With the NFL combine wrapping up over the weekend and pro days on campuses up next, we are still pretty early in the draft process. However, it's a good time to start focusing on prospects who could play productive roles next season in your fantasy lineups.
Yes, we won't know the team fits until the draft in late April. That matters. And some of the top prospects didn't run or work out at the combine. I get that, too. But I've watched the tape and have a good feel for the traits and skills needed to make plays in the league.
Let's look at 15 prospects at the offensive skill positions to put on your fantasy radar, starting with a deep class of running backs.
Running back
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Jeanty will run and work out at his pro day, so we don't have any times on the Boise State product yet. But on tape he's a home run hitter with the vision and contact balance to produce in any NFL scheme. Jeanty's compact frame (5-foot-9, 211 pounds), power and quickness helped him to a nation-best 126 forced missed tackles in 2024. He can also be deployed on screens and receiving targets out of the backfield. He should be viewed as a potential RB1 as a rookie.
Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
I'm in on Hampton after his workout, because it meshes with what he showed on the college tape. At 6 feet, 221 pounds, Hampton ran a 4.46 40-yard dash and had a 38-inch vertical and 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump. Those are explosive numbers, and we see that in his game. Get Hampton on a downhill track, he's decisive and physical there. He can also use his lateral quickness to shake defenders, and he made a bunch of big plays in the pass game as a screen/underneath target. Hampton has the makeup of an RB2 who commands rushing volume on early downs.
TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
A slasher in the run game with the ability to run the full backfield route tree and flex wide as a receiver, Henderson has the skills to develop into a three-down player. Henderson dropped a 4.43 40-yard dash time at 5-foot-10, 202 pounds. He can scoot. Plus, I see the rapid acceleration on the tape when he attacks daylight. But I still go back to the pass-catching ability, as that will get him on the field early as a change-of-pace runner who can also produce on third downs. Keep him on your radar as a potential PPR flex.
Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
The urgency really pops when Judkins runs the ball. There's juice here. It's the pad level, the physical demeanor ... he's a hammer at the point of attack. At 6 feet, 221 pounds, with explosive jumps (38.5-inch vertical, 11-foot broad jump), Judkins has the profile of a lead back in a run-heavy NFL offense. And he will step up in pass protection, which leads to more receiving reps. He's one of my favorites to watch on tape, and there's an old-school feel to his game. Don't be surprised if Judkins locks down a role early as a rookie and produces RB2 numbers.
Dylan Sampson, Tennessee
A dynamic mover with a disciplined approach to the run game, Sampson can create for himself or ride the running track in both gap and zone schemes. Sampson has a smaller frame at 5-foot-8, 200 pounds, but the ability to bounce off SEC tacklers is all over the tape. He can get loose in tight quarters, too, and that spin move is pretty nasty. Plus, he can find the end zone on goal-line carries. With more usage in a pro passing game, Sampson has an RB2/flex ceiling this season.
Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
Johnson (6-foot-1, 224 pounds) ran a 4.57 40-yard dash, and that's what I see on the tape. Johnson is a linear glider, with build-up speed on the perimeter and in the open field. He's got big-play ability and receiving upside, too. I think Johnson would be a really good fit in an outside zone scheme as a pro. Press or bend the ball. Get north/south. If Johnson lands with a team that gives him first- and second-down volume, he could quickly emerge as a lower-tier RB2/flex.
Quarterback
Cam Ward pitches why teams should be looking to select him as the first quarterback in the upcoming NFL draft.
Cam Ward, Miami
Ward didn't throw or test in Indianapolis, but the tape and pro traits tell the story here. At 6-foot-2, 219 pounds, Ward sees things fast from the pocket, and he's a high-RPM thrower to all levels of the field. He can drive the ball. With his quick release, Ward can operate in the three-step passing game and produce on RPOs, too. Plus, Ward has the movement skills to create outside of structure as a thrower while also using his legs (when necessary) on scrambles. Those rushing yards are free money for fantasy managers. Ward fits in multiple schemes, and he has the potential to be a Week 1 starter, which puts him on my radar as an upside QB2.
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Like Ward, Sanders didn't work out at the combine. After watching his tape, however, I see him as a timing-and-rhythm thrower in the league, a quarterback who can diagnose coverages and play with poise in the pocket. Plus, Sanders throws with accuracy and location (74% completion rate in 2024). Those are critical traits to playing the position as a pro. Yes, Sanders isn't an elite mover, but he has enough mobility to get to the edges on boot, and he can reset his throwing window when the walls begin to close. The team fit will matter here for Sanders, and he could be in the mix early in the season as a starter in 2QB/superflex formats.
Wide receiver
Stephen A. Smith and the "First Take" crew debate whether NFL teams should want Travis Hunter to play both wide receiver and cornerback.
Travis Hunter, Colorado
I know Hunter projects as an upper-tier corner, but for the purposes of this column let's focus on the two-way star from Colorado as an offensive playmaker. Hunter didn't run at the combine, but do we really need a 40 time here? Nope. Let the tape talk on Hunter, who has elite ball skills and the ability to go high above the rim to finish plays. Yes, the route traits can develop, and that will be coached in the league. But his burst, speed and ability to slip past defenders give Hunter an edge at every level of the route tree. If he plays on offense, Hunter will have a chance to create big plays and jump into the WR2 mix.
Luther Burden III, Missouri
I see Burden (6-foot, 206 pounds) as an electric talent who can be deployed both horizontally and vertically in a pro offense. With his high-end catch-and-run traits, Burden can get loose on screens, fly sweeps and crossers, hit the gas and go in the open field. Plus, Burden ran a 4.42 at the combine. Schemed deep-ball throws and slot fades work here. In the right system, Burden could flash early as a WR3.
Matthew Golden, Texas
An easy mover with big-time speed (4.29 40-yard dash time), Golden is going to climb draft boards. He can press down the field to attack on third-level throws, plus he has the sudden footwork to separate at the break point. Golden is a three-level target who can play on the perimeter or work inside. At 5-foot-11, 191 pounds, Golden should project as a WR3 based on his team fit.
Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
McMillan didn't run, which leaves some questions about his speed. But at 6-foot-4, 219 pounds with the ball skills and catch radius to make plays in traffic or down the field, he has the profile of a boundary X receiver who could also create interior matchups from the slot. McMillan could enter the WR3 discussion during his rookie season, especially if he is targeted in the red zone with that frame.
Tight end
Tyler Warren, Penn State
Warren's game reminds me of George Kittle's because of his overall on-the-field demeanor and physical traits. Warren can play inline to work the middle of the field or flex to outside alignments. At 6-foot-5, 256 pounds, Warren has the foot speed to uncover versus linebackers and safeties, and his awareness shows on the tape when he finds open grass versus zone. An ultra-competitive prospect, Warren has TE1 upside as a volume target.
Colston Loveland, Michigan
Loveland (6-foot-6, 248 pounds) has the seam-stretching ability to attack today's split-safety pro defenses and the body control to adjust to the ball. He's a route runner who can work multiple levels and also tack on numbers after the catch in NFL boot concepts. I expect Loveland to produce quickly, which makes him an upper-tier TE2 target.
Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green
I'm intrigued by Fannin, but the team fit has to be there. At 6-foot-3, 241 pounds, he doesn't have the lower-body flexibility of a Jonnu Smith, but can he be utilized the same way in a pro offense? Think of Fannin as a versatile H-back who can see targets on screens and unders due to his physical style after the catch, in addition to the second- and third-level throws. Fannin is a prospect who could develop into a streaming option in his first season.