RADIO
With the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine over, Brandon Murchison takes a look at the players that helped or hurt their causes after workouts. Where will these players be drafted both in the NFL draft and in fantasy football dynasty leagues?
The skill position players have wrapped up their workouts at the NFL Combine and now it's time for us in the fantasy football world to overthink what that actually means. Many use the combine as an end-all-be-all in terms of rookie evaluations. But that is far from what should be the case. Same as running a fantasy football team, it's a small part of the process. Utilizing game film and being smart to team needs also factor into what will be fruitful fantasy football destinations for these players.
This year's combine gave us a few ups and downs, as players like D.K. Metcalf set social media on fire with his performance while the entire RB class seemed to disappoint with slow times in the 40-yard dash. The WR class may be moving up NFL scouts boards while the RBs could be possibly slipping. This will certainly impact how you view player value in upcoming dynasty drafts.
What are the takeaways that we have after the weekend in Indianapolis? How do we need to adjust our boards for upcoming rookie drafts? These are the questions that we need to look at as I give you my thoughts after this weekend's workouts.
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Quarterbacks
With Kyler Murray deciding to opt out of all workouts, the buzz around this group immediately left the building. I still see it as a questionable thing to not at least throw in workouts, but reports suggest that Murray will be the top pick in the draft regardless, now that he measured at a solid 5'10". This means that we could see Murray as a Cardinal in Kliff Kingsbury's high-octane offense. Does he have the weapons to succeed though? That I am not too sure of. It will impact his stock in rookie drafts, now putting him firmly into the first round. Although I still prefer going heavy at WR and RB before investing in Murray.
Outside of Murray, I believe that the status quo will hold. Dwayne Haskins proved to be slow like we knew he would be but showed to have pinpoint accuracy in drills. He will be the second QB off the board in both the NFL Draft and in dynasty formats. Drew Lock and Daniel Jones showed that they are who we thought they were and neither improved or impeded their values headed into the draft. They will not be the last QBs drafted in April but should be the last QBs to hold any value in fantasy moving forward.
Running Backs Winners
Hard to claim that there were "winners" from this group as most failed to live up to pre-combine projections. But there were some standouts that helped their draft status. Miles Sanders (4.49 40-yard) was impressive across the board, measuring out well and testing high in agility drills (6.89 3-cone drill, 4.19 20-yard shuttle). He has now moved into my top five at the position heading into the draft. He has also found himself moved into the 1st round in my dynasty projections as well.
Alex Barnes had a very solid workout himself, posting a good 40 time (4.59) and above average times in agility (6.95 3-cone drill and 4.10 20-yard shuttle). Barnes is a prospect that not a lot of people were aware of heading into the combine but now finds himself inside my top 10. He could have worked himself into a late Day 2 selection at the draft and a player that could factor into a rotation early in 2019. He will potentially be a player that gets drafted in the second round of dynasty drafts.
As for the rest of the winners, I still have David Montgomery as my RB1 even though he did not test great. The remainder of this class failed to show me enough to drop him down the board. Also, keep an eye on Darrell Henderson (my RB2). I like his potential as a Day 2 selection and a prospect that could prove to be a factor in fantasy in 2019. He has RB2 upside as a rookie in the right fit. Josh Jacobs getting injured and not testing was a bummer, but he will still be one of the more valued backs in this class.
Running Back Losers
Seems as though most of this group disappointed, but I was really left with a sour taste in my mouth by the workouts of Devin Singletary and Elijah Holyfield. Both tested poorly with Holyfield posting the slowest 40 time (4.79) of all the backs that ran. Holyfield now finds himself outside my Top 10, but Singletary did himself no favors either (4.66 40-yard). Singletary, who was originally inside my top five, has slid down the board and could be a player that will not be drafted until Day 3. Both of these backs appear to have hampered their value in dynasty drafts as we head towards April.
Wide Receiver Winners
Sure, D.K. Metcalf has been all the rage since his workouts, but we all knew the tools were there. He just showcased them to a crowd that needed the affirmation. He remains inside my top five (WR3), but his poor testing in agility drills (7.38 3-cone drill and 4.5 20-yard shuttle) confirmed for me that he may likely be a deep threat only in the NFL. Will maintain his draft stock as a high 1st-round pick in dynasty drafts, but temper expectations in PPR formats.
Andy Isabella, Emanuel Hall, and Myles Boykin all showcased their abilities in drills. Isabella was one of the fastest at the combine (4.31 40) and showed why he may factor into a role as a slot receiver on a team in 2019. He holds great appeal as a PPR asset even as a rookie and could be a high-end second-round pick in rookie drafts. Hall and Boykin did well enough to find themselves added to my top 10. I expect to see them as Day 3 picks in the NFL Draft and hold some value in dynasty by year three.
Wide Receiver Losers
Kelvin Harmon was a disappointment in testing and found himself slide down my rankings headed into the draft. There is still upside there, and if he finds the right fit he may develop into a WR4 in fantasy early on. I was hoping to see more out of Riley Ridley during workouts, but he did nothing to stand out. With the slow time in the 40 (4.59). he likely hurt his stock even more and now finds himself outside of my top 10.
Tight Ends
The talk has been how this class at tight end could be one of the deepest in recent memory. Plenty of them showed well at the combine, but this is a three-man race at the top of this class. The two Iowa tight ends (Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson) will be fighting for the top spot with Fant currently holding as the TE1 for me. He is the more athletic of the two and is likely to be drafted in the 1st round of the NFL Draft. All three of these players will be viable fantasy options come 2021, with Fant being perhaps startable in year two.
