E.J. Manuel, QB, Buffalo Bills: Manuel has the luxury of failure. This means he's going to get the majority of a playing time and not have to worry about getting the hook, like Geno Smith for instance.Â
Isaiah Pead, RB, St. Louis Rams: Somebody has to take over for Steven Jackson in St. Louis. Some will consider Daryl Richardson the front-runner because of last year. But Richardson wasn't able to take significant carries from Jackson. Watch Pead jump in front of him in 2013.
Jawan Jamison, RB, Washington Redskins: Just when we're about ready to put #shanahanigans to bed and fully anoint Freddy Morris as the next great Mike Shanahan running backs, the coach goes and picks not one, but two running backs in the draft. Of the two, Jamison has the most potential and upside. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but #shanahanigans.
Jake Ballard, TE, New England Patriots: The Patriots are suddenly thin at tight end. Some have speculated Tim Tebow could play the position, but unless the Patriots list him as a TE on the roster, he's not going to be eligible on NFL.com. Ballard is the next guy up if he can return from injury.
Bryce Brown, RB, Philadelphia Eagles: People were upset with Andy Reid's use of LeSean McCoy last year. But if Chip Kelly is really going to go with this up-tempo offense, it's not hard to imagine Brown getting more than his share of playing time.
Denard Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: There were early reports Robinson was going to see 10 to 15 touches a game, which sent the fantasy world into a tizzy. Then it turns out it was 10 to 15 snaps. Still, Maurice Jones-Drew is going to need a handcuff.
Kendall Wright, WR, Tennessee Titans: The Titans could be one of the surprise teams of 2013. If that happens, Wright figures to be in the middle of it. He's the best option in an underrated group of receivers.
Josh Gordon, WR, Cleveland Browns: Gordon had his moments last year and will hopefully have more consistency in 2013. But if you're still upset about the touchdown he dropped against the Colts, it's understandable.
Keenan Allen, WR, San Diego Chargers: The Chargers were able to swoop in and steal Allen in the third round. He did get a late start because classes at Cal went through the team's first OTA. He could be the team's No. 1 receiver.
Jordan Cameron, TE, Cleveland Browns: Tight ends have become more prevalent in today's sophisticated offense, which means you can find some good values at the end of the draft. Coach Rob Chudzinski has heaped praise on Cameron, as he called him a "good fit" for his offense. Good enough for me.
Ladarius Green, TE, San Diego Chargers: This is the deepest of deep sleepers. If Antonio Gates goes through injuries again, or continues to struggle (no matter what the Top 100 voters will tell you), Green could get his chance.
Adam Rank has never won an award. For anything. We don't mean to be harsh, but it's true. You can follow him on Twitter @adamrank. Oh, and if you liked this (right!), check him out on the latest "Dave Dameshek Football Program". Which, come to think of it won an award. So Rank has won something meaningful. Yes, meaningful unlike this latest post. Am I right? But follow him on Twitter, please. He's taking us to lunch if he gets 25 more Twitter followers today.
