All News & Analysis

2015 NFL Draft Fantasy Live Blog, Day 3

NFL-Draft-logo-gold-03-22-15

Day 3 is here It's already been a crazy two days of  the NFL Draft. Yesterday, we saw a few head scratchers, defensive players a plenty, and no quarterbacks selected in the second round for the first time in 10 years.

Like we've done the last two days, we'll be updating as the action unfolds with the newest updates appearing at the top of the live blog below.

After the draft concludes, we'll be rolling out plenty of content, but if you want to get caught up on the action so far, check out our Day 1 Live Blog and our Day 2 Live Blog. You can also watch or listen to our instant reaction video podcast recorded immediately after Round 1 wrapped up on Thursday night.

Don’t forget that you can get access to all of our award-winning rankings, projections, content, and signature stats  by heading over to DraftKings.com and making an initial deposit of just $10. That gets you Fantasy Gold for free. DraftKings will also kick you a 100% deposit bonus, so you double your money. You can’t beat it. If you already have an account and want access to Fantasy Gold, you can get a subscription and access to our 2015 Fantasy Draft Guide for just $29.99.

 

6:37 P.M.: And Mr. Irrelevant is … TE Gerald Christian out of Louisville. Alright, the Draft has wrapped, so that's going to do it for us. Thanks for reading and keep your eyes peeled in the next few days for analysis, projections, and truckloads of content.

6:32 P.M.: The final few picks of the draft included Dallas adding TE Geoff Swaim, Denver selecting QB Trevor Siemian, and San Francisco picking intriguing TE Rory Anderson. All three players will spend the offseason competing for a roster spot.

6:12 P.M.: Although it’s clear that the draftnik community likes Tre McBride a lot more than NFL teams, the William & Mary product finally came off the board to Tennessee in Round 7. McBride has good hands and blazing 4.41 wheels. He’s drawn comparisons to Pierre Garcon and figures to chip in as a returner. Despite such a late selection, McBride actually lands in a spot where he can make the team. Kendall Wright and Dorial Green-Beckham are locks atop the depth chart, but “JAG” Hunter, Harry Douglas and Hakeem Nicks are fair game.

6:00 P.M.: Not much to get excited about here in Round 7. The Jaguars and Raiders each added a wide receiver early on in the round, selecting Neal Sterling and Andre Debose, respectively. … Sterling is a borderline H-Back and Debose a returner. TE Ben Koyack isn’t a very good receiver, but is a quality blocker. He adds depth in Jacksonville. … The Saints and Bucs followed with tailbacks. Saints Marcus Murphy will look to make the squad as a receiver/returner specialist. Bucs Joey Iosefa was a surprise pick. He’s a huge back (247 pounds) and will look to push Mike James off the Bucs’ roster. … The Chiefs and Bills each added a wide receiver, with Kansas City snatching up Da’Ron Brown and Buffalo Dezmin Lewis. Brown has strong ball skills, while Lewis stands 6-foot-4 and has 4.46 wheels. … The Texans added a tailback in Kenny Hilliard.  He won’t add much as a receiver, but is a monster power back between the tackles. … The Bengals went with undersized WR Mario Alford with the 21st pick. He has a ton of speed, but is a longshot to make the 53-man roster.

5:27 P.M.: Ask and ye shall receive. Zac Stacy demanded a trade and that's just what he got, as the Rams shipped him to the Jets in exchange for the 224th pick. St. Louis used this pick to selected LB Bryce Hager out of Baylor. Stacy now sits in essentially the same situation he left – 4th/5th on the Jets' depth chart. The Rams got great value here in Hager. Last season, he led all draft-eligible 4-3 OLBs in run stop percentage (13.0%), and only missed four out of 78 tackle opportunities against the run. His 4.60 40 time was among the top LB times at the Combine. Hager figures to back up James Laurinaitis in 2015.

5:13 P.M.: We're coming down the home stretch with just 37 picks remaining. At pick 219, the Browns selected LB Hayes Pullard out of USC. Pullard made our pre-Draft top 50 IDPs, and was the highest remaining player on that list. CFF graded him out as a top 15 LB against the run, but Pullard struggled in coverage. Only four draft-eligible players gave up catched more frequently than Pullard's catch every 9.3 snaps in coverage. He figures to start his career out as a special teamer who could ultimately see time as a two-down player who could potentially move to safety.

