Every year immediately following the NFL Draft, I do the same thing: I watch and take notes on nearly 40 hours’ worth of Post-Draft Press Conferences. It’s a brutal mind-numbing slog, but it’s also quite possibly the most important and most valuable thing I do every offseason.
NFL GMs and head coaches lie all the time, fearful of giving away any important pieces of intel to the enemy, but the NFL Draft is something different. Teams have poured so much time and energy into this event. And most importantly, for a brief shining moment, they’re happy. They’re happy they got their guy and they’re excited to brag about him. And so, for once, they’ll tell us honestly why they liked a player, what they think about him, and how they envision him fitting into their scheme, and sometimes they’ll tell us even more than that.
Again, this is massively time-consuming, but not for you. I condensed all of the most important fantasy-relevant information here for your reading pleasure. We’ve broken this up by round (today’s article will cover all of Round 1) and each article is split into halves, where the top half contains my analysis, and the bottom half contains only the most important and most fantasy-relevant quotes from these press conferences. Consider the latter half of this article optional, as a sort of bibliography for the analysis at the top.
Check out my Round 1 Post-Draft Presser Review here.
Check out my Round 2 Post-Draft Presser Review here.
Author Analysis
Antonio Gibson, RB, Memphis
Round 3, Pick 66
Washington Redskins
Gibson was one of the most difficult players to evaluate during the pre-draft process, profiling as a sort of RB/WR hybrid who would offer a high ceiling and a low floor for fantasy. Washington’s press conference following the selection didn’t bring us much clarity – like Gibson, it was tricky to evaluate, but again pointed to a player with a high ceiling and a low floor for fantasy.
Per OC Scott Turner, “he can be a true running back,” which I think is the position they’re going to have him play, even though they already had the most crowded running back room in the NFL. They like the versatility he brings, and how, like with McCaffrey, you can “split him out wide” to reveal a defense and take advantage of matchups. VP of Player Personnel Kyle Smith made it seem like they envision a role similar to how Pittsburgh used Jaylen Samuels last year, when the team had both he and James Conner on the field at the same time. However, HC Ron Rivera (though somewhat baited by the reporter) did acknowledge the McCaffrey comparison.
At the end of the day, it was clear the team really liked Gibson. What wasn’t clear was everything else. Will he be Christian McCaffrey-lite in OC Scott Turner’s offense? Probably not. But, could he be? For sure. And as such, he’ll warrant a higher rookie draft pick than at least one running back selected before him (A.J. Dillon), because, ultimately, upside wins championships; and as a former wideout in a game where targets are worth 3.3 times as much as carries, he’s got it.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn, RB, Vanderbilt
Round 3, Pick 76
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Vaughn, a good but unspectacular prospect who fell into the perfect landing spot, is likely to be one of the most over-drafted players all offseason, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be a bust. Vaughn offers one thing incumbent starter Ronald Jones does not, and that’s something that’s extremely important for fantasy – every-down potential.
That’s a point Licht brought up repeatedly with Vaughn, saying, “he’s capable of playing on all three downs,” he’s “a guy that can play every-down,” and “he can do everything” in response to three different questions. Licht also complimented Vaughn’s speed, intensity, and ability to catch the ball, but all three points seemed secondary to Vaughn’s every-down potential.
Licht also talked up the importance of having multiple backs and how much they like Jones, but, clearly, there’s a wide-open path for Vaughn to take over this backfield and score a lot of fantasy points on one of the most exciting offenses in football.
