Who's your Late-round Rookie Sleeper?

[Defender]

There is a consensus top 6, and we can generally agree on who makes it in the next 10-20. But in a rookie class this deep and this talented, we must not forget about the late-round prospects.

So who is your late-round rookie sleeper?

I'll start with Dede Westbrook. He started his post-secondary education at Blinn Community College. Toward the end of his sophomore season in 2014, he transferred to Oklahoma. He started every game for the Sooners in 2015: 46 rec, 743 yds, 4 TDs. Now for the fun part. In 2016 he became Oklahoma's go-to WR. He led FBS in receptions of 20-plus yards (26) and 50-plus yards (7). Had 80 rec for 1524 yds despite nursing a hamstring injury during the first three games of the season. 0 TDs over those first 3 games, but 17 TDs over the next 10 games. Maxwell Award semifinalist, Paul Hornung Award finalist, Biletnikoff Award winner, and Heisman Trophey finalist. Selected at the end of the third round by Jacksonville despite off-field red-flags and questions about his small size holding up in the NFL.

Player Comparison:
Pro Football Focus makes the case that Westbrook has the same skill set as Marvin Harrison had when he entered the league.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/draft- ... -oklahoma/
A more realistic player comp: Brandon Cooks is his ceiling, but Justin Blackmon is his floor. (For anyone who laughs at the Cooks comparison, Cooks ran a 4.33 40 at the combine, then didn't run a 40 at his pro day because he didn't want to 'mess it up.' This tells me he thought he couldn't beat that time even with the lenient timing at pro days. Westbrook was not invited to the combine, but ran a 4.34 at his pro day. For size comparisons, see below.)

How can he reach his full potential?
1. Stop being a knucklehead. This is a tall order considering he had domestic violence charges in 2012 and 2013 (both later dropped) and was kicked out of an interview during the combine.
2. Dive into a weight program. Westbrook is 6' and 176 lbs. (Cooks is 5'10", 189 lbs.) This means Westbrook is very thin, but he has a bigger frame than Cooks.
3. Blake Bortles improve his throwing mechanics.

So who is your late-round rookie sleeper?

[ColdZealDonkeyStrike]

Robert Davis.

He is basically a Moncrief clone by measurements. He will probably take at least a year to get acclimated like most small school guys, but there is a window for him to play year 2 if Pryor leaves or Doctson continues to bust. If the Redskins get KC locked u, he has the chance to step into a really nice situation.

[Cult of Dionysus]

Trent Taylor WR drafted in the 5th by the 49ers (Lynch/Shanahan).

[Defender]

Trent Taylor WR drafted in the 5th by the 49ers (Lynch/Shanahan).

What do you like about Taylor? Or is it just the wide open depth chart?

[ericanadian]

TE is the easy late round money in this draft. George Kittle is already taking first team reps in a Shanahan coached offense. Bucky Hodges, Adam Shaheen & Jonnu Smith are metrics favorites. A lot of people are expecting Everett to fill the Reed role in McVay's offense. Butt seems to be getting some love coming off a major injury.

Dede's late breakout age and poor agility score turned me off of him. He also weighed in 10 lbs lighter than Cooks for his pro-day run and Perine ran roughly 0.06 second slower at the combine than at the Oklahoma Pro Day. I'm not sure I buy his Pro Day time and I would expect it to slow once he gets up to an NFL weighr. Add the off-the-field stuff (allegedy getting kicked out of a combine interview, multiple assaults on his ex) and there's a reason he's going so late.

If I'm looking for a late-round receiver, I probably grab Amara Darboh. His college numbers aren't going to blow you away, but he checks all the metrics boxes, has seemingly good character and seems to have the size and skillset to challenge Jermaine Kearse for the blocking receiver role. With McEvoy out, he doesn't have much competition (Lockett & PRich are both too small to play the role effectively). While I don't expect elite numbers, he could be a solid bye week replacement in a year or two in deeper leagues.

[Cult of Dionysus]

Yes, the situation has something to do about it. There's a fair amount of targets in that offense and not a single guy, other perhaps than Garcon, who has any meaningful claim to them. In other words, who ever shows up and builds chemistry with the QB, will likely see a good amount of targets. And I think the offense will surprise some people...

