Featured Articles

It’s probably no secret by now that the Underworld supports Baker Mayfield and #NeverJoshAllen, despite a baseless infatuation with Allen and an irrational under-appreciation of Mayfield among NFL scouts and draft analysts.

Mayfield is one of the most productive and efficient quarterback prospects of all time. Mayfield’s resume and the relative success of short quarterbacks in today’s NFL amount to a strong case for him to be the first overall pick.

Malcolm Mitchell has been dealing with injuries off and on since he was drafted. In 2016 he posted a solid +15.9 (No. 20) Production Premium and a +6.8-percent (No. 34) Target Premium. If he can stay on the field with Tom Brady, he can be a late round steal for fantasy owners.

No one doubts Doctson’s athleticism, evidenced by an exceptional Burst Score of 135.2 (97th-percentile) and 10.36 (96th-percentile) Catch Radius. His playmaking ability is intriguing. However, there is reason to worry about Doctson’s 1.10 (No. 94) Target Separation, which could throttle his target share given new quarterback Alex Smith’s well-deserved interception-phobic reputation.

David Njoku, Evan Engram, O.J. Howard, George Kittle, Jonnu Smith and Gerald Everett averaged a 26.2-percent College Dominator Rating, dwarfing the college production of Travis Kelce, Rob Gronkowski, Zach Ertz, and Jimmy Graham.

The next evolution of NFL tight end has arrived. The advanced metrics prospect profiles of younger players from David Njoku to Austin Seferian-Jenkins suggest the league is on the verge of a great TE Renaissance.

There college production, however, is dwarfed by that achieved by six rookies drafted in 2017, namely David Njoku, Evan Engram, O.J. Howard, George Kittle, Jonnu Smith and Gerald Everett .

In ten attempts, Cleveland has never drafted a quarterback that has been successful. The Browns need to sign a free agent veteran quarterback who has success as a starter. They need to target Kirk Cousins in free agency.

Assuming Cleveland does win the Kirk Cousins sweepstakes, and signs him to a longer contract, then it would make sense for Cleveland to trade down in the 2018 NFL Draft.  By giving up the first and the fourth draft pick could be the best move they could make.  By trading those picks for some later first round picks or later, the Browns could get more picks for later years. 

Sony Michel combines patience and elusiveness with straight-line speed. He also demonstrated adequate pass catching ability during his college career, with the receptions dropping off his senior season. The only way his value drops is if he goes to a team that views him as the next Jerick McKinnon and inexplicably squanders his talents, but give him 3-down work and he should be a special player.

As a relatively landing spot-independent satellite back, Mark Walton’s floor is relatively high. His ceiling is also high, because like Kareem Hunt and Alvin Kamara before him, he possesses an all-purpose skill set with an opportunity to add weight and check in at 210-plus pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine.

I’m all for outliers. I root for every UDFA in the league, and I’m still waiting for Tanner Gentry to get back on an active roster, but the level of enthusiasm for Calvin Ridley given his complete lack of production before the age of 20 is baffling.

Tyreek Hill is the ultimate outlier. With only a 19.4-percent College Dominator Rating (21st-percentile), he gained 1,183 receiving yard last season and became the lead wide receiver for the Chiefs. He’s now flirting with a first-round ADP.

Barkley’s 32.2-percent (70th percentile) College Dominator Rating, a running back’s total team yards and touchdowns in college, indicates he is far from the exceptional prospect that his frequent top-5 mock draft position suggests. 

Saquon Barkley does look electric and could impress at the NFL Scouting Combine, but the Cleveland Browns would be better of promoting Duke Johnson or drafting Rashaad Penny than drafting Barkley with a top-5 pick.

Lamar Jackson’s electric rushing capability combined with a strong throwing arm will make him the most difficult player to defend to moment he steps onto an NFL field.

While Josh Rosen has become one of the most buzzworthy quarterback prospects in recent memory, his go-to receiver has Jordan Lasley is the most under-discussed top wide receiver prospect in the NFL Draft.

Nelson Agholor’s unsustainable touchdown rate has inflated his value across dynasty leagues, but trade value matters. With Super Bowl hero brand equity in tow, Agholor’s trade value rose instantaneously, which required an upstack of his dynasty ranking.

Jordan Reed fantasy football prospects dimmed when Washing acquired Alex Smith. While Smith heavily targeted Travis Kelce in recent years, Kelce’s 9.6 average target depth and fell well outside the top-10 NFL tight ends. Given Smith’s proclivity to throw short and run in the red zone, the loss of Kirk Cousins diminishes even a healthy Reed’s dynasty value.

Kittle’s measurables compare favorably to some of the most prominent players at his position. Kittle’s demonstrated speed, burst and agility at the NFL Scouting Combine, summarized by his 124.1 (88th-percentile) SPARQ-x Score, was superior to Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce, and Zach Ertz.

Kittle enjoyed an understated rookie season. 260 of his 515 receiving yards came after contact, the 7th most at the tight end spot. The same was true for his Kittle’s 8.2 yards per target was equally impressive. Incidentally, Kelce managed 8.5, while Ertz trailed them both with 7.5.