Lynn Bowden, WR, Kentucky
Round 3, Pick 80
Las Vegas Raiders
Bryan Edwards, WR, South Carolina
Round 3, Pick 81
Las Vegas Raiders
GM Mike Mayock made it clear – the team views Bowden as their “joker”, but primarily serving as the team’s pass-catching running back, and Bryan Edwards as an X wide receiver. Essentially, that means Bowden is a player to avoid in fantasy drafts appearing to me as an upper-middle-class man’s Jalen Richard. Edwards, meanwhile, is far more intriguing, though HC Jon Gruden said he wants the team to use a lot of 3TE sets, which may hurt playing time. Gruden even said the team had Edwards graded as a round-two player. Edwards was a player I was higher on than the draft capital might indicate, and it appears the same can be said for Gruden. He told reporters, "I was like a dog trying to get back in the house getting Mike Mayock to pull the trigger on this. I was excited to get Edwards, you have no idea."
Zack Moss, RB, Utah
Round 3, Pick 86
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo really liked Zack Moss, and they did view running back as a position of need even though Devin Singletary led the league in yards per carry last year. Moss did fall to their natural pick, but they had tried with multiple teams as many as seven picks ahead of them to trade up for the running back. GM Brandon Beane told reporters, “I’d be in a different mood right now had someone traded up to take Zack.”
Although Beane felt Moss was capable of playing on third-downs and was a fine pass-catcher and pass blocker, he made it clear to reporters he envisioned Moss as the team’s early-down and goal-line runner, used in a similar manner to how Gore was used last year. (Last season Gore averaged 13.3 carries and 1.0 targets through the team’s first eight games.) Without bellcow potential, both Moss and Devin Singletary will be players I’ll be avoiding in 2020 drafts.
Devin Asiasi, TE, UCLA
Round 3, Pick 91
New England Patriots
Dalton Keene, TE, Virginia Tech
Round 3, Pick 101
New England Patriots
It’s the Patriots, of course their press conference yielded nothing of value.
Devin Duvernay, WR, Texas
Round 3, Pick 92
Baltimore Ravens
Duvernay’s draft capital doesn’t scream ‘Day 1 starter’, but it’s clear Baltimore liked Duvernay a whole lot more than draft capital might imply. GM Eric DeCosta said multiple times that Duvernay was one of his favorite players in this class and that he reminded him of future Hall of Famer Steve Smith. HC John Harbaugh, meanwhile, was caught on camera unable to contain his excitement when New England traded up for a different Devin. Like DeCosta, he was effusive in praising Duvernay and told reporters he thinks he will fit in perfectly with the offense.
Darrynton Evans, RB, Appalachian State
Round 3, Pick 93
Tennessee Titans
This one was pretty straight-forward, with HC Mike Vrabel bluntly telling reporters he views Evans as, ideally, the pass-catching and change of pace back in the offense. Derrick Henry was a top-five fantasy running back last year, but Dion Lewis played this role and still saw 35% of the team’s snaps in 2019 after earning (believe-it-or-not) 61% of the snaps in 2018.
Adam Trautman, TE, Dayton
Round 3, Pick 105
New Orleans Saints
Like Duvernay, it’s obvious New Orleans liked Adam Trautman a lot more than draft capital might imply. He was pick 105 in the draft, but GM Mickey Loomis gave up fourth-, fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-round picks to acquire him. That seems like a lot, but Loomis also admitted the team had Trautman as a top-40 player, well above where he ultimately fell.
Routinely lined up in the slot but rarely asked to block, we’ve seen a lot of fantasy production from HC Sean Payton’s tight ends over the years, but I’m not sure Payton views Trautman as he did Jimmy Graham, Jared Cook, or Coby Fleener. Payton said, “we had a clear vision for him as an in-line Y,” calling him “one of the better blocking tight ends in this class.” That doesn’t mean he can’t score fantasy points – Robert Gronkowski is a Y tight end – but it’s definitely not as exciting as if he called him an F and talked up his route-running for the majority of the press conference.
Joshua Kelley, RB, UCLA
Round 4, Pick 112
Los Angeles Chargers
What was notable about the Kelley press conference was that:
1) Former running back and now head coach Anthony Lynn really liked Kelley. The team didn’t have a third-round pick, so Lynn had to wait patiently and hope his player would fall to Round 4.
