We are still about 2 months away from the 2014 NFL draft, but people are already looking forward to what this crop of rookies will bring to the table. People who play in one day fantasy leagues might be a little hesitant to draft a rookie from the very beginning, but they could be impact players by the middle of the season. It is hard to predict what type of success players will have before they are actually on a specific team, but here are a few players poised to be breakout stars from day one.
Quarterback – Blake Bortles
There are 3 quarterbacks who seem to be thought of as franchise type of quarterbacks. Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater and Bortles all expect to hear their name called within the 1st 10 picks of the draft. However, it seems as though Bortles will be the most NFL-ready at this point in time. Not only is he the biggest and strongest quarterback of the bunch, but he has shown quite a bit of poise as a pocket passer so far in his career. He might not have the same type of ceiling as the other 2 players, but look for him to be the best option in one day fantasy leagues in 2014 at that position.
Running Back – Ka’Deem Carey
There are not a lot of people very high on the upcoming running back rookie class, but every season there are at least a few surprises to keep an eye on. It looks as though Ka’Deem Carey has the potential to be an impact player in one day fantasy leagues this upcoming season. At 5’9” and 207 pounds, Carey is never going to be a guy who provides a lot of long runs for big yards. However, he can do a little bit of everything and he has a knack for finding the end zone. It would not be a surprise at all to see him get a lot of touches in the red zone for whichever team drafts him.
Wide Receiver – Sammy Watkins
This one seems pretty obvious, but there are some other wide receivers who could make an impact as well. Sammy Watkins was absolutely sensational for Clemson in college, and he has the size and speed to be a number 1 wideout in the future. Even if he is selected by a team that has some talent at receiver already, he should be able to get more than enough touches from the very beginning. A guy like Mike Evans might have more red zone potential, but Watkins is the total package who should be an impact player in fantasy football for years to come.
Shannon Smith – special contributor to DraftAce
