saying is that you should draft them in fantasy next year because the tight end position is such a disaster.