I like Taylor because he performed really well in college, has that short-yardage, underneath skill set that translates into the modern NFL (as proven by guys like Wes Welker, Cole Beasley, Julian Edelman), and has tremendous heart. Yes he is small, but so long as he is used correctly, he can produce. The fact that he was taken in the 5th round, when everyone else had him pegged as an Undrafted guy, also shows that the 49ers see something in him that they like and want to give him a chance.

Whether he makes the most of it . . . that's anyone's guess. But think he has a better shot than most 3rd round rookie draft picks. And that's what you want when you take a guy late, someone who has a decent chance at producing.

[motherlode]

My guy wasnt a guy i targeted at all in my first draft way back in the middle of May, but the more i read about him, the more and more he ended up on my various rosters. So far ive drafted him in 5 drafts

Tarik Cohen, The Human Joystick

1) Measurables: Third fastest 40 time for RB. 10 1/8 inch hands (which look comically large on his 5'6" 180 lb frame with his bright yellow gloves in his combine video) 10th best 3 cone drill.

2) Draft Pedigree: He was drafted in the 4th round, ahead of draft darlings Joe Williams, Jamaal Williams, Marlon Mack, Donnell Pumphrey, Jeremy McNichols, Aaron Jones, Brian Hill and TJ Logan. No, Cohen will never be a 3 down back like some of these guys may end up being. His ceiling is almost assuredly as a pass catching complimentary back. But as Darren Sproles, Danny Woodhead and Theo Riddick have taught us, those guys can be very useful (obviously in a PPR format)

3) College production: He played at a lower level, but he dominated that level thoroughly. Cohen topped 1000 yards rushing in all four seasons in college, topping 1500 both his junior and senior year, and scored 56 rushing TDs. He also caught almost 100 passes in college. He won the MEAC Offensive Player of the Year his sophomore, junior and senior years.

4) Opportunity A: The Bears offense is anything but settled. Cam Meredith is the closest thing they have to a sure thing. Zach Miller is a million years old, and Adam Shaheen was playing glorified HS football last year. Maybe Kevin White lives up to his draft pedigree. Maybe Markus Wheaton or Kendall Wright step up. Maybe Viictor Cruz or Rueben Randle rise from the dead. Or maybe none of that happens.

5) Opportunity B: Jordan Howard isnt likely to be too active in the passing game. Benny Cunningham is a nice COP back, and a decent flier in a PPR league, but he also isnt anything special.

6) Opportunity C: The NFL is a copycat league, and no coach or GM could have missed what Tyreek Hill did last year. (Yes i know Hill is a WR and Cohen is a RB, but really what they both are is "get them the ball in space" guys.) Obviously predicting Cohen will have anything next year like Hills season this year is a fools errand, but Hill doing what he did last year may give Cohen (and other smallish jitterbug backs) an opportunity where little to none existed before last season. And what more can you ask for from a 5th round pick but an opportunity. If he can get on the field Cohen getting 60-70 "in space" targets/touches doesnt seem unreasonable. It also isnt out of the realm of possibilities that he gets some work as a punt/KO returner.

7: Cost: I have drafted him at pick number #55, 49, 46, 60, and 43. So basically a late 4th or later.

8) Hype: And there are blurbs like this:

WGN Radio's Adam Hoge pointed out this interesting nugget about Cohen when minicamp concluded on Thursday:

"It’s very rare for me to point out the successes of a running back in non-padded “underwear” practices, but it seems evident that fourth-round draft pick Tarik Cohen has some incredible talent with the football in his hands. Team rules prevent us from reporting specifics, but let’s just say there have been multiple times when he has done something in the backfield that was extremely noticeable."


Also this

[Goddard]

A lot of people are sleeping on Godwin and he's slipping into and sometimes past the 3rd round.

Butt is my favorite TE after the top 3, and once healthy, has a great opportunity in Denver. The injury doesn't worry me as much because I expect TEs to take at least a year or two to develop anyways (including Howard, Njoku, and Engram).

Dobbs is a stretch, but would be my sleeper at QB in 2QB/SF leagues. If there's going to be another Dak, he has the best shot in terms of situation (playing behind an older and recently often injured QB) and college production.

I don't really have one for RBs because they all seem to be getting drafted all over the place. Joe Williams was my sleeper a few months ago, but people have woken up to him since the draft (more than I expected).

