The Jets grabbed TE Zach Kuntz in the 7th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Kuntz is a rare athlete. He clocked a 4.55-second 40 time with a 40-inch vertical at 6’7 and 255 pounds to earn a perfect 10.0 Relative Athletic Score. Kuntz broke out at Old Dominion with a 73-692-5 line in 2021 before tearing an ACL five games into this past season. He spent his first 3 college years at Penn State, where he did virtually nothing. Kuntz is a project – but that size and athleticism at least makes him worth stashing on deeper dynasty rosters.
The Texans selected Iowa State WR Xavier Hutchinson in Round 6 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Hutchinson opened his college career at Blinn (JUCO) before transferring to Iowa State. He led the Cyclones in receiving yards each of the past 3 seasons, capped by a 107-catch, 1,171-yard 2022 campaign. Hutchinson drew 34.1% of his team’s targets last year, accounting for 37.3% of the receiving yards and 31.6% of the TDs. He has decent size at 6’2, 203 pounds but tested as an average athlete at the Combine. Hutchinson projects as a short-range target at the next level and will likely need big volume to be a real fantasy asset. He joins a relatively wide-open WR corps in Houston alongside Nico Collins, Robert Woods, Noah Brown, Amari Rodgers, and fellow rookie Tank Dell.
The Saints selected Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry in Round 6 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Perry spent five years in college and did very little until his fourth season. But he was ultra-productive the past 2 years, totaling 2,389 yards and 26 TDs. Perry is a long 6’4, 198-pounder with a big catch radius (6’10 wingspan) and a 4.47-second 40 time. He’ll need to hit the weight room to hold up against more physical NFL CBs. But his combination of size, speed, and ball skills is intriguing.
The Colts selected RB Evan Hull in Round 5 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Hull is intriguing for 2 reasons. First, he's excellent in the passing game, racking up 88 receptions over the last 2 years at Northwestern. Second, he's a plus athlete, registering a 93rd percentile Relative Athletic Score, highlighted by a 4.47-second 40 time and elite 6.90-second 3-cone at 5'10, 209 pounds. Hull joins a Colts backfield controlled by RB Jonathan Taylor. But the rookie could at least push Zack Moss and Deon Jackson for the #2 spot on the depth chart.
The Bengals grabbed RB Chase Brown in the 5th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Brown spent one year at Western Michigan before transferring to Illinois for the past four. He served as the Fighting Illini's lead back each of the last three seasons, culminating with a big 328-carry, 1,643-yard 2022 campaign. Brown added another 240 yards and three scores on 27 catches. The 5'10, 209-pounder blew up the Combine with a 4.43-second 40 time and 40-inch vertical to earn a 98th percentile Relative Athletic Score. Brown joins a Bengals backfield currently led by RB Joe Mixon. Mixon has been a rumored cut candidate, although Cincinnati's moves at RB so far this offseason make that seem unlikely. We'll keep an eye on the Mixon situation, but Brown at least has a chance to emerge as the Bengals' #2 RB this year. His competition for that spot: Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams.
The Rams traded up to grab Ole Miss RB Zach Evans late in Round 6 of the NFL Draft. Our guy C.H. Herms is a big fan of Evans' film and has liked Evans' dynasty value all along. And he's far from the only Evans film fan. Evans bounced from TCU to Ole Miss and dealt with multiple injuries. He finished with just 290 carries and 30 catches through three seasons. But he also averaged 6.9 yards per rush and 10.8 per catch for his career. That included 6.5 yards per carry and 9.9 per reception in his lone SEC campaign. Going to the Rams likely puts him in competition with 2022 rookie Kyren Williams for the No. 2 spot behind Cam Akers. The situation presents opportunity, with neither Akers nor Williams having proved much as a pro to date. We'll be watching this backfield competition through training camp. He's worth a look late in your dynasty rookie draft. See where he lands in our dynasty RB rankings.
