Ideal landing spots for 10 of this year's rookies

The trajectory of an NFL draught prospect's vocation doesn't ever align with fans' preferred timing. Often, however, a player's endowment yet shows up, making them a phantasy shot favorite.

This year's people mightiness not beryllium brimming with the aforesaid blue-chip endowment of erstwhile years, but plentifulness of players with perchance impactful accomplishment sets remain. Where they onshore will, of course, greatly find their phantasy fates. Here are 10 specified players and the teams with which they would ideally (and realistically) fit.

QB Cam Ward to the Tennessee Titans

It's intolerable to speech astir Ward's endowment without noting the gumption helium brings to the position. The scope of his crippled -- from a lightning-quick merchandise to awesome escapability -- is wholly colored by the unflappable poise with which helium plays. An FCS darling turned ACC standout, Ward's ascent is reflective of an indisputable dedication to his craft, arsenic good arsenic shot instincts good beyond his years. A precocious RPM thrower who tin compression the shot into the tightest of windows, Ward registered a completion complaint of 67%, which acceptable a Miami single-season grounds and ranked 12th successful the FBS.

Uncertainty looms ample successful immoderate draft, but Ward to the Titans archetypal wide appears to beryllium a definite thing. Tennessee volition surely payment from the rookie's improvisational skills and limb talent. While the 23-year-old won't person a buffet of dynamic pass-catching options astatine his disposal, his beingness should amended Calvin Ridley's conversion rate. Despite drafting 120 looks, Ridley recorded conscionable 62 receptions (53.3%, WR63) successful 2024. Expect that fig to spell up. Ward's summation figures to besides positively interaction Chig Okonkwo, considering the QB's collegiate transportation with Elijah Arroyo. Get acceptable for everyone's favourite TE watercourse to prime up the post-hype sleeper mantle erstwhile again successful 2025.

QB Jaxson Dart to the New Orleans Saints

Surprised not to spot Shedeur Sanders connected the list? That's due to the fact that successful a post-Russell Wilson-to-the-Giants landscape, I deliberation the erstwhile Buff is apt to slip. His reluctance to tally besides has maine doubting his phantasy ceiling. While Dart isn't astir arsenic polished arsenic Sanders, his mobility makes him an enviable fake shot target. The Ole Miss merchandise (by mode of USC) is simply a susceptible and productive passer with a speedy release. Where Dart genuinely shines, though, is successful his quality to widen plays with his legs, arsenic evidenced by the 1,500 rushing yards helium has accumulated implicit the past 3 seasons (ninth astir among FBS QBs).

Despite bringing backmost galore acquainted faces via escaped agency, New Orleans is hopeless for a makeover. Kellen Moore figures to thrust the reins of the reboot arsenic the team's caller caput coach. Dart is simply a fantastic acceptable for Moore's up-tempo system, which recorded a play-action complaint of 25% (14th highest) past season. Interestingly, 49 of Dart's 81 vocation passing TDs came connected play-action, including 20 successful 2024. Furthermore, Dart has drawn comparisons to Jalen Hurts, whom Moore coached arsenic the Eagles' violative coordinator successful 2024. With Derek Carr's play successful doubt, Dart could spot the tract successful Year 1 and garner streaming involvement down the stretch.

RB Ashton Jeanty to the Dallas Cowboys

It's wholly imaginable that the Raiders snipe the 'Boys, tapping Jeanty astatine sixth overall. That's awfully precocious for a moving back, though. Saquon Barkley (second wide successful 2018) was the past RB drafted wrong the apical 5 (or seven, for that matter). Plus, the plethora of needs Vegas has to code are truthful large that the Boise State standout has a existent changeable to autumn to Dallas astatine No. 12. Even with Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders signed to the Star, the Cowboys request a definitive RB1.

Jeanty's endowment is said to beryllium generational, arsenic he's drawn lofty comps to everyone from Steven Jackson to Emmitt Smith. Equal parts pin and bowling ball, Jeanty is simply a tackle-shedding ace with a debased halfway of gravity and earthy hands. Jeanty is simply a do-it-all imaginable who led the FBS successful forced missed tackles (126), and helium has the goods to nutrient RB1 phantasy numbers successful his archetypal season. He would fig to devour successful Brian Schottenheimer's run-friendly approach, flirting with upward of 18-20 touches per contest.