2) Kelley is no threat to Austin Ekeler’s passing down work. Lynn made it clear Kelley is coming in competing for the early-down rushing work that is now available following Melvin Gordon’s absence.
La’Mical Perine, RB, Florida
Round 4, Pick 120
New York Jets
There wasn’t much on Perine, but I think it’s important to note how GM Joe Douglas focused on Perine’s versatility, praising him as a runner, pass-catcher, and pass blocker. He could be a valuable handcuff with bellcow potential should Le’Veon Bell suffer an injury.
Tyler Johnson, WR, Minnesota
Round 5, Pick 161
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Without question, Johnson was my favorite selection of Day 3, a fifth-round pick with the statistical profile of a player typically selected on Day 1. Although draft capital implies he’s a longshot to ever prove fantasy-relevant, it’s reassuring that HC Bruce Arians seemed to like him about as much as me.
Here’s, in full, the first question he was asked during the team’s Day 3 press conference and his response:
Reporter: “I know you didn’t have the fourth-round pick. How pleased were you to find a player as productive as Tyler Johnson in the fifth?”
Arians: *face lights up* “Oh man, I can’t tell you how long I was waiting. I was just shaking waiting on that one. ‘Cause you I was actually sitting here watching that game in Tampa [Outback Bowl] with my son. And I said ‘I gotta get that guy.’ We really wanted him and we had a high grade. Guys were coming and going. It was like shew, we finally got him and I was really excited.”
Key Quotes
Antonio Gibson, RB, Memphis
Round 3, 66
Washington Redskins
OC Scott Turner
Q: Can I look for Antonio Gibson to be somebody that you use on third down as a running back?
A: Yeah absolutely. I think that that’s what he showed through the draft process, on film, and then at the Senior Bowl. That he can be a true running back. And then you have the versatility of splitting him out and putting him in the slot and taking advantage of matchups. That’s what we’re going to try to do with him. Recognize the things that he does well and have him do it. And as he matures as a player, if he can handle it, he’ll get more and more action.
VP of Player Personnel Kyle Smith
We’re excited about this kid. He’s a bit of a swiss army knife. Obviously was playing a little bit of wide receiver and running back at Memphis. He’s a return specialist. He’s got good hands. He’s 228. He ran fast. He plays fast. He’s got physicality to him we really him what the excitement came not only from the tape in the background and the character and how he’s wired, but also speaking with Coach Turner and how he’s going to utilize him, along with the other backs, you know it’s just not like a normal running back that you’re like okay here’s his skillset. You can put him on the field with Adrian Peterson with Derrius Guice, JD McKissic, with Bryce. You can use this got in a lot of different ways. It opens up a lot of different options for our offense.
…
We had a nice cluster [of players we liked available at our pick] and coach and I had a good conversation about a bunch of guys that were there that we were willing to take and at the end of the day you know it wasn’t one position that we were looking at , it was multiple positions. We were looking at multiple positions and we were talking about how this guy fits and we felt good about it.
HC Ron Rivera
He sort of came to our attention because they moved him around at the Senior Bowl a lot. Kyle and his guys kept pointing him out so we started you know really diving into who he is and what he’s capable of with the multi-faceted style of offense we use. You know Scott Turner really feels that this guy can come in and be a really versatile player for us. Plus he has special teams value. He’s a very good fit with what we want to do and how we want to do things.
Q: Just following up on that, do you see him as sort of Christian McCaffrey-type. Is that too… too…
A: No. That’s fair. I mean he’s a little bit bigger than Christian. But he’s got a skillset like Christian. He’s shown some position flexibility playing in the slot. He’s shown some position flexibility playing in the backfield. They even ran some wildcat with him taking direct snaps. This is a very versatile young football player that we really think is a guy that can get on the field for us early and contribute.
Q: What’s a reasonable expectation for him in Year 1?
A: Well I think to be able to contribute. You know whether he plays a situational role for us in specific packages, but I also do think he can make an impact on special teams.