5:08 P.M.: Ten of the final 11 picks in Round 6 were offensive linemen or on the defensive side of the ball. The exception was the Packers addition of tight end depth via Kennard Backman. He’ll slot in behind Andrew Quarless and 2015 TE2 sleeper Richard Rodgers. On to the seventh…

4:49 P.M.: There were a few intriguing picks made during the later stages of Round 6. The Ravens picked intriguing specimen Darren Waller. Like many recent incoming Georgia Tech wide receivers, Waller is oversized, fast and raw. He stands at 6-6, 232 pounds and ran a 4.46 40-yard dash. Waller was decent as a receiver and blocker at GT last season and makes for an interesting project. Demaryius Thomas and Calvin Johnson are the good comparisons, while Stephen Hill is obviously the bad one. With only Marlon Brown, Kamar Aiken and Michael Campanaro between he and the No. 3 job, Waller’s dynasty stock is on the rise. … Josh Robinson is the other intriguing pick. He heads to Indianapolis where he’ll compete with Dan Herron and Vick Ballard behind Frank Gore. The Colts don’t pass much, but they score a lot of points. Gore is a short-term solution for this team, so there’s an opportunity for Robinson to earn a long-term role. He’s 5-9, 217 pounds and ran a porous 4.7 40 yard dash. He’s competent as a receiver and blocker and was very effective as a rusher at MSU last year. … In less interesting news, the Packers added fullback Aaron Ripkowski. He'll compete with veteran John Kuhn.

4:35 P.M.: The Browns had the 19th and 22nd picks in Round 6 and spent both on players listed as tight ends. Aforementioned Malcolm Johnson is more of an H-Back, however, and figures to slot in at fullback. The 22nd pick, Randall Telfer adds blocking depth at the position. In other sixth-round news, the Rams added Bud Sasser to its receiving corps and the Patriots picked up tight end depth with AJ Derby. No one on this list figures to land on the fantasy radar in 2015.

4:22 P.M.: We still have a few fantasy relevant defensive players on our pre-Draft board, but the Bengals just snagged one of them with the 197th pick – S Derron Smith out of Fresno State. Smith is on the smaller side at 5'10”, 200lbs, but he had 15 interceptions during his college career. Smith played just 29.5% of his snaps in the box last season, but posted 58 total tackles against the run. With incumbents George Iloka and Reggie Nelson entrenched, Smith isn't likely to see much of the field in 2015. That said, he's a player to keep your eye on in dynasty leagues.

4:17 P.M.: Time to clean up some Round 6 moves. Kaelin Clay (no relation to Mike Clay) was selected by Tampa Bay and, although unlikely to do much as a receiver, he’ll be busy as a returner. … The Giants and Redskins went back-to-back at wide receiver, selecting Geremy Davis and Evan Spencer, respectively. Davis has a nice size/speed combo, but has a lot of work to do to make the Giants roster. He’s behind Victor Cruz, Odell Beckham, Rueben Randle, Dwayne Harris and likely Corey Washington and Marcus Harris. Spencer is a possession receiver  with 4.45 wheels and a roster longshot. … The Bills and Browns each picked up a tight end, with Buffalo landing Florida State product Nick O’Leary and Cleveland adding Malcolm Johnson. O’Leary is one of the better receiving tight ends entering the league, but won’t do much as a rookie behind Charles Clay (also no relation to Mike Clay). Johnson is fourth in line for snaps in Cleveland.

3:46 P.M.: There hasn't been much of note on the defensive side of the ball, but two potentially fantasy relevant players just came off the board at the top of Round 6. The Jags snagged DT Michael Bennett at pick 180. A disruptive pass rusher, Bennett recorded 43 QB pressures on 436 pass rush snaps last season. He also graded out as the No. 5 draft-eligible DT against the run. Bennett figures to see situational snaps as a rookie, but should be considered a dynasty prospect in DT-required leagues. … Following this pick, the Redskins selected S Kyshoen Jarrett out of Virginia Tech. Jarrett is a strong tackler who played over 80% of his 2014 snaps in the box. He ranked No. 6 among draft-eligible safeties in run stop percentage last season. With a thin depth chart in Washington, Jarrett could immediately compete for a starting job. He's one of the better IDP defensive back prospects in this year's class.

