Below you will find our 2012 Rookie Tight End Analysis – Looking for 2012 rookie rankings?
Wide Receivers
Stephen Hill (WR-NYJ)
Height: 6-4, Weight: 215 | College: Georgia Tech | Forty Time: 4.36
Smitty’s Take: (5/23/12) Player is.
NFL Comparison: Stephen Hill reportedly “shined” during Jets’ rookie minicamp, showing off his explosiveness and speed. He was quick off the line of scrimmage and showed good hands. Hill did have an occasional drop at Georgia Tech, but clearly he worked on that part of his game, which is great news. Hill could very well start opposite Santonio Holmes as a rookie. While I love his upside and skill set, I would caution fantasy owners not to expect too much too quick. For starters, he is battling Holmes for targets, he is a rookie, and while I truly believe in Tim Tebow, it could take Tebow some time before he starts consistently throwing more, so it’s going to be tough for Hill to be valuable anytime soon. Even if Mark Sanchez surprises, he won’t be turning two receivers into fantasy monsters either. Hill may not thrive until Holmes is gone, or drops off significantly talent-wise. Where do you take Hill in upcoming rookie-only fantasy football drafts? I’d say 8-12 is a great place to invest in the rookie, but I still take Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd and Brian Quick ahead of him, though.
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Brian Quick (WR-Rams)
Height: 6-4, Weight: 220 | College: Appalachian State | Forty Time: 4.48
Smitty’s Take: (5/12/12) Brian Quick is getting all kinds of positive reviews as of late, as some reports are suggesting that the Rams are “insanely excited” about No. 33 pick… NFL Films’ Greg Cosell suggested that Quick could end up being the best receiver in the 2012 draft class. I love Justin Blackmon, but I’m starting to buy into all of the Brian Quick hype. For starters, the guy is a monster at 6-4, 220 pounds… he has underrated hands, he is extremely physical, he has great balance, and he reminds me a lot of Terrell Owens. While I still have Justin Blackmon as my No. 1 ranked rookie receiver of the future, Quick is starting to look like my new No. 2 rookie wide receiver heading into 2012 and beyond. He has a huge advantage over all other receivers in this draft class (in that he has no competition), and he has an up-and-coming passer. Blackmon also has no competition, but he lacks the passer. Michael Floyd has to share targets with one of the best receivers in the league in Larry Fitzgerald, and he has no elite passer… Kendall Wright is solid talent-wise, but he has Kenny Britt to compete with, and those TEN passers are far from elite. As much as I like Blackmon, I’ll go as far as to say that I wouldn’t be shocked if I vault Quick into the No. 1 rookie receiver spot heading into August. Chew on that.
NFL Comparison: Terrell Owens
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Justin Blackmon (WR-Jaguars)
Height: 6-0, Weight: 207 | College: Oklahoma State | Forty Time:
Smitty’s Take: (4/27/12) Justin Blackmon holds an NCAA record with 14-straight 100-yard games… He has good ball skills, he is a big and physical receiver, but the downside is that Blaine Gabbert is throwing him the football… if Gabbert progresses slowly, something I fear, Blackmon’s breakout party might not arrive for another 1-2 years. The good news? This kid is underrated. I know, it’s tough being overlooked when you’re the first rookie taken on draft day, but there are a ton of Blackmon doubters out there and many are projecting Blackmon to fail (at least in terms of gaining eventual “elite” fantasy status). Here are the facts. Blackmon has 34-inch arms, has a 33-inch standing vertical leap, and he can grab a football that is nearly 11 feet in the air… that’s a greater reach than Plaxico Burress, who is 4 inches taller than Blackmon. Where is this info coming from? Check out this on Blackmon… This video shows Blackmon pulling in footballs that are thrown roughly three feet behind him… the video also shows that with a running start, Blackmon is able to create a target for a quarterback that is roughly the size of a two-car garage. Watch the video, it is truly amazing information, and coupled with Blackmon’s college stats, his innate abilities and spacial awareness, I’m really starting to think this kid could have fantasy WR1 potential (in time). Again, Gabbert could handicap the receiver in 2012, but I think we may see signs of brilliance along the way and Blackmon could be one of the bigger second-year breakout wide receiver candidates heading into 2013.
NFL Comparison: Hakeem Nicks
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Kendall Wright (WR-Titans)
Height: 5-10, Weight: 196 | College: Baylor | Forty Time: 4.61
Smitty’s Take: (4/27/12) Kendall Wright is great after the catch and can go vertical. His forty time was shocking, as he plays a lot faster than his 4.61… it’s called quickness, and game speed… Wright has handfuls of both… I feel Wright can turn into a mini version of Steve Smith or Santonio Holmes… I say mini version because I’m not so sure we will ever see top 10 fantasy wide receiver numbers out of Wright, especially with Kenny Britt on the roster. I feel that Wright has a ceiling in that fantasy WR2-range. That said, it could take 1-2 seasons before we even sniff that kind of production, so dynasty league owners better curb expectations in 2012 and possibly even 2013.
NFL Comparison: Mixture of Steve Smith and Santonio Holmes
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Michael Floyd (WR-Cardinals)
Height: 6-3, Weight: 220 | College: Notre Dame | Forty Time:
Smitty’s Take: (4/27/12) The Cardinals selected Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd with the No. 13 overall pick in this year’s 2012 NFL draft. Floyd instantly becomes the Cardinals No. 2 wide receiver, but this landing spot will certainly limit Floyd’s potential for at least a couple of seasons. Kevin Kolb won’t provide enough targets in AZ for Floyd to even sniff fantasy WR2-type numbers, so the best fantasy owners can hope for, at least for a couple of years, is eventual fantasy WR3/4-type numbers. If AZ somehow acquired/inserted an elite passer into their offense, I think Floyd could eventually turn into a strong fantasy WR2, maybe even a low-end fantasy WR1… he has that kind of skill set, but it just comes down to situation here. Floyd can go get the ball much like his new teammate Larry Fitzgerald, so Arizona better get on top of acquiring an elite passer (vs. wasting yet another season with Kolb under center.
NFL Comparison: Anquan Boldin
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