RB Omarion Hampton to the Denver Broncos

The Broncos discovered immoderate overdue lightning successful a vessel with Bo Nix, who led Denver to the playoffs for the clip since 2015 past season. Now, the club's superior absorption figures to beryllium gathering astir the team's franchise signal-caller. While receivers are an evident need, the backfield remains peculiarly barren. Javonte Williams' exit would marque country for Hampton's contiguous entrance.

Unanimously ranked 2nd (behind Jeanty) astatine the presumption by manufacture professionals, Hampton thrived arsenic a accordant shaper for the Tar Heels. He acceptable a schoolhouse record, logging 8 consecutive games of much than 100 rushing yards successful 2024. An assertive downhill runner with fantabulous interaction balance, Hampton employs the patience and instincts indispensable to find holes portion either moving implicit oregon spinning disconnected of would-be defenders. He was the lone FBS subordinate with much than 1,000 rushing yards aft interaction successful some 2023 and 2024.

While he's not terribly originative successful abstraction and his way histrion remains basic, he's inactive a reliable pass-catcher who tin thrive arsenic a three-down option. His beingness would undeniably adhd stableness to Denver's offense. Landing astatine Mile High would supply the North Carolina autochthonal with top-15 positional phantasy appeal.

RB Quinshon Judkins to the Chicago Bears

The Bears went all-in connected Caleb Williams past year, surrounding their newest franchise QB with a bevy of talented walk catchers. However, the squad continues to deficiency a backfield with morganatic and accordant thump. Enter Judkins, whose calling paper is elite spot and power. A hard runner with a nasty stiff arm, Judkins spent 2 seasons astatine Ole Miss earlier transferring to Ohio State for his inferior campaign. While successful Oxford, Judkins acceptable schoolhouse records with 2,725 rushing yards and 34 full touchdowns. Once successful Columbus, Judkins continued to produce, clearing 1,000 rushing yards and posting 20 scores contempt sharing touches with TreVeyon Henderson.

Interestingly, Henderson has drawn comps to D'Andre Swift, making Judkins a logical complement to Chicago's contiguous mainstay. Plus, caller caput manager Ben Johnson has demonstrated a knack for squeezing each ounce of upside retired of a dynamic RB duo. Judkins' lower-body explosiveness and high-end interaction equilibrium marque him a menace to instrumentality down. Those attributes besides enactment to his vantage successful short-yardage situations and adjacent the extremity line. He could prima successful the David Montgomery relation successful Johnson's discourtesy portion providing investors coagulated RB2 phantasy numbers successful the process.

WR Tetairoa McMillan to the Carolina Panthers

The Panthers request to assistance Bryce Young. Providing the young QB a defence that tin support him disconnected the tract is simply a apt start. After all, Carolina's defence allowed an NFL-record 534 points successful 2024. But for phantasy purposes, managers would similar that Dan Morgan and Dave Canales upgrade Young's receiving weapons. Xavier Legette (who underwent ft country successful February) and Jalen Coker flashed astatine assorted moments past season, portion Adam Thielen (who led the squad successful phantasy points per crippled with 14 per contest) committed to 1 much twelvemonth with the squad. But those names hardly shriek high-octane offense.

McMillan is considered 1 of the apical wideouts successful this year's class. The Arizona merchandise knows however to "get tall," utilizing a volleyball inheritance to ascent the ladder and travel down with 50/50 balls. T-Mac is much than conscionable a "contested drawback guy," though. He's a versatile subordinate who figures to predominate arsenic an X receiver, but tin besides win arsenic a powerfulness slot enactment astatine the adjacent level. The 22-year-old led the FBS with 145 receiving archetypal downs implicit the past 3 seasons, illustrating his quality to determination the chains. Moreover, his 60 receiving archetypal downs successful 2023 were 3rd astir successful the FBS down Rome Odunze (71) and Malik Nabers (69). He could marque an contiguous impact, apt drafting upwards of 6-7 targets per contention successful Carolina.

WR Emeka Egbuka to the Houston Texans

Egbuka gained notoriety moving arsenic the Buckeyes' superior slot target, signaling 1,920 receiving yards from the slot since 2022 (seventh astir successful the FBS). An implicit technician, the erstwhile shot standout is simply a savvy way runner who tin fluster defenders with subtle tempo changes and effectual caput fakes. Similar successful playing benignant to erstwhile teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Egbuka figures to thrive arsenic an wrong complement to an established alpha.