“Bryce [Love] is still going through his rehab program and he’s progressing daily.”
Ke’Shawn Vaughn, RB, Vanderbilt
Round 3, Pick 76
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
GM Jason Licht
Q: How do you envision Vaughn fitting into your offense there. Is the idea there using him as a pass-catcher or first- and second-down?
A: The idea is to get him here and see what he does best. He has good speed. He can catch the ball. He’s good in space. He was very productive. He’s also a very intense person, in terms of his demeanor his football character and passion. He’s very smart. I think he’s capable of playing on all three downs. You can’t have too many good backs. You can’t just rely on one good back. And if you have a guy who can do multiple things it makes him even more valuable to your team.
Q: You obviously could have taken a more prominent back in the second round… How much of that is you liking Ronald Jones and seeing him as the primary back you can build around?
A: Well yeah no we love Ronald. We think he’s going to take another step this year. In terms of what you’re saying in a more prominent back I guess that is how you see guys ranked in the media and things like that. We try to evaluate our players based on our coaches our scouts and how we like them sometimes a guy can be – and I’m not picking on any one player in particular – sometimes everyone thinks the player that’s talked about the most is the better player. So right now we’ll see how it goes. But we’re happy now with the guys that we got. Like I said the run on the safeties happened quick. We made a good decision and we’re excited about it.
Q: You drafted two running backs. Was that sort of the plan? Or did things just fell that way?
A: It was kind of the plan. Just we liked two different styles. One can do everything. The other is sort of a joystick. He runs 4.33. He’s a running back slack receiver, kick returner. Just one of those guys that I love to play with. I think both of those guys are going to find a role in our ball club.
Q: Coach, at the Combine you said you were looking for a David Johnson type of pass-catching running back. So did you find that guy?
A: Yeah. I think Ke’Shawn Vaughn is a guy that can play every down. I don’t consider him a David Johnson. I think that Raymond is a very smaller but faster version. In that he’s a heck of a little running back. I wouldn’t say he’s Tarik Cohen. But it’s kind of that style, that joystick type guy. That can go out and be a WR and be a mismatch. We have TJ Logan who got hurt last year. They’ll have a heck of a battle.
Lynn Bowden, WR, Kentucky
Round 3, Pick 80
Las Vegas Raiders
Bryan Edwards, WR, South Carolina
Round 3, Pick 81
Las Vegas Raiders
GM Mike Mayock
“Bowden can return punts, Ruggs can return kickoffs”
“Bowden is a running back for us. Bryan Edwards we think is an outstanding X, meaning he’s that big physical tough fast wide receiver on the opposite side. We think he can win 1v1 matchups. We love his production. And again, the big picture is we wanted to get more dynamic on offense.”
“What I really liked is Jon Gruden knows how use [Ruggs] and to maximize what he does well. Get him the ball in space and use that speed. Manufactured touches… Bryan Edwards is a different cat. He’s a guy where if you go 3 by 1 (three on one side) and put him on the backside, and let him run down the red line, and back shoulder fades, regular fades, slants, all the big-bodied throws that you think he can win. He’s physical, he’s got great hands.”
Q: How do you envision using Lynn Bowden?
A: Bowden we announced as a running back. Ultimately, he’ll probably be what we call a joker – which I love in John’s offense. Somebody that’s able to do multiple jobs. But Day 1 he’s going to come in and be a running back.
HC Jon Gruden
"I was like a dog trying to bark in the house getting Mike Mayock to pull the trigger on this. I was excited to get Edwards, you have no idea."
"We want to use three tight ends at a time, no disrespect to the receivers, but we're going to put three tight ends out there. Moreau, Waller, Jason Witten, and we're going to run it in play action and we're going to play old school football. We have a fullback, so we're going to use a two-back set with Josh Jacobs and [Alec] Ingold."
