2018 Way Too Early Dynasty Rookie Draft Part 1

By Eric Vondunn (Spooky Garoppolo)
I know what you may be thinking. 2018 draft?!?!? I haven’t even had my 2017 rookie draft yet. In my opinion, this is the best time to take an early look at the potential 2018 class. Let’s put it in perspective, you are on deck at the back end of the first round. You have been preparing for this moment for months and everything was going according to plan when another member of the league just completely blindsides you to take “your guy.” What do you do now? Do you go BPA? Trade back? Maybe sit and reach for a guy you like that may go in the second? Or do you trade out to 2018? With competent knowledge of the 2018 class you can make an informed decision on whether it is worth it to push off drafting for a year to possibly get a better prospect. I know it may be difficult to pull the trigger and trade out here. This 2017 in-coming rookie class has been hyped up as the best class since 2014 due to both talent and depth. However, I hope my findings can help sway you that although this class is not as deep as 2017, the talent in the first round is equivalent and it is leaps and bounds better than 2016. In an effort to rebuild my failing team I recently made a few moves and completely traded out of the 2017 draft to accumulate 3 first round picks in 2018. I hope this move will spark some future success for both my team and hopefully yours. In the first installment of our two part 2018 mock we dive in to the first 7 picks of the first round. The second installment will include picks 8 through 14 as well as some honorable mention players to note. Enjoy

Pick 1.01

Saquon Barkley

Position – Running Back

School – Penn State

Height – 5’11’’

Weight – 223 LBS

Class – Junior

Age – 20

2016 Rushing – 272 attempts/ 1496 yards (5.5 YPC)/ 18 TD’s

2016 Receiving – 28 receptions/ 402 yards (14.4 YPC)/ 4 TD’s

Suggested Game Film – 2016 Rose Bowl vs USC

http://draftbreakdown.com/2017/05/20/saquon-barkley-vs-usc-2017-rose-bowl/

After an early look at the 2018 class we have a battle for 1.01. This year it features two dominant college running backs, Saquon Barkley and Derrius Guice. After watching film on both I personally at this point and time give the edge to Barkley, but I can’t fault anyone for flipping and selecting Guice 1.01. Any dynasty player will be lucky to have either.

Barkley is a do it all running back and his tape fully supports that notion. He has great size, perfectly compact and built well for the next level. He has strong vision, is extremely quick laterally and has blazing top end speed. He also has surprising power and a nice stiff arm. My favorite part about Barkley however is his seemingly strong pass blocking ability. Regardless, Barkley will get a shot to start week one upon being drafted based on talent alone, but his ability and willingness to pass protect gives him 3 down upside. Not to mention he has the production as a pass catcher to prove it and is extremely dangerous in the open field.

My biggest knock on Barkley right now is that although he has great speed around the outside he tends to bounce the ball outside a little too often for my taste. It will be infinitely harder at the next level to execute that on a consistent basis and it may hamper him.

If you want a better look at Barkley I would suggest taking a look at his footage from the 2016 Rose Bowl vs USC. He turned in a dominant performance with 194 yards rushing on 25 carries and 2 TD’s and added 5 catches for 55 yards and one additional touchdown.

Pick 1.02

Derius Guice

Position – Running Back

School – LSU

Height – 5’11’’

Weight – 212 LBS

Class – Junior

Age – 20

2016 Rushing – 183 attempts/ 1387 yards (7.6 YPC) / 15 TD’s

2016 Receiving – 9 Receptions / 106 yards (11.8 YPC) / 1 TD

Suggested Game Film – 2016 Vs Texas A&M

http://draftbreakdown.com/2017/05/01/derrius-guice-vs-texas-am-2016-2/

Derrius Guice, although would have exploded to start this season, was able to expedite his track to national stardom by taking advantage of Leonard Fournette’s ankle injuries in 2016 starting 6 games for the Tigers. During that time he made his case to push towards the nation’s top running back. Guice, although 10 LBS lighter than Barkley runs more like he is 15 LBS heavier. An extremely powerful back with extremely impressive lateral plant cuts and jump cuts. Combined with excellent vision. Guice shows all signs of being able to succeed at the next level, but what was most impressive to me was his ability to both break tackles and make defenders miss. I did not count, but in the Texas A&M game alone he must have broken at least 15 tackles. Not to mention he broke the single game LSU rushing record.

The main reason I have Guice below Barkley at this time is simply due to his lack of receiving production. Guice has shown that he can catch the football, but the combination of a low volume pass attack on LSU and being held as a change of pace back to Leonard Fournette unfortunately held him to only 9 receptions in 2016. We will see when he is given the full season as the feature back if he can improve upon those numbers.

