-2018 NFL Schedule -Strength of Schedule
MOCK DRAFT
Ask the Commish.Com 2018 Draft Kit
The Falcons selected Ridley in the first round of the draft after watching him catch 224 passes during three seasons at Alabama. Ridley is undersized (6 feet, 189 pounds) but has good speed and separation skills. Falcons OC Steve Sarkisian was Ridley's OC in 2016 at Alabama, which should help the rookie's transition to the NFL. The knock on Ridley is that he's a bit thin and has struggled against press coverage and to haul in jump balls. Ridley figures to struggle for consistent targets behind Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu this season and is unlikely to do a ton of damage in the touchdown department. He's worth no more than a late-round flier, though he is a first-rounder in rookie drafts.
The Saints selected Smith in the third round of April's draft. The UCF product is 6-foot-2, 210 pounds but has good speed (4.49-second 40-yard dash), quickness, hands and blocking ability. He averaged 13.8 yards per target last season (tops among all 44 wide receivers at the combine) and caught 69 percent of his targets despite a high 15.1 aDOT. Smith is buried behind Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn and Cameron Meredith and figures to need an injury in order to find fantasy relevance as a rookie. Stash him in deep and dynasty leagues.
The 49ers added another weapon for Jimmy Garoppolo when they selected Pettis in the second round of April's draft. Pettis is on the small side (6 feet, 186 pounds) and lacks strength and top-end speed, but he's a good route runner with solid hands and separation skills. Pettis is a versatile complementary receiver and good punt returner who will open his career behind Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin and slot man Trent Taylor. He doesn't figure to make a major fantasy impact in 2018.
Arizona scooped up Kirk in the second round of the draft. Kirk is 5-foot-10, 201 pounds, has good hands and excels after the catch. He's quick and tough, as shown by his 4.47-second 40-yard dash and 20 reps on the bench at the combine. Kirk lined up in the slot on 94 percent of his snaps at Texas A&M last season, but he may need to kick outside more in 2018 with Larry Fitzgerald operating as Arizona's primary slot man. Kirk has a good shot at No. 2 duties with only J.J. Nelson, Brice Butler and Chad Williams in the mix, so the rookie has a path to targets out of the gate. He's a fine late-round flier.
The Broncos selected Sutton in the second round of April's draft. At 6-foot-3, 218 pounds, Sutton is one of the year's biggest rookie receivers. He's a possession receiver who produces well after the catch and compares his game to Anquan Boldin. Sutton crushed it at the combine, especially in the three-cone, short and 60-yard shuttles. He's a poor bet for immediate production with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders in the fold, but he will be a good speculative add if one of the two starters is injured.
Eyeing a replacement for Dez Bryant, the Cowboys spent a third-round pick on Gallup during the draft. Gallup sports a good combination of size (6-foot-1, 205 pounds) and speed (4.51-second 40-yard dash) to go with terrific toughness and tackle-breaking ability. His efficiency was much better in 2016 than it was last season, but Gallup still hauled in 100 of 165 targets for 1,413 yards and seven scores in his final campaign. He finished as Pro Football Focus' highest-graded wide receiver. Gallup has a shot to play meaningful snaps as a rookie, and his progress should be monitored during training camp and the preseason.
Antonio Callaway should get a chance to develop with the Browns after getting picked in the fourth round of the draft. The 5-foot-10, 200-pound wideout played just two seasons at Florida, totaling seven scores over 89 receptions, averaging 15.7 yards per grab. An off-field issue related to credit card fraud cut his college career short (he didn't play in 2017) and he failed a drug test at the combine earlier this year. Callaway is still considered raw but has sensational speed and can line up everywhere on the field and can make an impact as a returner on special teams. Traditional Fantasy league owners have no reason to take Callaway, but those in formats that reward return yardage could eyeball him with a late-round pick. Callaway is also worth a late choice in dynasty/keeper leagues and a selection after Round 3 in rookie-only drafts.
Selected by Carolina 24th overall, Moore was the first wide receiver picked during the draft. The former Maryland Terrapin is 6 feet, 210 pounds and enjoyed a breakout season with 80 catches for 1,033 yards and eight scores in 2017. He's quick and tough with solid speed (4.42-second 40-yard dash), hands and post-catch ability. Moore is extremely young (turned 21 in April) but could make noise early with the likes of Devin Funchess, Torrey Smith and Curtis Samuel his primary competition for snaps. Rookie wide receivers have struggled to make an impact in recent years, so Moore is best-viewed as a late-round flier.
Rookie Deon Cain will work this summer to land some playing time with the Colts. The 6-foot-2, 202-pounder never had more than 734 yards in a season at Clemson, but he offers a nice size/speed combination to an Indianapolis receiving corps thin on talent. His route running needs work, and he'll have to overcome an issue with drops (he has small hands), but if those two problems are solved, he should work his way into a No. 3 role. It's a big if, which is why no one is excited to draft him for 2018 Fantasy play. Fantasy owners taking a long-term approach will check out Cain with a late pick in dynasty/keeper leagues and in rookie-only drafts.
by CBS Sports Staff Jun 19, 2018 • 1 min read Update Jun 19, 2018, 3:08am Equanimeous St. Brown was a touted draft prospect out of Notre Dame, but he fell to 207th overall before he was taken by the Packers. Now the 6-foot-5, 214-pound receiver will have to compete for playing time with other rookie wideouts in training camp. He'll reunite with DeShone Kizer, who threw to him in 2016 and helped him to a career-best 961 yards and nine touchdowns. Brown looks the part, and with a name pronounced eck-wah-nim-ee-us, he ought to be good! But concerns about his bulk and willingness to take on contact combined with a disappointing 2017 made him unpopular. He has good speed (4.48 in the 40-yard dash) and size, so there's something for the Packers to work with. He's among the possible late-round receivers you'll draft in rookie-only formats.
Keke Coutee hopes his last two seasons as Texas Tech puts him in a position to make plays with the Texans. Those two seasons brought in 148 catches for 2,319 yards and 17 touchdowns, but it was his special-teams work that might have interested the Texans more. Coutee's not a big guy -- nearly 5-foot-10 and 181 pounds with sub-9-inch hands, so special teams could be where he makes his biggest impact. There is real concern about him holding up in the NFL, and given his skill set, he'll only occasionally come through with useful Fantasy numbers. We wouldn't draft Coutee in any typical Fantasy league, seasonal or otherwise.