3:33 P.M.: Round 5 is over, so let’s clean up a few moves. Detroit added a fullback in Michael Burton. Baltimore is clearly treating Dennis Pitta (hip) as a luxury at this point. After selecting TE Maxx Williams yesterday, they added blocking TE Nick Boyle here in the fifth. TE James O’Shaughnessy will help replace Anthony Fasano in Kansas City and could be busy as a rookie. He’ll need to beat out Demetrius Harris and Richard Gordon for snaps behind Travis Kelce. Only Melvin Gordon caused more missed tackles (64) than Cameron Artis-Payne among draft-eligible RBs last season. “CAP” heads to Carolina to fill a big void behind Jonathan Stewart. He’ll be on the handcuff radar as a rookie. Houston added wideout Keith Mumphery, but he’ll have his hands full just nailing down a roster spot.

3:06 P.M.: The Cardinals added some serious speed to the roster by selecting JJ Nelson with the 23rd pick in Round 5. Nelson is insanely small at 5-10, 156 pounds, but sports 4.28 wheels. He’ll be utilized as a situational deep threat and as a returner. … The Steelers followed by adding local product Jesse James at tight end. James stands at 6-6, 261 pounds, but isn’t too speedy (4.83) and isn’t an overly impressive receiver. … WR Kenny Bell was next up, landing in a nice spot in Tampa Bay. Bell has no shot at passing out Vincent Jackson or Mike Evans, but should earn his way past Louis Murphy and Robert Herron this season. Bell fell further than expected. He’s 6-1, 197 pounds and has 4.42 wheels. He’s an exceptional blocker and a quality returner. He’s a nice late-round dynasty flier, but don’t expect a ton of damage in 2015.

2:50 P.M.: A few depth selections were made here in the middle of Round 5. Karlos Williams heads to Buffalo where he won’t be assured a roster spot. Definitely behind LeSean McCoy and Fred Jackson, Williams will need to beat out one of Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown. Out of Florida State, Williams has an impressive size/speed combo at 6-1, 230 pounds and having ran a 4.48 40-yard dash. He’s a good runner and great receiver, but needs work as a blocker. Meanwhile, intriguing wideout Tony Lippett heads to Miami. Lippett is big (6-3), skinny (192 pounds) and not very fast (4.61 40). He’ll compete with Rishard Matthews and Matt Hazel for the team’s No. 5 job. That assumes he sticks at wide receiver, as it’s possible he’s converted to corner. Finally, Cincinnati added TE CJ Uzomah. A converted wideout, he needs work as a blocker, but is a name to watch in deep dynastys.

2:30 P.M.: Considered one of the top talents in a deep incoming class, Jay Ajayi is finally off the board to Miami in the fifth round. There’s a ton to like about Ajayi, but serious concerns about the health of his knee led to a freefall similar to what we saw from Chris Polk back in 2013. Ajayi stands 5-11, 221 pounds and ran a 4.57 40 yard dash. He performed well as a runner at Boise State last season, but is a pedestrian receiver and poor blocker. Ajayi has a tendency to bounce outside despite a lack of elusiveness and also has struggled with fumbles. Ajayi has three-down upside, but has a ways to go before he’ll threaten Lamar Miller for the team’s lead back job. An underrated talent and only 24, Miller paced the league in YPC vs. opposing base defenses in 2014. At best, Ajayi will be a late-round handcuff target.

2:20 P.M.: The Packers entered May with only Scott Tolzien and Matt Blanchard on the depth chart behind Aaron Rodgers. They added a body to the mix by spending a fifth-round pick on Brett Hundley. Hundley is not the same type of quarterback as Rodgers. He struggles with pocket presence and accuracy, but does have a decent arm. He’s a dual-threat quarterback and has drawn comparisons to a poor man’s Donovan McNabb and David Garrard. Hundley will compete for the team’s No. 2 job.

2:15 P.M.: A few offensive additions for Minnesota here in Round 5: Receiving tight end/H-Back MyCole Pruitt and wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Pruitt is a logical stash option in very deep dynasty leagues, but he won’t do much in 2015. Kyle Rudolph is atop the depth chart and Chase Ford is his handcuff. Rhett Ellison does the blocking. Meanwhile, Diggs as 4.46 speed and is 6-0, 195 pounds. He lined up in the slot on 81 percent of his snaps last year. He’s a pedestrian talent across the board and unlikely to push Jarius Wright or Cordarrelle Patterson in 2015.

