Fantasy Football GM's

The 2009 NFL draft is over and I have targeted my top five impact rookies for next year along with a couple bonus picks and a sleeper. Of course, to be drafted in the NFL a player has to be extremely talented, however their background and the situation that they inherit has a lot to do with how much of an impact they can have in their rookie campaign. Here are my top five rookies to keep your eye on in your fantasy draft this year:

1. Knowshon Moreno RB Denver Broncos- One of the most explosive players in the draft this year, Moreno should be given every opportunity to succeed in Denver after not being able to keep running backs healthy last year. One of the few every down backs nowadays, Knowshon can do it all. He is very durable and will be especially valuable in point per reception leagues because he can catch the ball well. The Broncos offense features a very good receiver group lead by Brandon Marshall, will now be quarterbacked by Kyle Orton who proved to be more than servicable last year and a very good young offensive tackle in Ryan Clady, so he should be able to make many plays in Denver. Fantasy players have long been frustrated with picking Denver running backs because Mike Shannahan would always have somebody come out of nowhere to gain 1,000 yards, so it should be very interesting to watch Denver with a feature back this year.

2. Chris "Beanie" Wells RB Arizona Cardinals- This guy couldn't have come into a better situation and the Cardinals couldn't have asked for anything more with the second to last pick in the first round. I've heard him compared to the one and only Jim Brown, so his potential is through the roof. Although Wells is not a perfect fit for their system because they run a lot of spread offense, he will have many holes to run through and he attacks the line of scrimmage very well. He should also have many opportunities to score with the potent passing attack of Arizona driving the ball down the field often. The only drawback to Beanie and the only reason he wasn't drafted higher is because of his injuries and inability to overcome them quickly. However, if he can stay healthy I think Chris can make a big impact in his rookie year and for many years to come.

3. Jeremy Maclin WR Philadelphia Eagles- After seeing what Donovan McNabb did with DeSean Jackson last year, it would be no surprise to see Maclin contribute immediately with the Eagles. Much has been made about Eagles receivers before and after the departure of Terrell Owens and its no secret that this has been a position of need for years in Philadelphia. Although they have always had some decent #2 and mostly #3 receivers, it was awesome to see what McNabb could do with a receiver as talented as Jackson and I beleive Maclin is just as talented if not more. In fact, DeSean Jackson wasn't drafted until the second round 49th overall and Maclin was the 19th overall pick this year. McNabb should be able to spread the ball around even more this year and I would expect Maclin to receive a good number of those opportunities.

4. Michael Crabtree WR San Francisco 49ers- Crabtree didn't get the fortune of coming into a great offensive system but his talent is too much to overlook. The quarterback situation could definitely be improved but Crabtree's strong hands and incredible speed will still be able to post some good numbers, especially if the 49ers are playing from behind like usual. He should get many targets and has the potential to make many big plays. Crabtree is probably a better long-term pick in keeper leagues this year, however he should still make a good mid to late round pick is normal leagues as well.

5. Percy Harvin WR Minnesota Vikings- A high-risk high-reward pick drawing comparisons to Reggie Bush and Steve Smith. With defenses keying on Adrian Petersen look for Minnesota to utilize Harvin in some end-around and gadget plays in order to open things up. This should make the Vikings more dynamic and much harder for teams to prepare for. Harvin is definitely worth a late-round flier but might go undrafted so look for him to be a hot waiver wire pickup as well (especially if they're playing the Lions).

Bonus: Hakeem Nicks WR New York Giants- Hicks will be coming in to replace Plaxico Burress and give Eli Manning a new big target to throw to. He has been knocked for his lack of speed and work ethic but catches just about everything thrown to him and is good after the catch as well. You might remember his awesome performance in the Tar Heels bowl game last year and his behind the back catch, in case you forgot check out this youtube video:



Bonus IDP: Aaron Curry LB Seattle Seahawks- If you play in an individual defensive player (IDP) league like I do, be sure to keep your eye on Aaron Curry. He is a tackling machine that will also get some sacks and interceptions. I admittely have a man-crush on him already and really wish the Lions would have taken him. If you are not familiar with his work I suggest you take a look here:



Sleeper: Mark Sanchez QB New York Jets- The Jets knew he was their man after working him out and he seems to be a real good fit here. Of course you don't want to count on a rookie qb but might turn into a hot waiver wire pickup if he shows he can handle the pressure early. Coming from USC he is not really a sleeper but I think Sanchez will be able to handle the media pressure in New York and might perform much better than most might expect from a rookie. The solid offensive line and running game along with his experience at USC should allow him to make a pretty smooth transition to the NFL I think and could turn some heads even in his rookie year.

P.S.- What the hell were the Raiders thinking about when they drafted Darrius Heyward-Bey?

Well, the Lions fans tried to get the organization to draft Aaron Curry by chanting his name at the unveiling of the lions new logo earlier this week, but it wasn't enough to change their minds. Matthew Stafford was signed by the Detroit Lions yesterday for a six-year contract that could include up to $78 million and $41.7 guaranteed money.

I wanted to post my thoughts about the scenario since I am a Lions fan and quite knowledgable about the situation. Personally, I think Curry would have been a much better pick because of his obvious talent but also because of his leadership skills and the amount of money he was willing to sign for. They had a historically bad defense last year, and finding somebody like Curry that could fly around the field and make tackles everywhere like he has shown the ability to do, would be very valuable. They have a huge whole in the middle of their defense that he could have filled and would have also provided some much needed leadership. Every scout and draft expert that I listened to raved about his outstanding character, leadership abilities, and he was widely regarded as the safest pick in the draft. Plus, he was willing to sign for $10 million less than Stafford.

When your team doesn't win a game the whole season last year, you need to pick get your team morale up asap. Curry would have provided the best chance to improve your team now and also change your team culture for the future. Detroit's suffering economy and poor play recently has made it tough for them to fill the seats, which would make even more sense to pick Curry who would have taken less money. I'm sure they wanted to get a new face for their franchise but it doesn't always have to be a quarterback, Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher have been the faces of their successful franchises for years now. I just don't trust the Lions front office with this decision.

While I'm not always a proponent of making the safe pick, the amount of money invested here leaves no room for error. I understand that quarterback is the most important position on a team, however the top defensive teams consistently make the playoffs and that is where teams can get the best value in the early rounds along with offensive tackles. Bill Parcells is the perfect example of a general manager who drafts defense and offensive tackle (i.e DeMarcus Ware, Marcus Spears, Jake Long, Ty Law, Teddy Bruschi, James Farrior, Pepper Johnson). The NFL is very unpredictable and thus makes it realistic for teams to turn around their fortunes if they have the right people making personnel decisions. The Miami Dolphins went from 1-15 to the playoffs last year and many other teams like Atlanta and Arizona have been able to turn their franchises around recently.

I'm sure many other Lions fans like myself are hoping they can make a similar turnaround, however it seems with this draft pick that the re-building process will take even longer now. If they draft defense the rest of the way they may be able to justify this pick but it looks like they will have to get pretty lucky to have quality defensive players on the board with their other pick in the first round (#20) and their high second-rounder.

From a fantasy perspective this move shouldn't have much of an impact this year since Stafford is likely to sit for at least half of his rookie season barring any injuries to Daunte Culpepper. However, Calvin Johnson's numbers could even improve much more if Stafford ends up living up to his potential of having a rocket-arm and the Lions find somebody to protect him.

I'll be back after the draft to analyze the rest of the picks, enjoy!