Zack Moss, RB, Utah
Round 3, Pick 86
Buffalo Bills
(On the phone with Zack Moss)
Brandon Beane: “Hey listen, I’ve been trying to trade up for the past 15 minutes to get you.”
Terry Pegula: “I’ve been waiting holding my breath trying to get you.”
Sean McDermott: “We were sweating bullets waiting for you.”
GM Brandon Beane
“I think he’s a very good compliment to Devin. Devin’s got that shiftiness. Zack’s going to be more of that bang-it-in-there, lower that shoulder type of guy. Little bit like Frank did for us at an older age. I see that role. But Zack can catch the ball. So it won’t be that he can’t sit in there in pass pro. He’s a smart guy. And we’re looking forward to getting him in here and pairing him up with Devin.”
“I’d be in a different mood right now had someone traded up to take Zack.”
“We liked the player and we viewed it as a need.”
“Again Devin is more of a make you miss guy. Zack as I said earlier, he’s gonna be more than first and second down guy. I think he’ll be fine on third down. T.J. Yeldon is right there. I’m glad we have TJ under contract for another year. He brings versatility as well. If he needs to start a few games he can. He can catch out of the backfield. We used him last year when Devin went down as more of that sub back and Frank was kind of a first and second-down back. So, uh you know more of the goal line and things like we did with Frank last year Zack will do. Devin will have more of the role he had last year. And then we’ll see how TJ mixes in.”
“Those versatile backs who can run and catch. That’s more Devin. That’s not Zack. Like a mismatch type guy as a receiver. That’s not Zack. There’s some other guys that went earlier. That’s sort of where the game is going.”
Devin Asiasi, TE, UCLA
Round 3, Pick 91
New England Patriots
Dalton Keene, TE, Virginia Tech
Round 3, Pick 101
New England Patriots
Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio
“They’re a little bit different… Asiasi. Really this was his first year where he had pretty substantial production. Good size. Runs well for his size. Tough. Technique things he can work on as an on the line of scrimmage blocker. Has a background with Coach Kelly. Kelly is a trusted resource… Keene. Kind of interesting guy. Three-year starter. Underclassmen. Really had to dig to find stuff on tape. Took advantage of his opportunities. Catch and run type plays stood out. Fairly athletic. Tough kid. Smart kid.”
"I don't think the intention is ever to double up [on a position]. On the surface, it might look like it's the same, but there could be some subtle difference in terms of how they're deployed. Ultimately, you're just trying to figure out what they do well and trying to accentuate the players' strengths. They could be used similarly or differently."
Devin Duvernay, WR, Texas
Round 3, Pick 92
Baltimore Ravens
GM Eric DeCosta
(On the phone with Duvernay) “You’re one of my favorite guys that I watched this year. I love the way you play. You remind me of the one of the guys that we had here in Baltimore at one point – Steve Smith. I love your competitive style. You’re going to be a great fit.”
“Today, specifically with wideout, you saw a bunch of guys come off fast, and fortunately we had just enough breath to get the guy that we wanted in the third round. We feel like we got one of our favorite guys.”
Q: Do you see him as your slot wide receiver?
A: We don’t just have an X, Y, and Z. We use all the guys in different spots. It’s thought through and we have a plan for that. We like to teach all the guys all the spot and move them around. We don’t really have a slot guy or an outside guy. And we like to put the guys in a place they do well.
Q: Why was Devin one of your favorite guys in the class?
A: I liked his competitive streak. He reminds me of a few guys we’ve had here – Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason, Steve Smith. I don’t think Devin is the biggest guy but he’s very tough, very physical. Catches the ball really well. Tough with the football. Doesn’t go down. He’s almost like a running back with the football.
HC John Harbaugh
Q: John they caught you after the Devin pick. You were very excited. Was it over the pick? It was the most excited they caught you. You pumped your arms a little bit. Was it over the pick?
