According to ESPN Twin Cities, Stephen Burton, a 7^th round pick in 2011, has been impressing when given 1^st team reps in OTAs. Percy Harvin has missed some practice time after shoulder surgery and, while it won’t cause him to miss any games, it has allowed Stephen Burton to get 1^st team reps opposite Michael Jenkins. An athletic player who ran a 4.44 at 6-1 224 at his Pro Day last offseason, Burton seems to be living up to his natural abilities.

Harvin will be back soon, but with Jerome Simpson starting the season with a 3 game suspension, Burton could start the season 3^rd on the depth chart ahead of Devin Aromashodu or even 2^nd ahead of Michael Jenkins, if he continues to impress. Simpson will start opposite Percy Harvin when he returns, but Burton could end up coming in on 3-wide receiver sets, where Harvin moves to the slot. Simpson is only on a one year deal, so Burton is a name to know for the future.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

The Texans don’t have any veteran receivers behind Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter after cutting Jacoby Jones earlier this offseason. Their next 3 receivers on the depth chart, in any order, are Lester Jean, DeVier Posey, and Keshawn Martin, who have 0 combined catches in the NFL. The Texans brought in Mike Sims-Walker, a veteran receiver, for a workout at the end of May, but did not sign him to a contract. However, according to Pro Football Weekly, the Texans could still be interested in signing Mike Sims-Walker. We’ll have to see if they extend him an offer. He’d be no lock to make the final roster, however.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

According to the Indianapolis Star, Donnie Avery has been “one of the bright spots” for the Colts in practice this offseason. The Colts took a flier on Avery, who was solid in 2008 and 2009 for the Rams before essentially missing the last 2 seasons with injuries. The Colts have a very thin receiving corps, with Reggie Wayne, who is heading towards that age where wide receivers fall off a cliff statistically, Austin Collie, who has never produced without Peyton Manning, and 3^rd round rookie TY Hilton.

Avery can easily win the #3 receiver job if he continues to impress in practice. He made the ridiculous claim that he can run a 4.2 40 earlier this offseason, but even if that’s not true, he could still contribute in some way to the Colts this season. The fact that he’s impressing in practice is even more impressive when you remember that Andrew Luck has not been able to attend voluntary workouts yet as he’s been finishing up classes at Stanford.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

The Buccaneers have two talented starting wide receivers in Vincent Jackson, one of their big offseason acquisitions, as well as Mike Williams, who had a big season in 2010. However, it was slot receiver Preston Parker who was singled out by quarterback Josh Freeman as someone he was excited about for this coming season. Parker caught 40 passes for 554 yards and 3 touchdowns as a slot receiver in 2011 and, with Kellen Winslow gone, Parker could see more targets over the middle this season. With Josh Freeman likely to have a bounce back season, Parker could easily improve on his 2011 production, but still probably won’t have much value in fantasy leagues.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Dorin Dickerson was one of the most fascinating prospects of the 2010 NFL Draft class. He played pretty much every position known to man at Pittsburgh, playing wide receiver, tight end, fullback, and linebacker. He also was productive in his final season at Pittsburgh, catching 49 passes for 529 yards and 10 touchdowns as primarily a tight end. He also ran the 40 in the 4.4s, but at 6-1 228, teams were not sure what position he would play at the next level.

Dickerson fell to the 7^th round for that reason and was drafted by the Houston Texans, where made absolutely no impact, catching 0 passes in 2 seasons and finishing the 2011 season on the Steelers’ and then the Patriots’ practice squad. He was signed by the Bills this offseason and has reportedly been seeing a lot of 1^st team snaps as an h-back type player. The Bills don’t have a pass catching tight end on the roster so Dickerson could see a decent amount of catches in that area of the field this season.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Alex Green was a 3^rd round pick of the Packers’ in 2011, but managed just 3 carries last year before tearing his ACL. When asked today, Green was noncommittal about Training Camp saying that he’s “not sure.” This report comes on the same day that Mike McCarthy called Brandon Saine the team’s most consistent back. Saine will compete with Green for the #2 back role behind James Starks. My money would actually be on Saine having more carries than Green this season.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Joseph Addai got a minimum contract from the Patriots this offseason, but Mike Reiss of ESPN New England believes that Addai could be the Patriots’ biggest free agent steal. Addai is 29 and doesn’t have much left in the tank, but he’s a veteran runner with good hands as a pass catcher and pass protector. Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley were both high picks of the Patriots’ last year, going in the 2^nd and 3^rd round respectively, and they are getting the 1^st team reps in OTAs, splitting them evenly.