Colts owner Jim Irsay told NFL.com's Judy Battista that QB Anthony Richardson will start games this season. It's fair to wonder how much knowledge or input Irsay actually has on this. As the team owner, he shouldn't really be involved with on-field decisions. And he certainly doesn't tend to hold back with his public comments. But QBs chosen early in Round 1 historically are likely to take over the starting job at some point in Year 1 -- most commonly before mid-season. Many evaluators think Richardson will need more development time than Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud. But there are others who believe he's much closer to ready. Indy signed QB Gardner Minshew for just $3.5 million on a one-year deal in free agency. That's light even for a backup at this point. So they clearly didn't sign Minshew intending to have him start for a year. We already have Richardson projected to start more than half his rookie season in our 2023 fantasy football QB rankings. And we'll be watching his offseason closely. His rushing ability makes the upside enormous.
The Cowboys chose RB Deuce Vaughn in Round 6 of the NFL Draft. Vaughn, of course, is best known for standing just 5'5 and 179 pounds. He got workhorse usage at Kansas State the past two years, though, with 528 carries and 91 receptions over that span. Vaughn might need return duties to help him make the active roster, but we'll be watching eagerly to see if he can work into an offensive role. There's room to climb a depth chart that currently includes Tony Pollard, Malik Davis, Ronald Jones, and Rico Dowdle. Vaughn will be just a late-round target for dynasty rookie drafts.
Washington spent a sixth-round pick on Kentucky RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. He averaged a strong 6.2 yards per carry for his career but caught only 20 passes. Rodriguez also spent five years in college and will turn 23 in September. It took him until 2021 to take over the Wildcats backfield. We're not betting on Rodriguez overtaking Antonio Gibson or Brian Robinson Jr. on the 2023 depth chart. But he'll be interesting to watch if injuries occur ahead of him.
The Buccaneers grabbed Nebraska WR Trey Palmer in Round 6 of the NFL Draft. Palmer took a while to get going, breaking out as a 21-year-old fourth-year player after transferring from LSU. Last season, though, found him drawing 33% of Nebraska's targets, 35% of receptions, 39% of yardage, and 53% of TDs. He set school records for single-season and single-game receiving yards and was a productive returner at LSU. Palmer ran the fastest 40 time among WRs at the Scouting Combine (4.33 seconds) and was a state sprinting champ in high school. He hits the NFL raw as a route runner but will have time to develop behind Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Russell Gage. There's intriguing upside here, but the sixth-round draft capital makes Palmer only a late-round rookie-draft consideration.
The Patriots selected WR Kayshon Boutte with the 10th pick of Round 6 in the NFL Draft. It's a discouraging spot for Boutte, who opened his LSU career looking like a future star. A sophomore-year ankle injury derailed him and continued to impact Boutte through his final season. He followed that with disappointing testing at the Scouting Combine. We like the potential of a fully healthy Boutte -- check his dynasty value report -- but the draft fall suggests the league doesn't believe there's a ton of upside. Don't expect an exciting spot in our dynasty WR rankings.
The Jaguars chose Penn State WR Parker Washington in Round 6 of the NFL Draft. Washington sported one of the class' youngest breakout ages (18.5) and was an early declare. He's yet another short prospect in a class full of them, though. Washington also missed out on pre-draft testing because of the left ankle injury that ended his season early. Washington faces an uphill battle after landing in Round 6. We'll see whether he can climb the Jacksonville depth chart.
The Saints traded TE Adam Trautman plus a seventh-round NFL Draft pick to the Broncos for a sixth-rounder, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. It's noteworthy that HC Sean Payton's new team is acquiring a TE he drafted in New Orleans in 2020. Trautman's arrival crowds a TE room that already included Greg Dulcich, Albert Okwuegbunam, and journeyman Chris Manhertz. There's some potential for targets to get dispersed to the point that no Denver TE presents worthwhile fantasy value. But let's keep in mind that Trautman averaged just 20 receptions per season through three years after arriving in Round 3. That included just 18 catches for 207 yards last year. And then the team that drafted him sent him away for just a move up from Round 7 to Round 6 in the draft. Don't adjust your outlook for Broncos TEs just yet. You can check our numbers on the group now in our 2023 fantasy football TE rankings.
The Bills nabbed WR Justin Shorter in the 5th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Shorter was the #1 WR in the 2018 recruiting class, ahead of Ja'Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle. He goes 6'4, 229 pounds with a 4.55-second 40 time and 35.5-inch vertical. Shorter did nothing in 2 seasons at Penn State, though, and then totaled just 1,395 yards and 8 TDs across 3 years at Florida. He's not a great bet at the next level, but landing with the Bills adds some upside to his dynasty profile.
