Fantasy files -- Rookie receivers part three (whew)

Airese Currie, Chicago Bears: Currie was all-conference last year as well as a stellar trackster for Clemson. He discovered a broken bone in his right foot during workouts, and that might have hurt his draft stock. He could start as the Bears' WR3 and move up if Mark Bradley doesn't develop.

Larry Brackins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Brackins couldn't qualify for college after two years at Pearl River Community College, so he threw his name in the draft pool. At 6'4, 205 pounds, he's one of the bigger drafted receivers. Brackins averaged 20 yards a catch last year. Take a chance on him only if you have a deep roster.

Rasheed Marshall, San Francisco 49ers: Unlike some of these guys who played QB in high school, Marshall played QB in college for West Virginia. He was Big East Player of the Year in 2004. Can he be a solid receiver, though? The 9ers already have one converted QB in Arnez Battle. Marshall is another project who, due to his draft slot, may not get too long to develop.

Chad Owens, Jacksonville Jaguars: If you want production, you've found the right guy. Owens won the Mosi Tatupu Award for best special-teams player in the country in 2004. He scored five touchdowns on punt returns last year. Owens is small (5'7) and more quick than fast. Pencil him in as the Jags' punt returner.

Tab Perry, Cincinnati Bengals: Perry played wide receiver and running back for UCLA last year. He's big (229 pounds) with excellent speed. With all the receivers the Bengals have, I don't know if Perry will even make the roster.

Dante Ridgeway, St. Louis Rams: Was Ridgeway a good college receiver? You be the judge. There's nothing exceptional about his measurables. It will be hard for him to get much playing time on this squad.

Craig Bragg, Green Bay Packers: A dislocated left shoulder kept Bragg out of four games last year and hurt his draft stock. He was team MVP as a junior when he had 73 catches. The Packers have a ton of receivers so Bragg better show some special-teams skills to make the team.

Marcus Maxwell, San Francisco 49ers: Maxwell must looked really good in his underwear, because his production was pedestrian. He must look like a WR1, although at best he's going to be the last WR on the roster this year.

Paris Warren, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Warren is another of the seemingly endless parade of very productive college receivers. He was part of the undefeated Utah squad. So where’s the love? Warren ran a 4.68 40. That’s really the only reason I can see for a guy who had 156 catches in the past two years on a top offense being rated so low in the draft. Warren might have a shot considering the Buccaneers don't have a lot of depth at receiver.

LeRon McCoy, Arizona Cardinals: The Cards are pretty set at WR, since they’ve used two number one picks and one number two for receivers in the past couple of years. Here are some tidbits about LeRon: He’s recorded a rap album AND he’s been suspended for punching an opponent. This is a great place for an obligatory NBA dig but I’ll pass. He’s fast and has good size. He peaked at 36 receptions in Division II, although he did have ten scores. What are you going to do; he’s a seventh-rounder.

Harry Williams, New York Jets: Here’s another small-school guy. Williams is a pretty small guy for his size (6’2, 180 pounds) but at least he has good speed. You’d think a guy who got drafted out of Tuskegee would have better numbers. He’s raw and the Jets will give him a chance.

J.R. Russell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: That makes it three late-round receivers drafted by the Bucs. Russell was a very productive guy for being taken so late. He had nearly 150 catches the past two years with Louisville. The Cardinals were one of the best college teams in the country, so I’m a bit surprised that Russell dropped so far. He’s not going to run a 4.28 but he’ll make plays. I’d like to compare how he does versus a guy like Larry Brackins long-term.

UDFAs of note:

Taylor Stubblefield, Carolina Panthers
Dan Sheldon, Arizona Cardinals
Josh Davis, Miami Dolphins
Steve Savoy, Detroit Lions
Tommy Manus, Baltimore Ravens
Reggie Harrell, Dallas Cowboys
Lance Moore, Cleveland Browns
Isaac West, Philadelphia Eagles
Chauncey Stovall, Philadelphia Eagles
Kerry Wright, Indianapolis Colts
Jason Anderson, Tennessee Titans
Effrem Hill, Carolina Panthers
Will Peoples, Buffalo Bills
Jamaica Rector, Dallas Cowboys
Tony Madison, Miami Dolphins
Jason Samples, Washington Redskins
Paris Hamilton, Detroit Lions
Keron Henry, New Orleans Saints
Carlyle Holiday, Arizona Cardinals
Brandon Smith, NY Giants
Grant Adams, Philadelphia Eagles