Rookie Projections 2017-2018

Mitch Trubisky: Bust

The Chicago Bears may have made one of the worst decisions in the draft by swapping picks with 49ers in order to move up and draft Mitch Trubisky. Trubisky would have been available at the third overall pick but the Bears decided to give up two third round picks as well as fourth rounder in order to grab the quarterback out of North Carolina. Trubisky has the prototypical quarterback frame standing at 6’2” and weighing 222 pounds. However, Trubisky is very inconsistent when throwing the deep ball and sometimes has problems reading the defense which will be magnified when he faces the NFL defenses. Trubisky also took nearly all of his snaps from shotgun so he will have to get used to getting under center for the Chicago offense. Trubisky has the potential to be a good quarterback but he is too raw to have a good first season in the NFL. If Trubisky sits behind Mike Glennon he could grow into a talented quarterback but if the Bears force him into a starting role it will not go very well.

Projection: 3,000 yards 8 TDs and 14 picks

Corey Davis: Boom

Corey Davis is a big bodied wide receiver standing at 6’3” and weighing 209 pounds. Davis is the perfect wide receiver for the Tennessee offense because his size and athleticism provide a great target for Marcus Mariota. Davis put up monster numbers during his final season at Western Michigan by having 97 catches for 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns. If Davis can carry this dominance into the NFL he will have a great rookie season and be Marcus Mariota’s favorite target. One of Davis’ best abilities is his route running, he gets in and out of his break very fast which will give the Titans a wide out who is a deep threat and can also run the short and intermediate routes with precision. Davis will become a major piece of Tennessee’s offense and will most likely become Marcus Mariota’s favorite target.

Projection: 1,100 yards  11 TDs

Mike Williams: Boom

Mike Williams was born great. A physical receiver at 6 feet 3 inches, Mike WIlliams is talented at going after the ball. A beast in the red zone, Williams has the jump ball ability that is comparable to that of Mike Evans, a top 3 receiver in the NFL. Even though Evans is two inches taller, Williams’s physicality and jump ball excellence make up for it. If Keenan Allen can stay healthy, this duo will be deadly. However, regardless of whether Allen is healthy, Williams will get loads of targets from Philip Rivers, making him a quality pick up.

Projection: 1,200 yards 8 TD’s

Mccaffrey: We’ll see

The Carolina Panthers backfield is busy with a combination of Jonathan Stewart, Fozzy Whittaker, Cameron Artis-Payne, and not to mention, former MVP, Cam Newton. While his rookie season most likely won’t see a lot of carries, Christian Mccaffrey adds good depth at the running back position for the Panthers in 2017. He’s 5’11, 202 pounds and was a 4.48 runner at the combine proving showing his athleticism. While he’s not much of power back, during his time at Stanford, he proved he had the ability to shred tackles with his advanced footwork and awareness. Mccaffrey is also a good receiver out of the backfield and has the ability to impact the game as a punt returner. It seems it will be difficult for this years eighth overall pick to find his way into the running back rotation, but out of the gates he should get the opportunity to catch punts and prove himself as a legitimate threat on special teams.

Projection: 1100 Kickoff Return Yards, 2 Kickoff return touchdowns

Evan Engram: Bust

The Giants Tight Ends have never been good. In an offense that throws the ball nearly every down you would think they would get more targets, but manning hardly ever targets his tight ends. Evan Engram will not be on the field enough to get targets, he is not a conventional tight end and he will not be able to be used in play action, the most efficient way for tight ends to get most of their receptions and touchdowns. He will have one game with 100 yards and a touchdown and that will be his only good game all year.

350 yards 2 touchdowns

Leonard Fournette: Boom

Of all the running back’s who were drafted in the first few rounds of the draft none of them were as physically gifted as Leonard Fournette, he was six foot one and ran a 4.51 only .01 seconds slower than Dalvin Cook and .03 seconds slower than Mccaffrey. Chris Ivory and TJ Yeldon combined for almost 1000 yards, behind a not so good offensive line. TJ Yeldon sucks, he is small and slow, that is a terrible combination. Chris Ivory is fat and also slow. He will be a relatively high pick but he is worth the 3rd round pick.

1,600 total yards 1,400 rushing 14 TD’s

 Desean Kizer: Okay

While the former Notre Dame QB has good size, great arm strength and decent athleticism his Junior season at Notre Dame, where they went 4-8, puts question to if he has the abilities to lead an NFL organization. Kizer stands 6’4, and 230 pounds and runs well for his size. He has one of the best throwing arms in this year’s class of rookie QB’s but he has been known to have a lack of awareness at times. Although with the Cleveland Browns thin at the quarterback position that could leave Kizer with an early opportunity to battle for the starting job. He’ll have to battle with Brock Osweiler and Cody Kessler, but if he shows enough to be a starting QB, the combination of him and Cory Coleman could form a great duo. We’ll have to see if this pick pans out for the Browns or if Kizer will end up as a backup QB.

Projection: 3,200 yards 12 TD’s 9 picks

OJ Howard: Boom

Talk about a perfect fit. OJ Howard is  massive target at 6 feet 6 inches and 242 pounds. The team of this huge man and Mike Evans is going to wreak absolute havoc on opposing teams’ red zone defensive schemes. With Mike Evans on one side, Desean Jackson on the other, and OJ Howard in the middle of the field, Jameis Winston’s Buccaneers will be unstoppable. Howard fell hard on draft night, being picked at 19 while many thought he would go in the top ten. His playmaking ability was evident during his time at Alabama, and his tank during the draft was due to the need for defensive players and quarterbacks. However, this fall allowed him to fall right into the perfect scheme for him to succeed in, and an Offensive Rookie of the Year season may be in store.

Projection: 1,100 yards and 10 TD’s