Fantasy Football: 2019 NFL Draft WR Landing Spots Part 1
After all the combines, pro days, analysis, film grinding, and countless mock drafts the first two days of the NFL draft are complete. There wasn’t a slam dunk wide receiver in this 2019 NFL rookie draft class, but there were so many quality wide receivers that trying to project draft positions and landing spots before the draft proved all but futile. The wait is over as the draft is complete. Here are the landing spots for the wide receivers from the first two days and what it means for their fantasy value.
Editor’s Note: Check back for all Rookie Landing Spot articles as they become available.
Marquise Brown – Baltimore Ravens
Round 1, Pick 25 (25th overall)
In a class full of outrageously tall, strong, and fast WRs, the 5’9″ and 166 pound Marquise Brown was the first WR drafted and for good reason. He’s simply electric on the field… exactly what you would expect with the nickname ‘Hollywood.’ As impressive as he is with the ball, he has some things working against him.
He’s recovering from a Lisfranc injury that may eat into the offseason program. He’s also joining a team that may league in rush attempts by a wide margin. Lamar Jackson had more rushing attempts than completions in six of his seven starts and never eclipsed 25 pass attempts. Baltimore also went out and snagged Mark Ingram in free agency.
Despite the injury and Baltimore’s obvious emphasis on running the ball, Brown has little to no competition for targets. Baltimore entered the draft with Willie Snead, Chris Moore, and Seth Roberts atop of the WR depth chart. The lack of starter-caliber veterans means there’s a clear path for snaps and targets. Hollywood may become the quintessential boom-or-bust player for fantasy.
2019 Competition: Willie Snead, Chris Moore, Seth Roberts, Miles Boykin
N’Keal Harry – New England Patriots
Round 1, Pick 32 (32nd overall)
N’Keal Harry is one of the stronger WRs in this class from an athletic and production standpoint. He’s not without flaws as a prospect, but his landing spot with New England and status as a first-rounder will make him one of the highest drafted rookies in fantasy leagues. New England lost Rob Gronkowski, Chris Hogan, and most likely Josh Gordon from last year. Those three accounted for 195 targets. Harry’s primary competition for targets will be Julian Edelman, James White, Phillip Dorsett, and whichever TE emerges. New England has a poor track record with rookie WRs, but they rarely draft a WR in the first three rounds. This is the first time this century they’ve drafted a WR in the First Round which says something about what they see in Harry and how they plan on using him.
2019 Competition: Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett, Demaryius Thomas, Maurice Harris
Deebo Samuel – San Francisco 49ers
Round 2, Pick 4 (36th overall)
Samuel looks to play out of the slot primarily while Marquise Goodwin and Dante Pettis operate outside. Interestingly enough, Matt Harmon compared Samuel to former 49er Pierre Garcon. From a football perspective, this is a great pick for San Francisco, but Samuel may have trouble carving out a big role in an offense with Pettis, Goodwin, and George Kittle especially during his rookie year.
2019 Competition: Marquise Goodwin, Dante Pettis, Jalen Hurd, Jordan Matthews
A.J. Brown – Tennessee Titans
Round 2, Pick 19 (51st overall)
This was somewhat of a disappointing landing spot for Brown who was one of the few rookie WRs consistently ranked near the top by most draft analysts. D.K. Metcalf stole the show at the combine, but Brown consistently outproduced him during his college career. Brown also fared very well at the combine with a SPARQ score that put him in the 87th percentile. The only person this pick really helps is Marcus Mariota who now has zero excuses for not playing up to his potential. Between the presence of Corey Davis and Adam Humphries, a run-centric offense spearheaded by Derrick Henry, and inconsistent quarterbacking, this is not an ideal landing spot for Brown’s fantasy stock.
2019 Competition: Corey Davis, Adam Humphries, Taywan Taylor
Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
Mecole Hardman – Kansas City Chiefs
Round 2, Pick 24 (56th overall)
I’m not going to lie, when this pick was made I said “who?” He only totaled 73 touches his last two years at Georgia, but his height, weight, and 40-time are identical to Tyreek Hill. Hill is currently embroiled in legal issues and may not and probably should not have the privilege of playing another snap of football in the NFL. Hardman is raw with only two years of experience at the WR position, but he should be used as a return man immediately and hopefully, his receiving chops are good enough to get him snaps with Patrick Mahomes.
2019 Competition: Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, Tyreek Hill
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside – Philadelphia Eagles
Round 2, Pick 25 (57th overall)
Philadelphia’s offense sputtered last year, but they’ve made a clear attempt to get it going again through free agency and the draft. Arcega-Whiteside isn’t one of the better athletes, but he’s a big-bodied WR that uses skills learned in basketball to box out defenders and show well in contested catch situations. Carson Wentz now has Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Zach Ertz, and red zone threat Arcega-Whiteside to throw to which is good for the offense as a whole. The problem is Arcega-Whiteside has a lot of competition for targets and maybe TD-dependent.
2019 Competition: Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Nelson Agholor
Parris Campbell – Indianapolis Colts
Round 2, Pick 27 (59th overall)
Campbell was super productive his last season at Ohio State with over 1,000 yards receiving and then ran a 4.31 40 at the combine at 6’0″. Playing in Indianapolis with Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton gives Campbell a high floor and a high ceiling. He still needs to develop as a receiver, but he’s going to be a problem for defenders. Good luck stopping the Indianapolis offense AFC South.
2019 Competition: T.Y. Hilton, Devin Funchess, Deon Cain
Editor’s Note: Check back for all Rookie Landing Spot articles as they become available.