2013 NFL Draft: Fantasy Players to Make an Instant Impact

Since literally every sportscaster/writer/enthusiast/personality and their mother has made a draft board, why not! (Seriously, the Huffington Post has a mock draft! And they don't even write stories!) And Mel Kiper's draft list is under wraps, unless you're willing to pay 40 bones for an Insider pass to ESPN. Actually, I couldn't give two shits about the 50 fat asses that are going to make up the bulk of the draft, so I just focused on players with fantasy impact. Check it.



No matter who you ask, the consensus seems to be that OT's are hot and proven commodities this year. Luke "the Joeckelope" Joeckel is everyone's top pick, and Lane Johnson and Eric Fisher are close behind. But who the fuck cares? These guys will be setting up holes for the dudes we really wanna watch. Here's some of the actually interesting picks that could have a big fantasy impact this year:

 Ryan Nassib-QB Syracuse

Syracuse has a football team?!

Yeah, apparently. I'd never heard anything about their QB until recently when he shot up from around pick 50 to a projected 8 slot for the Buffalo Bills, who have finally moved on from Ryan Fitzpatrick. Remember that point guard for Duke, Greg Paulus? Well, after he started for the 'Cuse at QB, Nassib got the nod. Basically, he sucked ass until his senior season, and the Bills are still needing a QB for this season (They acquired Kevin Kolb recently, but let's face it, he blows). Add to that the fact that his college coach, Doug Marrone, is now running the ship at Buffalo, and Blam! it all makes mock draft sense! I could see Nassib making an impact if the offense is somewhat similar to Syracuse. With any regard, he should at least be a little more comfortable in this situation, and the Bills running game is FIERCE when Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller are both healthy and attracting defenses. Success could be imminent.

Tavon Austin-RB West Virginia

This dick scorched my OU Sooners for a bajillion yards when we played him, and I've hated his guts ever since. He's really tiny, 5' 8"/175 lbs., so he might explode into pieces when an NFL player smashes his face, which, as you can guess, has some GM's a bit worried. But he can only be tackled if he can actually be caught. He's a quick lil' dude, and could end up thriving in the slot or some sort of WR/RB hybrid. Most have Tavon going to the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets. With his midget powers combined with Tim Tebow's Jesus powers, the Jets are bound to win this season! Or maybe Tavon will break the record for kickoff return TD's while the Jets continue their nosedive into obscurity. It's hard to tell.

Geno Smith-QB West Virginia

Depending on who you ask, Geno could go in the first or the second round. It's hard to tell right now, given that, with trades, most teams have shored up any  issues at the QB spot. I never really liked how Smith lobbed his passes in the near vicinity of his receivers. I think he has more potential to be a mobile QB than he does to be a sharp shooter who routinely challenges corners. Of course there have been worse haters. Pro Football Weekly's Nolan Nawrocki got some racist vibes for slamming Smith (He's the writer who slammed Cam Newton too), saying he was lazy and nonchalant. I've seen him play my Sooners, and I'm very confident he needs to throw less air balls and just hang on to it, but he is very explosive, so watch out!

Tyler Eifert-TE Notre Dame

Eifert has been somewhat of a dark horse, but he has been thoroughly tested in college and has proven his talent and ability, racking up the Mackey award for the best TE. He's got great height at 6' 6", and he also has the capability to line up as a wide out. The Dolphins and Bears both seem interested, and given the lack of star power at TE last year in fantasy football, he could make an instant impact if entrusted with a role in the offense. Apparently his blocking ability is somewhat lacking, which means he could be used solely on pass plays or in an alternative scheme, but chances are, if you throw his way, he'll catch it with his 36" vertical and huge paws.



Denard Robinson-WR/RB Michigan

Robinson can seemingly play any position on the field. The Detroit Lions have been keeping tabs on him, and he looks ready to pop in the third round. He started as a hot commodity at QB, only to be bumped to WR, but many teams are looking at him to fill halfback roles. The jury is still out, but the guy is endless positive PR. Even after he made his descent into the unknowns of the sports world, he remained a shining star on campus, and he still has unbelievable talent that surely someone will take a chance on. I could see him actually doing work in the wildcat offense or any traditional scheme. The challenge, really, is figuring out what position to stick him at.