[brofinator]

In superflex leagues I have been targeting CJ Beathard like crazy. Shanahan was pounding the table for this guy, and that is all I really needed to know to start grabbing him in the 4th rounds of my drafts. It's not like he has much competition, with just Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley ahead of him. Those guys have been solid backups in the past, but I think Beathard has a chance to strut some of his stuff at some point this year.

One thing that would really throw a wet towel on CJB would be if Kirk gets to San Fran next offseason. I still believe he wants to get a deal done in Washington, but if the Redskins continue to refuse to pay him he wouldn't hesitate to bolt for Silicon Valley.

[IBall2]

In superflex leagues I have been targeting CJ Beathard like crazy. Shanahan was pounding the table for this guy, and that is all I really needed to know to start grabbing him in the 4th rounds of my drafts. It's not like he has much competition, with just Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley ahead of him. Those guys have been solid backups in the past, but I think Beathard has a chance to strut some of his stuff at some point this year.

One thing that would really throw a wet towel on CJB would be if Kirk gets to San Fran next offseason. I still believe he wants to get a deal done in Washington, but if the Redskins continue to refuse to pay him he wouldn't hesitate to bolt for Silicon Valley.

I live in Iowa and have watched my fair share of Hawkeye football and I personally think he's underwhelming. JAG player that is filling a void for the time being until they get a true starter. His biggest strength is already knowing how to play in a pro style offense so he has a leg up on other rookies but his talent won't carry him very far. In the NFL, he should be viewed similar to Cody Kessler or Trevor Siemian.

[Servo]

I would not call Godwin a sleeper whatsoever, if drafted into the right situation he was easily considered a late first at best/early 2nd rounder in all types of draft formats.

Just comes down to whether or not a fantasy team is patient enough to wait for his opportunity.

[kamihamster]

My sleeper caught my eye when watching the Shrine game, Elijah McGuire. He's a 6th round pick by the NYJ and has been labeled just a COP back but I can see him handling more if given the chance. His path to relevancy is not all that far fetched. Forte and Powell are ahead of him on the depth chart and both are old and injury prone. If one or both go down, the blurbs I'm seeing out of camp say that he's the clear 3rd RB, he will get some playing time. He performed well in college, yes, against lower competition, but in the Shrine game he shined. I picked him up with my 4.05 in my 12 team PPR, at that price give me him all day. Especially with the guys in front of him, and the state of the Jets. They seem to be getting rid of everyone and favoring the youth, and that would bode well for McGuire.

[Goddard]

I would not call Godwin a sleeper whatsoever, if drafted into the right situation he was easily considered a late first at best/early 2nd rounder in all types of draft formats.

Just comes down to whether or not a fantasy team is patient enough to wait for his opportunity.

Aren't you considered a sleeper when people are "sleeping" on you and letting you fall to the 3rd round. I agree, he has round 1 talent, but being taken 2-3 rounds later. That to me is the exact definition of a sleeper.

[Chris_R]

Malachi Dupre

He is insanely talented, evidenced by him being projected as a 1st/2nd rounder last year, so he checks the box as an upside pick(McShay had him as a 1st rounder, B/R had him going 13 overall). Also, a lot of his issues can very easily be attributed to the situation at LSU. Obviously there was some of the worst QB play in the country there (why Miles was fired), they were an I formation team, no imagination, and did not attempt to put the ball in the play makers hands. They were a complete mess, had a career TE coach shift to OC mid season, and made no attempt to do anything but run the ball. Had he returned, he likely would have increased his stock back to what it was.

Then you take into account Ted Thompson and his evaluation of WRs, over the years which has obviously been very good. Not perfect, but he gas a great eye for them. Then there is of course Rodgers throwing the ball, so there is roughly 5k passing yards and 40 TDs available in a wide open offense. Receivers going to Rodgers and Breed right now have value.

Then you have the fact that he's already been running with the ones, so he has obviously picked up the offense quickly and showing they like him.

Then throw in the fact that he is mostly being undrafted in rookie drafts? Yes please. That's a considerably high upside prospect, in a high upside situation, for free. I'm stashing him everywhere and will see what he does in a few years. Not expecting year 1 production, but I think he'll get an opportunity there and the upside + cost to acquire is an easy decision to me.

[maxhyde]

Pumphrey