Tavon Austin, WR, STL
Tavon Austin has a very explosive style of play, so I am banking on Austin to bust open the vault and be money for your roster. He is coming off of a record setting senior year at West Virginia. He had 1,289 receiving yards and 643 rushing yards, breaking the Big 12 single season record with 1,932 yards from scrimmage. He is plugged in and ready to electrify the NFL this season with his elite speed (he ran a 4.34 second 40 yard dash!), and his jukes that left his own punter face first in the dirt in a practice last month. Sure, it’s just the punter, but it forecasts that his lightning quick speed and thunderous moves are ready to take the NFL by storm.
Le’Veon Bell, RB, PIT
Pittsburgh played a little game called musical running backs last season. They had the always injured Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman, Johnathan Dwyer, and even Baron Batch. They needed rushing help to say the least because they have not seen a consistently productive one since Jerome Bettis. Le’Veon Bell is coming off a great season at Michigan State and is expected to get the starting job right of the bat. The Steelers like to run the ball so Bell is going to get some work which he can handle.
Montee Ball, RB, DEN
Montee Ball in his four year college career at Wisconsin had 77 touchdowns. Yes, 77 TDs! He owns the NCAA record for most rushing TDs in a career. He will be the starter in Denver because he is just flat out better than Knowshon Moreno and Ronnie Hillman, and Willis McGahee is gone. With Peyton Manning leading that team and with all the receiving weapons they have, the offense is going to be pass first. But how can you ignore an average of almost 20 TDs per year in college. Ball has a nose for the endzone and he will get his share of chance to get there.
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
He was the second receiver taken in the 2013 draft, coming off of a 18 TD season from Clemson. He is talented, but may be a little raw. He may not be ready to produce big numbers yet, but you never know if Andrew Johnson is going to get hurt. Last year Johnson was healthy, but drafting Hopkins was definitely because they will need a replacement for the aging Johnson, and Hopkins can be just that. Although the Texans offense will still be based around Arian Foster, Hopkins is going to be involved quite a bit.
Eddie Lacy, RB, GB
I don’t think there was better pick in the draft this past April than the Packers taking Eddie Lacy. He is better than fellow Alabama back, Mark Ingram, but maybe not as good as Trent Richardson. Regardless, Lacy is going to a great offense with the best QB in the league so no matter how much Rodgers wants to throw it, Lacy is going to have his touches as well. And when he does watch out because he runs hard. They drafted Jonathan Franklin as well because of Lacy’s toe injury concerns, but Lacy is going to be the goal line guy every time, and that is what we like to have on our team, touchdowns!
Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
North Carolina is no Michigan State, Wisconsin, or Alabama, but it is where Giovani Bernard played his college ball. He school is lesser known than the other three I mentioned, and probably why he is not getting the love he deserves for being the first running back taken in the draft. So why is he the fourth back on my list behind Bell, Ball, and Lacy who were all drafted after Bernard? The Law Firm, Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis is the answer. He is not a starting RB talent wise, but he is a veteran so he will probably get the starting job at least for this next season. BJGE averaged less than 4 yard per carry last year which would make it really no surprise if Bernard takes over as the starter mid-season. However, BJGE is still going to get goal line touches.
Aaron Dobson, WR, NE
He was a late second round pick, but how can you not like a receiver who has Tom Brady as his QB. The Patriots lost a huge chunk of their receivers including Wes Welker, Danny Woodhead, Brandon Lloyd, and Aaron Hernandez. Those four guys combined for 3,608 yards and 19 TDs of Tom Brady’s 4,827 yards and 34 TDs. Such a significant loss of production so Dobson is going to come in and get a few targets. He is not a great receiver but Brady will get him the ball in space. The best thing Dobson has going for him is the fact that Danny Amendola is very injury prone, and when Amendola goes down, Dobson’s targets will increase.
Robert Woods, WR, BUF
The Buffalo Bills desperately need some help with their offense, and hence why they drafted QB, EJ Manuel in the first round and WR Robert Woods in the second round. Stevie Johnson is going to be the number one guy, but he lacks deep speed. Woods can bring that to Buffalo and get a lot of work from the first snap. They have CJ Spiller so their run game is going to improve more this year which will open up the passing game. Woods can be the number one guy in Buffalo someday, maybe sooner than we think.
Joseph Randle, RB, DAL
Remember how DeMarco Murray got injured last year? Well, that is why Dallas drafted Joseph Randle out of Oklahoma State. If Murray gets injured again this season, he might not see another start for the Cowboys because Randle will take over as the number one back. He has talent, but may need just a little bit of experience before he can be a great back in the NFL. He can also catch balls out of the backfield better than Murray, so when you’re looking for a late round depth running back, don’t forget about Randle.
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