Every year during NFL Fantasy Football draft time, we all have to analyze that year’s crop of incoming rookies into the world of professional football. Every year there are a few surprises, a lot of busts, and some guys who make huge contributions to their team’s success, not to mention fantasy owners.

Last year’s rookie studs were Vince Young, Reggie Bush, Marques Colston, and Devin Hester. (Although Hester would only garner you points if you had the Bear’s defense or special teams.) Those were the guys that ended up being very productive on any fantasy football team roster in ‘06.

First and foremost this list has to start with Calvin Johnson. The WR out of Georgia Tech, is probably the most talented wide receiver to EVER enter the NFL. At 6’ 5” and 235 pounds with the speed to run a 4.35 40 yard dash, and a vertical leap of 42 ½ inches, this guy is the freak of all freaks. 5’ 7” guys would pray for his speed, not to mention the ability to jump over 40 inches. Throw in some of the best hands you have ever seen and this is the prototypical wide receiver. If you were to cast a mold of an NFL wideout, this is the one that you would create. Heck, lets be honest here, this guy breaks the mold.

However, Mr. Johnson has a one serious issue. He is playing for the Detroit Lions. They already have a stud #1 receiver in Roy Williams. Most likely Calvin will spend his rookie year as the #2 receiver.Jon Kitna is his QB, and he is capable of a 4,000 yard season with 25+ TD’s with this kind of talent around him. Also throw in Mike Furrey as the third WR, and the Lions have the a strong offensive passing game. Most likely, however, Calvin will create more opportunities and fantasy production for the guys around him. Make sure to move Kitna and Williams because Calvin will make this one of the most feared offenses in the NFL in 2007.

The second guy that demands your immediate attention is Adrian Peterson out of Oklahoma. He was the 1st round selection of the Minnesota Vikings. This guy has Eric Dickerson type speed and size and runs as hard as Earl Campbell. His only downfall is that his running style also made him susceptible to some freak injuries during his 3 year stint at Oklahoma. His injury history was most likely the main reason that he was not #1 on everybody’s draft board this year. Adrian will get every opportunity to dethrone Chester Taylor as the starting tailback at Minnesota, and with one of the best left sides on the offensive line in front of him, he has the ability to post a 1,000 yard season with 8+ TDs as well. His talent is undeniable and he could likely end up being the steal of this years draft. Wait to see if he is named the starter, and if he is, he will shoot up the charts on everyone’s fantasy draft boards. If he can avoid the freak injuries that plagued him during his college career, this guy has Hall of Fame type ability written all over him, as he is the most talented RB to enter the NFL in quite some time.

These, to me, are obviously the two best rookies to look for when looking to draft rookies in an NFL fantasy league, as they are most likely the 2 guys who have a serious shot at posting numbers worthy of selections in early rounds. The rest of the rookies look to be on a ‘wait and see’ list much like a Marques Colston. Let’s take a look at some of the guys that may surprise, and some of the guys to look for in years to come.

First and foremost, we have to look at the guy selected #1 overall in this years NFL draft. JaMarcus Russell out of LSU. I’ve never been sold on this guy as being a starting NFL QB. Sure he has all the physical tools, but he never equated that talent into huge fantasy numbers even in the college ranks. His Sugar Bowl performance against an extremely weak Notre Dame defense allowed this guy to become way over hyped, and most likely became the reason why Oakland selected him with the 1st pick in the draft. Sure, he can throw it 75 yards, he is 6‘6” and weighs somewhere between 250 pounds to 275 pounds (depending on which week you catch him). He has elusiveness, and is tough to bring down even for an NFL defensive tackle. Other than that, he has had a tendency throughout his college career to make poor decisions and often times struggled to make plays when his 1st or 2nd option was not available.

He will likely not be the starter on opening day, and if he even does become the starter the Raiders have too many question marks to make this guy a viable option as a fantasy football starter. If he does end up starting, save your money, and let someone else pick this guy up for a likely run on interceptions that occur 2 to 3 times more often than TD’s. This is definitely a wait and see type guy, and should not even be drafted in ANY NFL fantasy league in 2007.

The rest of the guys to consider, as rookies, in this year’s fantasy draft are as such:

Ted Ginn Jr.- Miami: Nice career at Ohio State, but face it, this guy is a wimp. And with the QB situation you have in Miami, this guy is undraftable. Heck, he should have been undraftable for Miami, let alone that early. I’m thinking that the Dolphins crack staff thought that this would be the next Devin Hester. My gut says this guy will be the biggest bust of the entire NFL draft. Don’t waste your time.

Marshawn Lynch- Buffalo: Nice career at California. Put up solid numbers, but he also played in a free-lance offense under Jeff Tedford. He won’t enjoy that luxury at Buffalo. Not too mention, he has JP Losman as his QB. He will likely be the starter but with an offense as appalling as this one, it is hard to see big numbers coming out of a rookie for this ball club. A possible late round selection, other than that, another ‘wait and see’ kind of guy.

Brady Quinn – Cleveland: Wow! Did Cleveland have things fall into their lap in this years NFL draft or what? They got their stud left tackle and their QB for the future. However, this is Cleveland right? They pick up Jamal Lewis, and this team is forever in a rebuilding cycle that screams bad management. They have one of the most ridiculously challenged offensive units in the league and Brady will unlikely be the starter on opening day anyway. If he does become the starter, by mid-season most likely, he will struggle to put up any numbers that are worthy of fantasy football merit. Look for this guy to be the franchise in Cleveland in a couple of years. Although wasn’t Tim Couch supposed to be that guy anyway?

