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Will Levis was supposed to be a top-three quarterback last season, but he spent the whole first day of the draft watching uncomfortably as he was passed over. Now, he is a starting quarterback for the Titans who holds potential value in Superflex and dynasty leagues.
Draft capital is the best predictor of NFL production, but sometimes a talented player slips into the late rounds for reasons that don't impact his play on the field.
Here are five rookies you can buy low on in dynasty fantasy football after they fell into Day 2 or Day 3.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Dylan Laube, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
In 2022, Kyren Williams was drafted in the fifth round by the Los Angeles Rams, a team that had a weak running back room led by Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson. Henderson was cut in 2022. Akers performed inconsistently, clashed with coaches, and was benched and traded early in the 2023 season. Williams, by default, became the starter and made the most of it, rushing for 1,144 yards on 228 carries and scoring 12 touchdowns on the ground and three more in the air.
Williams was a more sought-after prospect than Dylan Laube coming out of high school. He had offers from multiple Big Ten schools and chose Notre Dame. Laube, on the other hand, only had one scholarship offer, which wasn't even an FBS school. He accepted the offer from the New Hampshire Wildcats of the FCS. But, like Williams, Laube is a late-round running back who has a chance to get playing time if the backs ahead of him disappoint.
Zamir White, a fourth-round selection from the 2022 draft, is the Las Vegas Raiders' starting running back heading into the 2024 season after the departure of Josh Jacobs. White has only gained 521 yards on 121 carries in two years, producing a middling 4.3 yards per carry for a running back who is at his peak of youth and athleticism. Behind White is Alexander Mattison, who face-planted last season on the Vikings, and Ameer Abdullah, a 30-year-old career backup who is mostly used in the passing game.
If White disappoints, Laube should get his chance to show what he can do. What did he do in college? As a senior, he ran for 749 yards, caught 68 passes for 699 yards, returned kicks and punts for 647 yards, and scored 18 total touchdowns. He was facing lower-quality competition than other prospects, but he played well in his games against (lower-tier) FBS opponents, too. Against Central Michigan University, he ran for one touchdown and took two passes over 70 yards for receiving touchdowns.
His athleticism score at PlayerProfiler is 99.6. He was one of the most agile players at the NFL Scouting Combine, completing the three-cone drill in 6.84 seconds, which makes him the third-fastest running back and the 12th-fastest prospect at any position in the drill. Even if White holds the job of first-down running back all year, Laube should see significant work in the passing game.
Jermaine Burton, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
If the NFL was only going on talent, Jermaine Burton would have been drafted in the first two rounds. Matt Harmon of Reception Perception had Burton ranked as his WR4. Instead, because of concerns about his behavior and attitude, he fell to the middle of the third, where the Cincinnati Bengals snapped him up at No. 80.
In 2022, Burton transferred from Georgia to Alabama, annoying Georgia fans. While at Alabama, he was seen as a bad boy, often taunting the opposing teams and trash-talking. After defeating his former team, he gave the Georgia students a piece of his mind in the end zone in front of the student section.
But not all of his antics were harmless fun. After the Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Crimson Tide and the Vols fans stormed the field -- admittedly a bad idea for fans to do when players are still on the field -- Burton went out of his way to grab at and strike a woman in the head who was running around him. Alabama coach Nick Saban said that if he can "do the right things" and keep his cool, he'll be as successful at the pro level as he was in college.
As a senior, he caught 39 passes for 798 yards and eight touchdowns. His 20.5 yards per reception figure was the highest in the SEC and the fifth highest in the nation. If he lives up to his potential, he is set to be the WR2 on the pass-heavy Bengals for years to come. Current WR2 Tee Higgins will either be traded this season or leave next offseason in free agency.
Adonai Mitchell, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Adonai Mitchell is the most athletic wide receiver of this year's draft class. The relative athletic score, a measure combining multiple metrics and drills, puts him at a near-perfect 9.99. He is a strong deep threat with a drop rate of just 4.5%. In fact, Mitchell was the WR4 in PFF's predraft rankings and the overall No. 22 prospect. So why did he fall to the late second round where he was the 11th wide receiver taken?
For one thing, there were a lot of talented receivers in this year's draft. Seven receivers went in the first round, including some surprises like Xavier Legette and Ricky Pearsall. Furthermore, vague "character" issues were reportedly mentioned in some scouting reports. Not knowing what those alleged issues may be, it is hard to make anything of them.
Mitchell could easily carve out a role for himself on the Colts. Michael Pittman Jr. is the X receiver. Josh Downs plays the slot. Mitchell should be the deep threat if he can beat out Alec Pierce, who has been disappointing.
Brenden Rice, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers have one of the worst wide receiver rooms in the league. It's ripe for newcomers to make an impact. Second-round pick Ladd McConkey is earning hype for that reason, but Jerry Rice's son, Brenden Rice, thinks he can step up, too.
Per the son, the dad was outraged that junior slipped all the way into the seventh round. Jerry Rice reportedly said, "I will be with you every step of the way. Now, I'm going to be involved within all of your workouts from now on, and we have a lot of people to prove wrong, a lot of teams that go ahead."
Rice was drafted lower than expected. The NFL Mock Draft Database tracked him as a projected fourth-rounder. He was never supposed to be a Day 1 pick, but he could have gone earlier than he did.
Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE, Carolina Panthers
Ja'Tavion Sanders was considered "the consensus No. 2 tight end" by so many that it came as a surprise when he ended up falling to the beginning of the fourth round where the Carolina Panthers drafted him as the fourth tight end off the board.
His fall was attributed to his slow 40 time. He completed the dash in 4.69 seconds on his second attempt after plodding it in 4.74 seconds on the first run. Either time would have been the ninth slowest for his position. His lack of speed was also evident on the field. He only gained the 70th-most yards after catch of collegiate receiving options.
"I’d say my YAC, my yards after catch. I definitely left a lot of plays out on the field last year, for sure. So that was one of my big emphasis’ going into this offseason," Sanders admitted to On3.
But if you think 40 time doesn't matter much for tight ends, then you can overlook his slow test numbers somewhat. Joining the Panthers, Sanders has a low floor and a high ceiling. The Panthers had terrible quarterback play last season from No. 1 pick Bryce Young, but Young could rebound in his second year under the tutelage of head coach Dave Canales, who previously helped turn around the careers of Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield.
The Panthers tight ends are unproven. Hayden Hurst left for the Chargers and the current TE1 is Tommy Tremble, who has not yet eclipsed 200 yards in three seasons. Sanders has the potential to see playing time.
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