Harbaugh: Yeah. It was Devin Duvernay. It was over the pick. I remember. I was excited because, New England traded right in front of us. And you never know who they’re coming in to take. And we were just hoping to take Devin. So, once they took Asiasi and our guy was there I was fired up about it.
DeCosta: If I could just say one thing is what made that really funny was New England traded up in front of us and we were kind of sweating it because you know for me Duvernay was one of my favorite guys in this draft and so I was sweating it anyway thinking they would come up and take him. So, when they announced the pick – they took Asiasi, but his first name is Devin. We were all stunned that they were taking our Devin. But they took their Devin, so it worked out for us.
Q: How does Devin fit?
A: He fits both. Because he’s fast. Which is one type of receiver. The other is a player who can go make plays outside. Which he’s that too. Which I don’t think he’s finished. But you never know…. No. 1 priority for us was to get another fast guy. Another speed guy.
Darrynton Evans, RB, Appalachian State
Round 3, Pick 93
Tennessee Titans
HC Mike Vrabel
"This was a guy that we brought in and we met with, and everybody in the building really liked what he was able to do in conversation and on the board in his learning process. Then obviously watching the film, we thought that the skill set translated to… using him out of the backfield, and being able to be a change of pace and a one-cut runner. So, we’ll see what he can handle and we’ll give him as much as he can handle."
Adam Trautman, TE, Dayton
Round 3, Pick 105
New Orleans Saints
GM Mickey Loomis
“That’s three players that we had in our top-40. And uh man I think in a lot of ways it couldn’t have worked out any better.”
HC Sean Payton
“We have a clear vision for the players we took today.”
“We see him as a true Y. For a small college player, we do think he’s got real good in-line strength. He’s also someone that I think has got really good hips. So that his change of direction, you can see that in how he sets up his routes. So, for someone who played at a smaller level. You see a dominant player. And we see someone who can help us as an inline tight end. And obviously build on in his first-year build on some of the things that he can do outside.”
“I think he was one of the better blocking tight ends we felt in this class. Especially for a player that came from a small school, we had a clear vision for him as an in-line Y. I think he’ll be able to carry his weight, gain some weight. But we also felt this player was loose in his hips, pretty good with his change of direction. He had a pretty good spring. Man, he was another one that I clearly wouldn’t have seen him available at the end of the third-round.”
Joshua Kelley, RB, UCLA
Round 4, Pick 112
Los Angeles Chargers
HC Anthony Lynn
Q: What’d you like in Joshua Kelley?
A: You know I was hoping he’d be there in the fourth round, after that first-day interview, because we didn’t have a third-round pick. There’s a young man, after losing Melvin Gordon who is a heck of a back, not to say that Joshua Kelley can be Melvin Gordon, but he is that downhill physical runner that I like watching tape. And he was kind of a late-bloomer, sort of grew into that body that he has. And it just seemed he kept getting better and better and we hope he continues that trend.
GM Tom Telesco
"Our running back only has two guys in it right now. Josh has a different style than the two backs we have. He's a player that we liked a lot, both at UCLA and at the Senior Bowl. I think he has a really nice vision to see things patiently. When he puts his foot in the ground, he can really explode through the hole. He had a nice career at UCLA."
La’Mical Perine, RB, Florida
Round 4, Pick 120
New York Jets
GM Joe Douglas
“Versatility big play ability. He can help in both the run and pass game. Really good in pass pro. Good hands. Productive. And a great young man.”
Tyler Johnson, WR, Minnesota
Round 5, Pick 161
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
HC Bruce Arians
Q: I know you didn’t have the fourth-round pick. How pleased were you to find a player as productive as Tyler Johnson in the fifth?
A: *face lights up* Oh man, I can’t tell you how long I was waiting. I was just shaking waiting on that one. ‘Cause you I was actually sitting here watching that game in Tampa [Outback Bowl] with my son. And I said ‘I gotta get that guy.’ We really wanted him and we had a high grade. Guys were coming and going. It was like shew, we finally got him and I was really excited.