1:56 P.M.: Yet another Day 3 linebacker comes off the board at pick 140 with Ben Heeney out of Kansas going to the Raiders. Oakland is in a transitional phase under new head coach Jack Del Rio and inside linebacker is a position of need in terms of depth. The Raiders signed veteran Curtis Lofton in the offseason, but also have Sio Moore coming off injury and the underachieving Miles Burris. Heeney is a strong tackler, racking up the third-most solo tackles (89) against Power Five competition last season, behind only Kendricks and Dawson. However, he graded out poorly against the run. It's unlikely Heeney starts initially.

1:48 P.M.: The Titans made a potentially fantasy-relevant move with the second pick in Round 5. David Cobb stands at 5-11, 229 pounds and is very much on the slow side (4.81 40). Still, he ran it well at Minnesota last year and has a future as an early-down pounder. Of course, there are issues here. Cobb is a poor receiver and horrendous blocker. At the end of the day, he’s worth a late-round flier simply because Tennessee is very weak at tailback. Think Andre Williams in New York last year. Bishop Sankey will get the first look, but the leash won’t be long. Sankey, the first back picked in 2014, struggled as a rookie. … In other news, Jacksonville added WR Rashad Greene. Jameis Winston’s top target at FSU last year, Greene is on the small side at 6-0/182 and isn’t overly speedy (4.53). He’s has decent hands, but needs work as a blocker. He’s a pedestrian talent who will push Allen Hurns behind Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee and possibly even Justin Blackmon.

1:37 P.M.: One of the more intriguing wide receivers who will come off the board today, DeAndre Smelter is headed to San Francisco. Smelter stands 6-3, 226 pounds and is a terrific blocker, quality receiver and sports decent hands. His draft stock fell after a torn ACL late last season. He projects as a possession target similar to Marques Colston and there’s a major void at wideout in San Francisco, but he’s unlikely to make a significant impact as he gets back to full health in 2015.

1:30 P.M.: It's the round of the linebacker. Some expected Green Bay to select an inside linebacker in the early rounds, but they waited until pick 129 to grab Jake Ryan out of Michigan. He's not the most athletic player, but Ryan knows how to play football. His 14.5% run stop percentage ranked top 5 among linebackers, and he had five or more stops in nine games last season. Ryan also ran a respectable 4.65 at the Combine. With Green Bay having to resort to moving Clay Matthews to the inside last season, this is a position of dire need for the Packers. Ryan may not end up as a Week 1 starter, but it wouldn't shock us if he starts at some point in 2015.

1:22 P.M.: The Ravens and 49ers have finally made a move at the tailback position. Javorius “Buck” Allen is headed to Baltimore and will compete with Lorenzo Taliaferro behind Justin Forsett. Allen is a very good, powerful rusher and receiver, but not a good blocker and lacks long speed. Meanwhile, San Francisco selected Mike Davis. Davis is a decent rusher and blocker, but needs work as a receiver. He’s not very big or fast and lacks elusiveness. He’ll compete with Kendall Hunter behind Carlos Hyde and Reggie Bush.

1:18 P.M.: Linebackers are flying off the board in Round 4. This time it was the Bucs selecting Kwon Alexander out of LSU. Not the biggest player at 6'1″ and 227 lbs., Alexander finished 2014 as the No. 25 out of 32 qualifying 4-3 OLBs in tackling efficiency in 2014. He did amass 15 QB pressures, but also missed 15 tackles on the season. With Lavonte David, Danny Lansanah, and Bruce Carter as the projected starter, Alexander slots in as a special teamer in 2015. … The Cowboys then followed up with Minnesota LB Damien Wilson at pick 127. Wilson has three-down skills, but is a long shot to start this season.

1:14 P.M.: The Browns added another wide receiver to their stable, snatching up Vince Mayle in the fourth round. Drawing comparisons to Sidney Rice, Mayle is on the bigger side at 6-3, 224 pounds. He’s a good blocker, but needs to get his drops under control. He’s on the slow side, as well, but there is some long-term upside here. Here's what CFF has to say about Mayle.

1:10 P.M.: The Ravens beef up their edge rushers at No. 122 with OLB Za'Darius Smith out of Kentucky. Bud Dupree's teammate was productive as a pass rusher (41 QB pressures and six sacks), but struggled against the run. He managed just 16 stops against the run last season, which was 30 fewer than Leonard Williams' position-leading 46. With Pernell McPhee now in Chicago, Smith will step in as a part of the Ravens' pass rush rotation.

