Most major-media draft coverage focuses on the quarterbacks, and that's fine. They're typically the faces of the franchise, and the difference between good teams and bad ones. But it's unlikely that Bortles, Manziel or Bridgewater will even be draftable in typical fantasy leagues this year (maybe Manziel, if he's an opening-week starter, for his rushing potential), or even be terribly coveted dynasty prospects.
The receivers catching the balls from quarterbacks, however, are pretty interesting, both in 2014 and long-term. We'll need to see where the running backs end up over the next couple of days, but right now I'm not going to be surprised if the top 4 picks in my upcoming rookie draft are receivers -- three wideouts and a tight end. Maybe 7 or 8 of the first 10 picks will be receivers, in fact. Here are some early takes on the ones already gone.
Sammy Watkins: Buffalo's interest in the draft's top receiver was not a great surprise, though you wonder if they'll regret giving up next year's first-rounder to get him. The Bills now have Watkins, Stevie Johnson, Mike Williams, and several other young, early receiver picks (Robert Woods, Marquise Goodwin, T.J. Graham). Johnson looks unlikely to be with the team much longer; Watkins is a clear No. 1 type of guy. Can EJ Manuel get him the ball consistently? Will there be enough offense to go around? The Buffalo News sounds skeptical. Give them a break, though; they haven't seen much winning lately.
Eric Ebron: The Lions were occasionally connected with one of the draft's top tight ends, with the idea being to get another weapon for Matthew Stafford. That's what they did, to a fault, notes this Detroit News columnist. The Lions have Brandon Pettigrew, of course, but he's a limited (albeit productive) receiver whose fantasy value is now greatly diminished; he'll do more blocking, while Ebron is the receiving threat. Joseph Fauria caught 7 TDs last year, and he's nowhere near the athlete that Ebron is.
Mike Evans: We have some doubts about Evans, who's big and talented, but does he have the speed to be the difference-maker in the NFL that he was in college? Say this for him though, he's landed in seemingly the right division (NFC South, where the Falcons and Saints like to put up and give up yards and points) and with a quarterback who had some success throwing to a pair of big receivers a year ago. In what is starting to look like a trend, a local media guy has mixed feelings about the pick, either because he bought into the Johnny Manziel rumor or was just hoping it was true. Whatever; Evans should be an immediate starter on a team that really didn't have a No. 2 wideout on the roster.
Odell Beckham Jr.: Interesting. The Giants let Hakeem Nicks go without a struggle and expressed reservations about Rueben Randle -- who used to room with Beckham at LSU -- to then use their top pick on Beckham. Beckham is a similar size to Victor Cruz, but has more speed and is an excellent route-runner; it won't be surprising if he, like Evans, is an immediate starter. That can be tough for wideouts in the NFL, and the Giants also have Jerrel Jernigan. But the Giants are pretty high on him, and it's an offense that struggled most of last year and badly needs more playmakers. Beckham was one in college and looks like a nice pick.
Brandin Cooks: Strange to say, but the high-flying Saints needed more pass catching help. Lance Moore is gone, Marques Colston is getting up there in years and has a lengthy injury history, and last year's fifth-rounder Kenny Stills has some talent, but might be kind of a one-trick pony, just a deep threat. Cooks is a guy New Orleans liked enough to trade up for him, moving seven spots for their third-round pick. We'll see if that works out (they traded up for Mark Ingram, after all). But Cooks is a talented and speedy guy who could possibly be used in the backfield; That's what Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune thinks, anyway.
These, hulking Panthers first-rounder Kelvin Benjamin, and the players selected tonight, are the most interesting fantasy players selected in the draft. Not so much the quarterbacks.
--Andy Richardson