With the 2024 NFL Draft mere days away, I thought it would be a good idea to let the readers know who are the apples of the RotoViz team’s eyes in this particular draft class. Not necessarily the best player, or the most discussed, but the players who have perhaps flown somewhat under the radar, but whose landing spot is something we will be watching with great interest — “Our Guys,” if you will.
Landing spot can help make or break a prospect, with a bad situation begetting a player who ultimately disappoints and an ideal situation creating a player that gives off some fantasy value somewhere down the line. These are not players that we are guaranteeing will succeed in the NFL. But they are players that, if they do, will bring a massive smile to our faces. Who knows, maybe even a John Bender-style lofting of the arm.
Let’s plant some flags.
Neil Dutton – Theo Johnson, Tight End
I have a type when it comes to tight end prospects. I fell fast and hard for Jonnu Smith and David Njoku when they entered the league (with justifiable reasons). Bucky Hodges, for unjustified reasons. (Although time may surely tell with Hodges.) When a TE shows himself as a mega-athlete, he gets my attention. This is the case with Theo Johnson.
Johnson does not have the strongest production profile, which would be putting it somewhat mildly. His four seasons as a Nittany Lion saw him catch a combined 77 balls for 938 yards, with 34-341 coming in 2023. But his athletic testing was something else.