The Jets selected Pittsburgh RB Isreal Abanikanda in Round 5 of the 2023 NFL Draft. At 20 years old, Abanikanda is one of the youngest prospects in this draft class, with much room to grow. It took a while for him to get going, but he led the ACC in carries (239) and rushing yards (1,431) as a junior in 2022, in addition to an NCAA-leading 21 total TDs. While his vision near the line of scrimmage is lacking at times, Abanikanda is a true home-run hitter at his best, as evidenced by his 61 runs of 10+ yards over his last 2 college seasons at Pitt. With the suitable scheme fit and patience, we may look back on Abanikanda as one of the draft's biggest steals. This, of course, is not a great landing spot for his immediate fantasy value. Abanikanda will compete with RBs Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight for the right to back up feature back Breece Hall.
The Bengals added WR Charlie Jones in the 4th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Jones is coming off a huge 2023 season for Purdue: 110 catches, 1,361 yards, and 12 TDs. So why did he last until Round 4? Because 2023 was Jones' sixth year in college. He did nothing across 2 seasons at Buffalo and then 3 at Iowa. He's already 24 years old and is just 175 pounds. It's a shaky prospect profile. This is a sneaky strong long-term landing spot, though. Jones is tied to QB Joe Burrow. And WRs Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are set to hit free agency next offseason. It makes Jones worth stashing in deeper dynasty leagues.
The Bears selected Cincinnati WR Tyler Scott in Round 4 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Scott played RB in high school – and it shows. He’s excellent with the ball in his hands, combining vision, contact balance, and burst to average 6.6 yards after the catch per reception last year. He also has the speed to win deep, confirmed by a 4.44-second 40 time at the Combine. Scott is a raw prospect with just 1 season of big college production and plenty of work to do in the route-running department. But he has just three years of experience at WR and is only 21, so he should have more room for improvement than your typical rookie receiver. At 5’10 and 177 pounds, he’s likely destined for the slot as a pro. But he can be a dangerous after-catch weapon with seam-stretching ability from the inside. This isn’t a great landing spot for Scott on the run-heavy Bears. He figures to open the season behind at least D.J. Moore, Darnell Mooney, and Chase Claypool. Consider Scott more of a dynasty stash than redraft factor.
The Lions are trading RB D'Andre Swift to the Eagles, according to multiple reports. Detroit gets a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a 30-spot move up in Round 7 this year. A move has been expected since Detroit drafted RB Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round. Swift joins a crowded backfield in Philly but is also likely the best player in the group. We'll see exactly what he can command in terms of regular workload, but we're drafting Swift ahead of Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Gainwell. The other two remain in play for best ball rosters but should come off the board in double-digit rounds. Check our 2023 fantasy football RB rankings for the initial projection on Swift and adjusted numbers for his new backfield mates.
The Bears added RB Roschon Johnson in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Living in the shadow of Texas teammate Bijan Robinson, it’s difficult to say precisely how good Johnson is. Not only did he initially commit to Texas as a QB and change positions, but he’s the only prospect in this class we profiled who was never the leader of his college backfield. It’s tough to point to Johnson’s stats because of that, but you’ll like what you see if you dig into his film. At 6’0, 219 pounds, Johnson is a brick house with plenty of versatility. He’s an excellent pass protector, a capable receiver out of the backfield, and even matched Robinson with a 1.52-second 10-yard split. With his quick burst and well-rounded skill set, there’s an outside shot that Johnson could blossom into being a reliable depth piece on fantasy rosters with a tantalizing three-down upside at best. He joins Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman in a relatively up-for-grabs backfield. Johnson is a candidate to carve out a significant role as a rookie.
Asked about whether a RB was worth taking inside the top 10 picks of the NFL Draft, Falcons HC said of new RB Bijan Robinson: "He's a lot more than a running back. He's an impact football player." GM Terry Fontenot added that Atlanta wants to play "positionless football." The Falcons hadn't invested heavily into the position since Smith arrived. Their top signings included Mike Davis, Damien Williams, and Cordarrelle Patterson. Tyler Allgeier (Round 5 of 2022) had been the only RB they drafted. So they clearly believe Robinson to be special. Expect his opportunity count to reflect that. Robinson already leads our dynasty RB rankings.
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