Pick 1.03

Courtland Sutton

Position – Wide Receiver

School – SMU

Height – 6’4’’

Weight – 218 LBS

Class – Junior

Age – 21

2016 Receiving – 76 Receptions / 1246 yards (16.4 YPC) / 10 TD’s

Suggested Game Film – 2015 vs Houston

http://draftbreakdown.com/2017/04/15/courtland-sutton-vs-houston-2015/

With the third pick in the draft, the first receiver comes off the board. Courtland Sutton is a positional convert, defensive back to wide-receiver, he has prototypical wide-receiver 1 size and speed. Not to mention his defensive prowess gives him a leg up as to how a defensive-back thinks. Sutton has all the intangibles to be a dominant NFL wide-receiver, top end speed for his size, ability to break tackles for yards after catch, strong vacuum like hands and the ability to high-point the ball to win jump balls and make contested catches. However, I think the most impressive portion of Sutton’s game is how he was able to put up the numbers he has with the putrid level of quarterback play that he has withstood at SMU (It is really, really bad). The game that I chose for Sutton is from 2015 vs 2016 due to the fact that the 2015 Houston Defense was very strong and we got a look at possibly one of the best receiver/corner matchups of the year with first round pick William Jackson III essentially shadowing Sutton. The major Knock on Sutton is that he plays for a small school, but if you recall, Corey Davis was just selected with a top 5 pick in the NFL draft a few months ago. Sutton is primed to be the next in line for that honor.

Pick 1.04

Nick Chubb

Position – Running Back

School – Georgia

Height – 5’10’’

Weight – 228 LBS

Class – Junior

Age – 21

2016 Rushing – 224 attempts/ 1130 yards (5.0 YPC) / 8 TD’s

2016 Receiving – 5 Receptions / 86 yards (17.2 YPC) / 1 TD

Suggested Game Film – 2016 vs TCU

http://draftbreakdown.com/2017/05/03/nick-chubb-vs-tcu-2016/

Nick Chubb’s 2015 knee injury vs Tennessee, NSFL, may scare some owners off due to the fact he seemed to lack the same explosion in 2016, but I think Chubb bounces back nicely. The number two all- time rusher at Georgia (ahead of Todd Gurley) not only will he be two years removed from the injury, but Georgia has plenty of other strong options at running back to help keep him fresh including Sony Michele and Elijah Holyfield. This is especially true with how much Chubb brings to the table. He is a running back that can wear a defense down. He runs with power and runs between the tackles very well. I like running-backs that are decisive and do not get cute when a broken play may occur. Chubb is one of those backs that won’t dance around in that situation; he will run directly through a defender. With Chubb he has a thick frame and great balance that makes him difficult to tackle and allows him to gain yards after contact. His breakaway speed has diminished since the injury, but he still has quality speed to perform well at the next level. It is also difficult to ignore the oozing upside Chub possessed in 2014 and the beginning of 2015. If he can slowly work his way closer to that form he can compete for the top RB spot in this class hands down.

Pick 1.05

James Washington

Position – Wide Receiver

School – Oklahoma State

Height – 6’1”

Weight – 205 LBS

Class – Senior

2016 Receiving – 71 Receptions / 1380 yards (19.4 YPC) / 10 TD’s

Suggested Game Film – 2016 vs Baylor

http://draftbreakdown.com/2017/06/13/james-washington-vs-baylor-2016/

James Washington looks infinitely more like a running back than a wide receiver, but it absolutely works in his favor. With his thick body frame he is able to throw his body around and make a lot of great blocks against Defensive backs and line backers in the run game. He also is very powerful and can obtain plenty of yards after the catch. He runs very solid routes, his best being button hooks and comebacks where he seems to make most of his receptions. This will project well in the NFL as he can make plays all over the field vs just being a vertical threat. Although he was peppered with targets throughout his collegiate career he is able to get open a lot and make contested catches as well. Washington is one of my favorite players out of the bunch to improve his fantasy draft stock with another strong 2017 season.

Pick 1.06

Royce Freeman

Position – Running back

School – Oregon

Height – 5’11”

Weight – 231 LBS

Class – Senior

Age – 21

2016 Rushing – 169 attempts / 945 yards (5.6 YPC) / 9 TD’s

2016 receiving – 23 Receptions / 144 yards (6.3 YPC) / 1 TD

Suggested Game Film – 2016 vs Arizona State

http://draftbreakdown.com/2017/05/20/royce-freeman-vs-arizona-state-2016/

I am very high on Freeman. A big athletic back that can handle Oregon’s fast pace offense, run downhill, but also can make defenders miss when necessary and has some passing game chops. Freeman has great vision and great balance as well and is a very strong pass blocker. My main knocks on Freeman are that he sometimes has the tendency to bounce outside too often and waits too long to cut the ball up field. Although he is elusive and has a strong juke move he has the tendency to slow down significantly while making the cut which allows defenders to catch him.

