NFL Player News

The Buccaneers selected McNichols in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 162nd overall.

McNichols was an extremely productive player at Boise State and may be the second-best pass catcher at the position behind Christian McCaffrey, yet he falls all the way to the mid fifth round. The reason why isn't obvious -- McNichols (5-foot-9, 214 pounds) was also one of the top performers at the Combine, logging a 4.49-second 40, 121-inch broad jump, and 6.93-second three-cone. For a player who totaled 3,980 yards and 53 touchdowns from scrimmage in 25 games, this is a baffling draft tumble. McNichols is pretty much off the redraft radar, but his prospect profile still says he's worth buying in dynasty.

The Colts selected Mack in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 143rd overall.

This could get interesting. The Colts are very thin in the backfield, where Frank Gore, Robert Turbin and Josh Ferguson may form the league's worst top three. Mack (5-foot-11, 213 pounds) is an explosive runner who enjoyed extreme success at South Florida, running for 3,609 yards (6.2 YPC) and 32 touchdowns in 36 games. The South Florida system opened generous running lanes and Mack didn't have to interpret much, so he may need some refining before fitting into an NFL-style offense. But if he does, his 4.5 speed should earn him reps in a backfield that just doesn't have any good competition.

The Packers selected Williams in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 134th overall.

The former BYU back is as physical of a runner as there is in this class and he routinely wore down opposing defenses last season while shouldering heavy workloads on a weekly basis. He doesn't offer much as a pass catcher and his athletic testing was pedestrian at the Combine, but his 123-inch broad jump shows that he has the leg strength to churn through contact and push the pile. Williams doesn't profile as a feature back, but he's ill-intentioned with the ball in his hands and should be a nice complement to Ty Montgomery.

The 49ers selected Williams in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 121st overall.

Williams is a strange case. After retiring three weeks into the 2016 season at Utah, he returned to the team in October and went berserk. In just seven games, he ran for 1,332 yards (7.1 YPC) and 10 touchdowns, showing skills he never had earlier in his career. At 5-foot-11, 210 pounds, Williams showed well at the Combine with a 4.41-second 40-yard dash and 125-inch broad jump. If Carlos Hyde's injury issues persist, Williams could find himself getting snaps as a rookie.

The Redskins selected Perine in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 114th overall.

This is an excellent landing spot for Perine, who left Oklahoma as the school's all-time leading rusher. He's a big, physical back with a thick frame (5-foot-11, 233) who'll hold up at the next level. He's not a burner by any means with a 4.65 40-yard dash at the Combine, but Perine possesses excellent vision and can do damage once he reaches the second level. Washington's lack of a clear-cut No.1 running back means that Perine could push for playing time early in his career.

Foreman is seen as someone who can spell starter Lamar Miller, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Miller lugged the ball a career-high 268 times in 2016, a workload that took its toll on Houston's lead running back. Cognizant of that, head coach Bill O'Brien plans to monitor his workload and incorporate a second back more often. Thus, the Texans selected Foreman out the University of Texas in the third round (89th overall) to be part of the backup running back mix. He's a big back who was a productive inside runner for the Longhorns and is seen as a first- and second-down back. His selection is not a good sign for either Alfred Blue or Kenny Hilliard.

The Steelers selected Conner in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 105th overall.

The Pittsburgh product never had to leave town, and the Steelers get a fine off-the-bench power runner behind starter Le'Veon Bell. It's possible that they could even groom Conner (6-foot-1, 233 pounds) for some fullback looks to get both players on the field at once. Conner overcome Hodgkins lymphoma and a torn MCL from 2015 to return to the field in 2016, and he came back with a leaner build and improved pass-catching skills. Conner doesn't look like a standout talent and won't have much opportunity to produce behind Bell, but he's probably talented enough to produce if Bell should miss any time. Conner finished his Pittsburgh career with 3,733 yards (5.6 YPC) and 52 touchdowns in 39 career games.

The Texans selected Foreman in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 89th overall.

Foreman (6-foot, 233 pounds) is a big running back with excellent speed, breaking into the 4.4-second range at the Texas pro day, and he'll be a very nice off-the-bench piece behind Lamar Miller. If Miller's durability troubles persist, Foreman will prove a far superior backup than the recent likes of Alfred Blue or Jonathan Grimes. After running for 2,700 yards (6.5 YPC) and 20 touchdowns in 21 games at Texas, Foreman makes for a fine dynasty asset and could be a worthwhile handcuff in some redraft scenarios.

The Saints selected Kamara in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 67th overall.

Kamara (5-foot-10, 214 pounds) doesn't have the build of a traditional starting running back, and the presences of Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson assure he won't see such a role anytime soon in New Orleans. Kamara is an explosive and quick runner with superb balance, and he should carve out an immediate part-time role as a pass-catching and hurry-up specialist. That role might not be big enough for fantasy relevance in 2017, but Kamara should force his way to more snaps by 2018.

The Bengals selected Mixon in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 48th overall.

A clear first-round talent who fell this far due to a 2014 incident when he punched a female Oklahoma student, Mixon's landing spot is not terribly surprising. That the Bengals took him in the second round indicates that they're prepared to give him playing time despite the PR backlash it might bring. So long as he's getting snaps, Mixon (6-foot-1, 226 pounds) should quickly establish himself as Cincinnati's top running back. There's no need to exercise caution on this -- Jeremy HIll and Gio Bernard (ACL) cannot produce at the level Mixon can. That much is true, though it's fair to question how much playing time the Bengals may be willing to give him off the bat. With standout pass-catching skills and breakaway athleticism on a workhorse frame, Mixon has uniquely high fantasy upside despite any risk he might still carry.