Dwayne Bowe – Kansas City: With Brodie Croyle or Damon Huard as their starting QB, this is already an offensive unit that will considerably drop in fantasy numbers. Not too mention Tony Gonzales will steal all of the short passing routes that Dwayne Bowe earned his merit for in college. He outperformed more talented wide outs at LSU, but I do not expect that trend to continue in the NFL. This was a stretch selection by Kansas City, and does not warrant any kind of consideration for being draft worthy in any fantasy league. Definitely a ‘wait and see’ type of guy.

Robert Meachem – New Orleans: Probably the 2nd most talented WR in the draft behind Calvin Johnson. This guy was extremely raw, and had a huge junior season for Tennessee last year. At 6’ 3” and 220 pounds he is the prototypical NLF wideout. He also gets the luxury of playing in one of the most productive offenses in the NFL. Mark this guy down as a definite sleeper pick in any draft, and don’t hesitate to select him over veteran receivers in the late rounds. Colston and Meachem could prove to be a formidable 1-2 punch in the NFL for years to come, and with Brees chucking it around, and McAllister and Bush in the backfield, this could prove to be something very special. Combine his size with 4.4 speed and watch for this guy to possibly make a big impact in 2007.

Craig Davis – San Diego: Another LSU guy, but he is more talented than Dwayne Bowe. The Chargers got the better end of the deal in this one, and Davis has legit 4.4 speed as well. The Chargers have the best running back in the game in LT, and Phillip Rivers will only improve in his second year. If Davis can do anything in camp, he has a serious shot at being a #2 receiver in what looks to be a very potent Charger offense. Combine him with Antonio Gates at TE, and the Chargers may have found themselves a steal. Not too mention the WR’s for the Chargers aren’t exactly household names, and this could be another nice late round sleeper pick as well.

Anthony Gonzalez – Indianapolis: This was a safe pick for Indy after losing some dependable 3rd wide outs to free agency over the past couple of seasons. As always the 3rd option in the Colts offense is always playable and this guy could prove to be that option this year for the Colts. He doesn’t have much competition for that slot, and may be an option for deep WR leagues.

Kevin Kolb – Philadelphia: QB of the future. I don’t need to say anymore.

John Beck – Miami: Same as Kolb. Undraftable.

Drew Stanton – Rookie year, ended very very quickly.

Sidney Rice – Minnesota: One of the best selections in this years NFL draft. As you have seen there were a bevy of WR’s selected before Sidney, and all he did was put up huge numbers for South Carolina even with a poor QB throwing to him. He doesn’t get much comfort in the fact that he will most likely have Tarvaris Jackson throwing to him, but it could be worse. One would think that after the disastrous selection of Troy Williamson a few years ago, that Minnesota wouldn’t have drafted another South Carolina wideout for another decade. Oh well. With that said, this could likely be the 2nd WR for Minnesota this season. But, I wouldn’t waste a pick on this guy, just yet. (NOTE: Reminds me of Larry Fitzgerald.)

Dwayne Jarrett – Carolina: Nobody experienced a bigger drop in this year’s NFL draft than Mr. Jarrett. Not even Brady Quinn. At one time, this was the #1 prospect on many boards before last years college football season started. His biggest problem was a 4.62 40 yard dash time. His lowest was 4.57. In a league built around speed, those kinds of numbers scared everyone. Sure he is big, but big and slow doesn’t get it done in the NFL. With that said, he has very good size and even plays bigger than he is. He WILL be starting alongside Steve Smith, and with a veteran QB in Delhomme chucking it around, this is the biggest sleeper in the entire rookie class. This guy reminds me of Cris Carter so much it is freaking scary. A definite draft pick in any draft, and this guy has a chance of putting up some scary fantasy numbers, especially since he will be the go to guy in goal line situations at the wideout spot.

Kenny Irons – Tore ACL, season is over.

Chris Henry – Tennessee: Horrible career at Arizona, but this guy is FAST! At 6’ 0” and 228 pounds, and the ability to run a 4.33 forty, this guy is all about size and speed. Most likely a stretch for the Titans, but with his workouts, this guy jumped from nearly undraftable to a 2nd rounder. He will not start this year, but look for him in mid-season to see if he is capable of being an NFL caliber player. This is most likely the 2nd worst selection in the NFL draft behind Ted Ginn.

Steve Smith – NY Giants: Another talented WR from USC. Sounds like a broken record lately doesn’t it? This guy falls into a nice place in New York. With a QB that is in a put up or shut up season, with a lot of talent around him. Mr. Smith finds himself in a situation that Eli has to throw to somebody, right? Amani Toomer is getting VERY old, and Plaxico will hold down the double teams on the other side. Throw in Shockey at TE and this is an extremely talented football team, with Mr. Smith being the likely #2 receiver. Very draftable, and will most likely produce numbers that are worthy on any fantasy league. Jarrett was his Plaxico at USC, and he put up better numbers than Jarrett last year. This will be an interesting pick in any fantasy league, and will most likely go undrafted. Don’t fall into that trap.

Brian Leonard – St. Louis: He will block for Steven Jackson just like he did for Ray Rice at Rutgers last year. Sure… he can catch the ball out of the backfield, but what the heck else is this guy gonna do? I love the selection by St. Louis, but for fantasy players, this is a dud.

Brandon Jackson – Green Bay: LIKELY the starter for Green Bay on opening day. With an offense that has produced very good numbers for RB’s in the past, this is another nice sleeper selection as well. Brett Favre is still around, and these guys can move the ball on offense. Don’t let a terrible record fool you, these guys can score. If you can pencil in Brandon as your starter, this is another nice sleeper selection in any NFL draft.

Well, there you have it. This year’s rookie crop. Some good, some bad. But some interesting players nonetheless. It is unlikely that you will see the production out of this class like you did from last years, but that is why they call them rookies.