Pick 1.07

Mike Weber

Position – Running back

School – Ohio State

Height – 5’10”

Weight – 214 LBS

Class – Sophomore

2016 Rushing – 182 Attempts / 1096 yards (6.0 YPC) / 9 TD’s

2016 Receiving –23 Receptions / 91 Yards (4.0 YPC) / 0 TD’s

Suggested Game Film – 2016 vs Michigan State

http://draftbreakdown.com/2017/05/06/mike-weber-vs-michigan-state-2016/

Mike Weber is an old school, downhill, one cut power back that has some breakaway speed and the ability to catch the football out of the backfield. He is not going to make anyone miss and possesses relatively stiff hips, but he can really punish defenders. He hits holes very hard and his legs are always pushing forward. He is not the next Zeke, but he has the ability to be a solid three down back in the NFL.

Look out for part two early next week including picks 8-14 as well as some honorable mentions to keep an eye on as well. Hopefully you enjoyed!

Players to target – Breshad Perriman – Post #1

By Eric “Spooky Garoppolo” Vondunn

@efv40 @elitedynasty69

I recently made a trade for Breshad Perriman and interestingly enough received some backlash from both friends and league-mates. In order to defend my honor I put together my argument for Breshad’s potential 2017 breakout. By the end of the list not only will you weep from the beauty of my writing, but you may pick up a few things along the way.

As a browns fan it is tough to trade for any Ravens player as the name Art Model still makes my blood boil, but there are a number of things about Perriman that a dynasty owner cannot ignore.

1. You can’t teach size or speed. 
Standing at 6’2 215 lbs. Perriman is your prototypical NFL number 1. The type you want to build a franchise around. Not to mention he ran a 4.24 40 at the combine. So he has the size and breakaway speed to succeed in the NFL

2. Draft Pedigree
Breshad Perriman was selected in the first round, pick 26, of the 2015 NFL draft. If you take a quick break from reading this article to look at your calendar, cell phone, sun dial or whatever method of tracking you use you will notice that it is only 2017! A mere two years after his draft date! What happened in these two years that caused Perriman to take such a tumble? Some may argue injuries which is fair, but he is not an aging veteran, he is 23 years old. Youth is a huge advantage specifically with injuries as the body heals much more quickly and efficiently in youth than towards the end of a career. For instance Adrian Peterson, at the age of 27, miraculously came back from an ACL tear in under a year. Although many other factors play into this, diet, genetics, work ethic, etc. youth is on Periman’s side

3. Competition at wide out
The Ravens wide-outs currently consist of Mike Wallace, Michael Campanaro, Breshad Perriman, Vince Marble-Hands Mayle, Chris Moore and Kenny Bell. Outside of Campanaro and Wallace it almost seems like an island of misfit toys. As for Wallace, although he still has quality speed as a deep threat, he is far removed from his prime years in Pittsburgh. Campanaro is also an interesting name as he is 26 and although productive as a flex play in fantasy does not fit the mold of a number 1 receiver standing at 5,9 190. I like Campanaro, but as a compliment. So why can’t Perriman, if healthy, step into a prominent number one role this season? It is also important to note the Ravens did not add any talent in this year’s draft. It is almost as if they are waiting for a certain player to breakout…

4. Joe Flacco’s passing tendencies 
I hate to admit it but, Joe Flacco is still a sneaky top tier quarter back. In 2016 alone he finished in 7th in passing yards, but finished among the top 10 in prevalence of deep balls with 11 passes completed 40+ yards and 40 passes completed over 20 yards. Not to mention an overall 64% completion rate. With Breshad Perriman’s blazing speed and size it almost seems like a match made in heaven.

5. Draft pedigree/ 3rd year breakout
I have said it time and time again the NFL is a very difficult league to adjust to and it does not always happen immediately. That’s why I am a huge proponent of the 3rd year breakout. Which is exactly what Breshad will be hitting with the 2017 season. This is especially juicy when we are talking about a player with first round draft pedigree. It is safe to say the entire dynasty community knows we were spoiled with the 2014 draft, but the outcomes in other years were not always the same. Look at players like Michael Crabtree, Damaryious Thomas, Eric Decker, TY Hilton, Steve Smith and Brandon Marshall. All of these players at some point in there career were or still are top dynasty assets, but did not start their careers that way. I strongly believe Perriman is the next player on this laundry list.

6. $$$

Lastly let’s talk about his current price.
Around draft time first round picks are notoriously expensive. Draft fever is real and trying to move up is almost impossible without giving up an arm and a leg. However, with annual low percentage hit rates of these players why not take a shot on a young player who two short years ago was in the conversation with Amari Cooper? Right now Perriman’s ADP is hovering around 98 and he can be obtained for a mid second round pick in some leagues depending on owners.

In my mind taking a shot on him is a no brainer, but hopefully this article helped provide some insight and a possible league winning idea.