Continued Dynasty Breakdown of Round Three +

Pretty cool to think that for the the first time in their lives, the rookies just drafted are waking up as professional NFL football players.  I bet the coffee tastes just a wee bit better this fine Sunday morning. The pride of an accomplished goal, something they may have envisioned for motivation to rise and grind for a large part of their lives has become reality. For some, it is perhaps merely step number one on a longer list of achievements they have planned. Rookie of the Year. Pro Bowl. All Pro. Superbowl Champion. Our quest is to spot these diamonds in the rough and to do so before others catch on to their internal fire for greatness.  With that in mind, let us continue to break down rounds three and four of the 2018 NFL Draft from a dynasty perspective.

3.07 RB Royce Freeman - DEN

Just cracking my top 10 running backs as RB10, Royce landed in a place where he will have every opportunity to compete for starter status. His NCAA resume is long and consistent, but Oregon has a well documented history of pumping out RB draft busts.  DEN hasn't been great in the run game for a while, and neither Anderson (gone) nor Booker had impressive rushing averages or touchdown totals in 2017.  Booker's soft hands would lead me to think he may be the favorite for third down deployment. Freeman hit close to the minimum requirements at the combine, but I don't see much more than a guy who could be a place holder in 2018 that will stress his owners out when the 2019 Draft comes back around.

3.12 QB Mason Rudolph - PIT

Another fine pick by the Steelers, snagging my rookie QB5 in Rudolph, and pairing him with his favorite Oklahoma State target in WR James Washington who they drafted a round earlier.  A perfect heir apparent as Big Ben winds down his career.  Always be building. That's how you set the bar with six Superbowl Championships. Not on the radar for 2018 drafting outside of bestball, where he could fill in capably if Roethlisberger continues to get nicked up. (He's managed to miss seven games over the past three seasons.) Rudolph finally gives PIT a high level backup who should be the future starter for years to come once Ben hangs up his cleats.

3.17 WR Michael Gallup - DAL

Landing in one of the hot spots for wide receivers, my pre-draft WR8 is sure to get a boost up the rankings.  With both Dez and Witten out of the picture, the battle for targets is wide open in Dallas. I'm not overly impressed by the returning vets nor their offseason additions, leaving an interesting puzzle to solve at how this receiving corps may shake out.  His multi-sport prowess (football, baseball, basketball & track), college production (100rec), and solid combine leads me to think he has as good a shot as any to rise up the Cowboy's WR depth chart.  

3.22 TE Mark Andrews - BAL

Baltimore doubles up on TE, hoping one sticks. Andrews had sweet stats for a TE, as one of Baker Mayfield's go-to guys for both moving the chains as well as scoring touchdowns. With a poor reputation for blocking, he will need to produce in the passing game in order to stay on the field at the next level. My bestball selection of "Garnet Thor" just took a direct hit to it's starboard side, and I can hear the water rushing in.  Maybe drafting both and watching how it plays out may be better than banking on either one to win the job outright. Good for reality, not so good for fantasy.

3.27 WR Tre'Quan Smith - NOR

A guy who slipped under my radar a bit, Smith had the stats and combine that is note worthy.  Being drafted to what looks to be a logjam behind Michael Thomas, I guess my interest is dampened some. Going from University of Central Florida's (13-0 in 2017) Gold and Black to the Gold and Black of New Orleans, maybe he can bring a little undefeated swag to the Saints. The logjam part relegates him to end of bench/waiver wire status for 2018 with some growth upside somewhere down the line.

3.34 TE Jordan Akins - HOU

Filtering for skill position only, we have B2B UCF Knights go off the board!  I'm not high on any of the TE's in this class outside of the two "G-Bros", and the Texans have not incorporated their tight ends enough for my liking since back when Owen Daniels (and Andre the Giant) were a thing.  I'll pass.

4.01 TE Ian Thomas - CAR

Smart pick for Carolina. With the rumors of Olsen retiring for a job behind a mic dissolving, Thomas lands in a great spot to learn and develop pressure free behind one of the leagues best. Sharing a similar humble-grinder-soldier mindset, he can be groomed to be Olsen's eventual replacement should he play out his contract extension through the 2020 season. Blocked for now, he's only draftable in deep bench or devy leagues. There is some long term upside here to keep an eye on.

4.03 WR Keke Coutee - HOU

My pre-draft rookie WR10 stays in the state of Texas and gives QB Watson yet another explosive big play threat. For a smaller WR, he had impressive stats and is one of the youngest WR's to enter this draft. I think he has the talent to earn the WR3/slot role in Houston as a rookie, making him a deep stash for WR desperate dynasty teams. Fun player to watch.

4.04 RB Nyheim Hines - IND

My pre-draft rookie RB9, Hines landed in a potential high octane timeshare with Marlon Mack. Both have dual threat ability which will make it difficult for a defense to guess which is coming. I'd have to consider this team fit a plus, due to a the lack talent the Colts now have at RB. Hard to say how this plays out, but I'd give Mack the edge all around, yet neither man has the size or history of carrying a heavy workload, making the window for early opportunity open and offers both a chance at enough playing time to be on your draft day radar.

4.05 WR Antonio Callaway - CLE

Too much wizardry needed to be worthy of a dynasty draft pick. His trifecta of baggage (sexual assault-credit card fraud-failed drug test) is too much for even me to try and justify. He's blocked behind a strong WR corps in CLE, and his stats in college are only good if you extrapolate for imaginary age adjusted improvement on his missed 2017 season. He's interesting enough to keep an eye on, but will be waiver wire fodder for the time being.

(to be continued...)