However, Belichick is known for being unpredictable with his running backs and he does tend to favor veterans. Still, my money would be on Vereen and Ridley getting the bulk of the carries. The Patriots didn’t draft Ridley and Vereen for noithing. Addai will probably only see some passing downs behind Danny Woodhead, if he even makes the roster. For what it’s worth, Reiss does mention Addai is a “mentor-type professional,” which is a way he can provide value to the organization without stepping onto the field.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

Packers’ Head Coach Mike McCarthy singled out one running back for praise today and it’s not who you would think. James Starks and Alex Green are probably bigger names, but Brandon Saine was the one that Mike McCarthy called the most consistent of the bunch today. Saine was an undrafted free agent in 2011, but not for lack of athleticism. He ran a 4.40 at 5-11 220 at Ohio State’s Pro Day in 2011, but only surpassed 70 carries in one of his 4 collegiate seasons, maxing out at 145 in 2009. He was decent last season, rushing for 69 yards on 18 carries and catching 10 passes.

Saine is currently 2^nd on the depth chart with Alex Green still not practicing after tearing his ACL last season. Green, 2011 3^rd round pick, managed just 3 carries last season before getting hurt. Even if he opens the season 3^rd on the depth chart, he won’t be behind any proven or durable backs. James Starks is injury prone dating back to his college days and still has just 162 career carries, while Green is still noncommittal about his availability for Training Camp. Saine has some fantasy upside as a deep sleeper. I wouldn’t draft him, but he’s a name to know as he could end up with a good amount of carries this season. He’s the reason the Packers let Ryan Grant go and didn’t draft another running back this offseason.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

There has been speculation this offseason that Darrelle Revis would hold out yet again for a new deal, fueled by the fact that his original new deal was heavily front loaded and only pays him 13.5 million over the next two seasons, as well as by Revis’ comments that he was noncommittal for Training Camp. One person in the know, ESPN New York’s Rich Cimini, believes that Revis will not hold out, though he admits that’s based off “gut feeling.”

Revis has been paid like the top cornerback in the league he is over the past 2 seasons, making 32.5 million, but is owed just 13.5 million over the next 2 seasons and probably wants to be paid that 16.25 million dollar rate into the future. In fact, I’m guessing Revis’ understanding when he signed the heavily frontloaded deal was that the Jets would pay him as the top cornerback in the league for 2 years and if he continued to be the best cornerback in the league over those 2 years, they’d give him a long term deal in the 2012 NFL offseason. It’s now the 2012 offseason and Revis held up his end of the deal.

At the very least, he’ll want more than the 60 million over 5 years that Nnamdi Asomugha got from the Eagles last offseason when he was almost 4 years older. We’ll know more about how serious he is if he skips the Jets’ mandatory minicamp this week. The Jets can fine him if he does that, but the fine amount will be a drop in the ocean compared to the kind of raise he’s looking for. At the same time, there’s also a good possibility that Revis gets his new deal without holding out.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

The Jets have not had any progress in their extension talks with former 1^st round pick Dustin Keller, who is heading into a contract year. Keller told ESPN New York today that he’s “frustrated” with the situation. Keller’s frustration is undoubtedly fueled by the fact that division rival Rob Gronkowski, who has 2 years less experience than him, just got 54 million over 6 years.

Keller is obviously not on the same level as Gronkowski, but he did have 65 catches for 815 yards and 5 touchdowns on a generally stagnant passing offense last year and probably ranks among the top-5 at his position, though the Jets would probably be wise to make Keller prove it again as he was a pretty marginal tight end in his 1^st three years in the league from 2008-2010. He’ll make just over 3 million in the final year of his 5 year rookie deal in 2012 and the Jets will have the option to franchise him pretty inexpensively next offseason. The franchise tag value for tight ends this offseason was 5.446 million. He could easily go into next season without a long term deal.

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]

[switch_ad_hub]