Who Will be a Surprise Pick?
We have worked our way to the fourth round of this 2013 fantasy football mock draft. There have definitely been a few surprises along the way. You can take a look at what happened in rounds one, two and three here. I am curious to see what kind of trend develops during this round.
We have teams already with two running backs and half of our teams have selected their quarterbacks after three rounds. There are also some big names still on the board that may be selected before the fourth round is over. I must admit that this draft has thrown me many curveballs in how teams are being set up. I really didn’t expect so many running backs to be taken right away or the fact that only five quarterbacks were taken in the first three rounds. I would have thought with how much passing we are seeing these days that quarterbacks would be flying off the board. Everyone has their own system, however, of setting up their individual teams.
It’s time to take a look at round four of this draft. A reminder as you read this would be that it is a PPR league, snake style draft with each team getting a quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, a tight end, kicker and a defense. The objective here is to look at where players would be drafted right now with four months until the regular season actually begins. We begin with the team that had the final pick of the third round making the first pick of the fourth round.
Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports, like his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google.
31. WR Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
Thomas would finish the 2012 season with 94 catches and 1,434 yards receiving. He has become an elite receiver very quickly during his short career.
32. QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
Stafford threw for 4,967 yards last season on 727 attempts. His arm may still be recovering from that. I’m worried about an injury this season, but getting him in the fourth round is strong.
33. RB Reggie Bush, Detroit Lions
Bush makes a move and brings his 986 rushing yards with him. There is a definite potential that he breaks the 1,000-yard mark this coming season and adds another 50-60 catches.
34. RB Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
Johnson hasn’t been the same runner the last few seasons, but still had 1,243 rushing yards last season. The state of the quarterback position will decide Johnson’s fate this season.
35. QB Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
Manning proved last season that his career isn’t over while throwing for 4,669 yards. This could turn into one of the best picks during this draft, getting a player like this in the middle of the fourth round.
36. RB Darren Sproles, New Orleans Saints
Sproles is a PPR player’s best friend with 75 catches for 667 yards in 2012, while adding 244 rushing yards. I would expect more of the same this season.
37. WR Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs
Bowe’s stock went up when the team went out to get Alex Smith. Bowe had just 59 catches last season for 801 yards. He will get closer to 70 or 80 catches in 2013.
38. QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
This is a very interesting pick in my opinion. Wilson did throw for 3,118 yards and completed over 64 percent of his passes, but this is a selection that could easily backfire if Percy Harvin isn’t great.
39. TE Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots
Hernandez could turn into the main target for Tom Brady this season. He had 51 catches for 483 yards in 2012. Those numbers are sure to rise this coming year with fewer weapons around Brady.
40. WR Wes Welker, Denver Broncos
Welker has moved on and takes his 118 catches from last season with him. He may not get more than 100 catches this coming year, but he will be a very solid No. 2 WR on any team’s roster.