1:03 P.M.: Kansas City selects LB Ramik Wilson out of Georgia at No. 118. With Derrick Johnson recovering from a torn Achilles and no depth at the linebacker position, this pick makes a lot of sense. Wilson is still unpolished, but has a high ceiling. He graded out as the 118th-ranked linebacker in FBS play, but posted an impressive Combined Tackling Efficiency Rating of 18.0, which would rank among the top 10 scores among NFL ILBs. Wilson will enter 2015 well down the depth chart, but he's a player dynasty owners should monitor.

12:59 P.M.: The first fullback is off the board. Jalston Fowler heads to Tennessee and figures to be involved as a blocker and occasional receiver out of the backfield. RSP’s Matt Waldman compares him to Jason Snelling and suggests he will steal short-yardage work from Shonn Greene or Antonio Andrews behind Bishop Sankey. He’ll have little to no fantasy value in 2015. … Blake Bell is headed to San Francisco where he’ll push Vance McDonald for snaps behind 31 year old Vrenon Davis. Bell is a towering 6-6, 252 pounds, but didn’t block well and underwhelmed as a receiver at Oklahoma last year. He’s a converted quarterback.

12:52 P.M.: Cleveland snags S Ibraheim Campbell from Northwestern at pick 115. With Donte Whitner and Tashaun Gipson already in house, Campbell projects as a special teamer early on in his career.

12:45 P.M.: DT Gabe Wright out of Auburn went to the Lions at the 113th pick. He's a big-bodied run stopper who figures to see time at nose and is unlikely to be a fantasy factor.

12:37 P.M.: At No. 109, the Colts addressed an area of need selecting S Clayton Geathers out of UCF. With an aging Mike Adams as the only safety of note in Indy, there's a chance Geathers sees more than just special teams work in his rookie season.

12:33 P.M.: The Falcons are in bad shape in the wide receiver depth department, but helped the cause by grabbing Justin Hardy early in Round 2. A slot receiver at East Carolina, Hardy is 6-1, 192 pounds and not overly fast. He’s a slot, possession receiver and a logical fit to replace Harry Douglas.

12:30 P.M.: The Redskins grabbed WR Jamison Crowder with pick 4.6. He’s an extremely small player at 5-9, 175 and compares to Harry Douglas. Crowder was competent at Duke last year, but struggles with drops and obviously run blocking. He’ll fight for the team’s No. 4 job. … Meanwhile, the Bears added much-needed running back depth by grabbing Jeremy Langford. The Michigan State product is not a good blocker or receiver, but is a decent runner. He’s not overly elusive, but runs hard and has 4.4 wheels. He’ll push KaDeem Carey behind 29-year-old workhorse Matt Forte.

12:25 P.M.: Jacksonville selects S James Sample out of Louisville at No. 105. While this is a weak safety class, Sample is someone who stuck out as a potential fantasy relevant player in the pre-Draft process. One of the better cover safeties in the Draft, Sample posted four picks and had eight passes defensed last season. He was also among the Top 10 safeties producing a run stop on 6.4% of his run snaps. Sample makes for an interesting player to pair with Johnathan Cyprien, but it will be tough to generate tackle numbers with Cyprien on the field. However, it's more likely Sample is in a backup role initially. He's a player to monitor in dynasty leagues.

12:21 P.M.: The Jets made the first “big” splash of Day 3, snatching up Bryce Petty. Although considered a sleeper to go toward the end of Round 1, Petty lasted until the fifth. A pocket passer with a good arm, Petty figures to spend most of 2015 inactive as the team’s third quarterback, but he could certainly move past Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith at some point during the season.

12:11 P.M.: And there we go. The Patriots grab DE Trey Flowers at No. 101. This is an interesting pick, as Flowers ranked No. 27 in our pre-Draft IDP rankings. Flowers had an impressive year in 2014, with an impressive 61 QB pressures in 365 pass rush snaps, making him the most productive pass rusher among draft-eligible 4-3 DEs. Depending on how he's used, Flowers has some long-term IDP potential in dynasty leagues.

12:07 P.M.: Day 3! Let's do this. With the 100th pick, the Titans select DT Angelo Blackson out of Auburn. Not much to see here for fantasy purposes, but the fireworks are coming.


PFF Fantasy on Social Media

All Featured Tools

Subscriptions

Unlock the 2023 Fantasy Draft Kit, with League Sync, Live Draft Assistant, PFF Grades & Data Platform that powers all 32 Pro Teams

$31 Draft Kit Fee + $8.99/mo
OR
$89.88/yr + FREE Draft Kit