We are getting into my favorite rounds of the draft. This is where we got guys like Mike Wallace, Hakeem Nicks and Darren McFadden a year ago. It’s time to go for the upside sleepers.
If you missed Rounds 1 through 3, click here. If you missed Rounds 4 through 6, here’s your link.
ROUND 7
1. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
2. Roy Helu
3. Austin Collie
4. Felix Jones
5. Ryan Grant
6. A.J. Green
7. Fred Jackson
8. Mario Manningham
9. Jordy Nelson (my pick)
10. Josh Freeman
11. Johnny Knox
12. Sam Bradford
NOTES: I really like the wideout picks here and I don’t see much upside with the running back picks. At this point, all the RBs with high ceilings are gone. Green-Ellis, Helu, Jones, Grant, Jackson will all be in committees. Their teams don’t view them as workhorses. Can they help you? Yes. Can they have monster seasons? Almost certainly not. … On the other hand, Collie, Manningham and Nelson can all have HUGE seasons. If not for the concussions, Collie would be a third or fourth rounder. Manningham is going to step into a major role with Steve Smith walking. And Jordy Nelson is going to pass Donald Driver on the Packers’ depth chart. Again, a recurring theme with me — reach for upside, not for guys you hope will replicate last year’s stats.
ROUND 8
1. Joseph Addai
2. Santana Moss
3. Donald Brown
4. Robert Meachem (my pick)
5. Mike Thomas
6. Marshawn Lynch
7. James Starks
8. Zach Miller
9. Mike Williams (SEA)
10. Beanie Wells
11. Braylon Edwards
12. Malcom Floyd
NOTES: I took running backs with my first three picks. So I’m loading up on wideouts now that I think have a chance to break out. With Marques Colston breaking down and Lance Moore a free ageny, Meachem is on the verge of breaking out. … I like the Beanie Wells value here. Yeah, it looks really bad for him after the Cardinals drafting Ryan Williams. But Beanie is still mega-talented. He’ll get a chance to turn his career around. … If you wait on a tight end, Zach Miller is a nice one to grab here. … I’m avoiding the Indy backfield, but I don’t see Donald Brown getting much of a chance. The Colts trust Addai.
ROUND 9
1. Ben Roethlisberger
2. Rob Gronkowski
3. Mikel Leshoure
4. Brandon Jacobs
5. Delone Carter
6. Marcedes Lewis
7. Davone Bess
8. Ryan Williams
9. Jared Cook (my pick)
10. Jerome Simpson
11. C.J. Spiller
12. Ryan Torain
NOTES: Jared Cook is my favorite deep sleeper tight end. I probably could have waited longer — you could likely get him in Round 12 or 13. … I like the Brandon Jacobs pick here. The dude is fresh and ready to go — especially if Ahmad Bradshaw walks in free agency. … Jerome Simpson is going to start for the Bengals and is worth a shot. … Ryan Torain is going to enter camp as the Redskins’ starter but I’m not too excited here. Still, in the ninth round it’s solid value. … Marcedes Lewis won’t catch 10 touchdowns again but he can play. Fine bottom tier starter.