With Stefon Diggs present successful New England and Tank Dell's 2025 run astatine risk, Houston needs a susceptible producer. The Texans added Christian Kirk during escaped agency, but his upside is limited. Plus, Egbuka and C.J. Stroud already person familiarity, arsenic the 2 were teammates astatine Ohio State successful 2021 and 2022. It's worthy noting that Egbuka recorded a career-high 1,151 receiving yards and 10 TDs successful Stroud's last play successful Columbus. A reunion seems similar an perfect concern for some existent and fake shot investors.

WR Matthew Golden to the Green Bay Packers

A Houston native, Golden would besides beryllium a bully acceptable for the Texans, though his talents look amended suited for Green Bay. An ace shot tracker who has a breathtaking quality to set to off-target balls, Golden makes adjacent the toughest grabs look easy. He has demonstrated method maturation during his assemblage career, evolving from a vertical menace astatine the University of Houston to a versatile playmaker astatine Texas. He's besides ace fast. In fact, the 21-year-old ran a 4.29 40-yard dash astatine the combine, which was the fastest clip among WRs and the second-fastest clip among each players.

The Packers' corps is precocious connected quantity but debased connected dynamism. Jayden Reed was serviceable arsenic the team's slot receiver, averaging 4.4 targets per crippled and posting a 55-857-6 enactment (over 17 games) successful 2024. Meanwhile, Christian Watson (who had a career-low 2 touchdowns past season) is apt to miss important clip successful 2025 aft tearing an ACL successful Week 18 of 2024. This would supply an contiguous request for a subordinate specified arsenic Golden, who is versatile capable to beryllium deployed from each levels of the tract and whose velocity could springiness Matt LaFleur's discourtesy the turbocharge it truthful desperately needs.

TE Tyler Warren to the New York Jets

A erstwhile precocious schoolhouse backmost (who besides lettered successful shot and basketball), Warren is simply a do-it-all imaginable with an elite ceiling astatine the position. The John Mackey Award victor is an outstanding mover who tin tally routes astatine each 3 levels, with 48% of his snaps occurring successful line, 32% successful the slot, 8% retired wide, 8% successful the backfield astatine RB, and 4% astatine QB. Warren rewrote the Lions' grounds books, mounting Penn State's choky extremity single-season records with 104 receptions and 1,233 receiving yards successful 2024. He's besides a susceptible blocker who isn't acrophobic to wreck opposing linemen.

The Jets are, erstwhile again, tasked with overhauling the team's offense. Davante Adams and Tyler Conklin person headed west, leaving evident holes successful New York's roster. Warren's versatility would let the nine to thin connected prime alternatively than quantity. Furthermore, Justin Fields showed an affinity for the TE presumption erstwhile helium was with the Bears, regularly relying upon Cole Kmet successful 2022 (71 targets) and 2023 (90 targets). Landing successful New York would let Warren to flirt with top-five positional phantasy numbers, perchance making him the astir caller rookie to situation the "don't draught first-year choky ends successful fantasy" mantra.

TE Colston Loveland to the Indianapolis Colts

Loveland was 2nd lone to Warren successful catches (56) and receiving scores (5) among Big Ten choky ends past season. While he's not arsenic polished arsenic the Penn State product, Loveland remains a high-end imaginable astatine the position, possessing earthy hands and morganatic speed. He didn't tally astatine the harvester oregon his pro day, but scouts estimation helium would tally the 40-yard dash successful 4.7 seconds. A creaseless way runner who has the size and method to enactment the mediate of the tract arsenic good arsenic the perimeter, Loveland figures to make into a high-ceiling information valve for immoderate QB.

The Colts hap to person 2 quarterbacks seeking security. While Indianapolis' receiving corps has satisfactory depth, the squad hasn't rostered a top-five phantasy shaper astatine choky extremity since Eric Ebron successful 2018 (66-750-13). In fact, each 4 of the Colts' choky ends accounted for a full of 39 catches successful 2024 (with Kylen Granson starring the radical with 14). For context, Alec Pierce (the team's No. 3 WR) logged 37 grabs each by his lonesome. Loveland's summation would supply the discourtesy with an contiguous boost, apt improving either signal-caller's ratio successful the process. Were the erstwhile Wolverine to onshore successful Indy, helium would garner TE1 phantasy information with plentifulness of country to grow.

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