1.07 Carolina Convicts - WR DK Metcalf

The Cons were so close to their first playoff berth since 2015.  Their Week 12 loss against Detroit shows how close—if only Graham Gano had made that 52-yard FG try at the end of the game, they would been the wild card team, and Detroit would have been in the TUFF S*** Bowl tournament instead.  If Haskins hadn’t been taken at 1.05, he would have made perfect sense here—they need a new backup for Jared Goff because Blake Bortles (2014 1st-round pick) hasn’t worked out, and Alex Smith’s career is in jeopardy.  That said, I applaud the Metcalf pick because that is one mad blend of size, speed and talent.  At 6-3 and 228 pounds, Metcalf ripped off a 4.33 40-yard dash, a 40.5-inch vertical leap and an 11-foot-2 broad jump.  But durability is a big concern—he only played 21 games (missed 2016 due to a broken foot and part of 2018 with a neck injury).  It can be argued that until he can improve his lateral quickness and run the whole route tree, he should be considered a work in progress.  Note: Veteran WR Doug Baldwin failed his physical and is reportedly considering retirement.

1.08 Minnesota Fighting Saints - WR A.J. Brown

Last season, the Fighting Saints won 4 of their last 5 games, thanks to the sudden emergence of Patrick Mahomes II at quarterback.  Since they finished just one game out of the playoffs, one only wonders how they might have done if their first-round pick (Derrius Guice) hadn’t torn his ACL—the second time in as many years that Minnesota’s first-round pick tore an ACL.  They really need Guice and Dalvin Cook to come through if they want to contend for TUFF Bowl XX.  Since they needed help at WR anyway, they went with AJ Brown.  Demonstrated a good size/speed blend (although not quite as good as Metcalf).  Impression con: Corey Davis is already the #1 receiver on a passing offense that hasn’t done much.  Impression pro: Maybe the reason why the passing offense hasn’t done much in the last few years is that Mariota hasn’t had many targets to throw to.

1.09 Tampa Bay Meat Goats - WR Deebo Samuel

Rob Gronkowski’s retirement left a big hole at TE, but Paul Granholm apparently saw how deep this year’s Draft is at tight end, and passed on TJ Hockenson.  Instead, the Meat Goats went WR with Samuel, who is built like a running back at 5’11”, 214, and excels at getting yards after the catch.  Note: The San Francisco 49ers, who drafted Samuel out of South Carolina, drafted another wide receiver, Jalen Hurd.  However, in Hurd's case, it's not clear yet whether he'll be used as a wideout or if he'll also be used as an H-back or even a tight end.

1.10 Tennessee Taz Devils - RB Darrell Henderson

Tennessee barely missed the playoffs last year.  A big reason was the running backs--Jerick McKinnon tore his ACL, and Samaje Perine failed to step up.  Like the Fighting Saints, though, they went 4-1 over Weeks 9 through 13, even despite another ACL tear (WR Cooper Kupp, who turned out to be a big steal in the 2017 Draft).  To that end, they took Henderson, who (according to Rotoworld) was considered by several analysts to be top RB in this year’s class.  The Rams traded up to draft him in Round 3, and their GM, Les Snead, compared him to Alvin Kamara.  Factor in Todd Gurley’s arthritic left knee (he tore the ACL in that same knee in 2014), and Henderson could play a lot more.  For what it’s worth, the Rams reportedly restricted the number of carries Gurley had in the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl.  Note: QB Josh Rosen had a shaky rookie season last year, but the Taz Devils were able to handcuff Rosen by shipping Blaine Gabbert to Dallas for Ryan Fitzpatrick, solidifying their QB depth for this season.

1.11 Cleveland Steamers - TE T.J. Hockenson

A couple years ago, a duo of Tyler Eifert and Delanie Walker would have looked solid.  Given the injuries they had last year, they’re about as solid as balsa wood now.  Hockenson won the 2018 Mackey Award (college football’s most outstanding TE) as a redshirt sophomore.

1.12 Cleveland Steamers - WR Parris Campbell

Cleveland took Campbell to get better as well as deeper at wide receiver.  At the moment, they have Demaryius Thomas, Jarvis Landry and Courtland Sutton as the starters, but Thomas is on the downside of his career.  Now age 31, Thomas is coming off the worst season of his career, and his stats have been trending backwards for a few years now.  Campbell stood out at the Combine with a 4.31 40-yard dash, and had already demonstrated big-play abilities (e.g. that 78-yard TD run vs. Michigan).  But how good will he be with catching long passes?  Raymond Summerlin of Rotoworld notes that just 21 of his 111 targets traveled more than 10 yards in the air (according to Pro Football Focus).

1.13 Indy Hoosier Daddy's - WR Mecole Hardman

Even after getting D.J. Moore in Round 1 a year ago, Indy's starting WRs were among the least productive in TUFF last season, and as noted in previous Wrapups, Larry Fitzgerald and DeSean Jackson aren’t getting any younger.  Indy got this pick, plus Round 3 and 4 picks this year and next year’s #1, from New Orleans in last season’s Drew Brees trade.  Hardman has 4.33 speed, but when the Kansas City Chiefs took him in Round 2--DK Metcalf was still on the board at that point--I wondered why.  The answer probably lies in what took place just three days before, when TMZ leaked a particularly chilling audio recording of Tyreek Hill and his fiance. Does KC see a plug-and-play replacement in Hardman?