The 2018 NFL Draft Prospect series breaks down draft-eligible players, highlighting their college production as well as their NFL potential. It’s important for daily fantasy players to know about NFL rookies before they’ve played a down of professional football because they are among the most misvalued assets in all of DFS. People who know NFL rookies have a significant DFS edge. The draft will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, from April 26-28.
This piece is on Florida wide receiver Antonio Callaway, who has declared early for the draft. For the total list of all players leaving school early, see our underclassmen tracker.
For more on all the other receivers in the class, see our 2018 NFL draft wide receiver rankings.
Updated as of Mar. 15.
Junior | 5’11″ and 200 Pounds | Born January 9, 1997 (Age: 21) | Projection: Rounds 5-7
Combine numbers: 40-yard: 4.41 sec | bench reps: DNP | 3-cone: DNP | 20-yard shuttle: DNP | vertical: 34 in | broad: 121 in
Callaway is an incredibly polarizing player. As a true freshman he led Florida with 678 yards and four touchdowns receiving, and he also chipped in 19 yards rushing, two punt return touchdowns, and a passing touchdown. As a sophomore he again led the team in receiving, turning 54 receptions into 721 yards and three touchdowns, and he contributed as both a runner (five carries for 32 yards and a touchdown) and a return man (315 return yards and one touchdown). With his versatile skill set, Callaway is very much in the mold of Florida predecessor Percy Harvin: The last draftable player from the Southeastern Conference with touchdowns as a receiver, runner, and punt and kick returner was first-rounder Cordarrelle Patterson. As a player, Callaway has immense upside.
As a person, though, he’s problematic. After his freshman year he was charged with sexual assault (the charges were eventually dropped — which is normally what happens with top-tier athletes), and after his sophomore year he was cited for marijuana possession. And then, before his junior year even started, he was suspended for the season because of his participation in a credit card fraud ring with some teammates. Despite his talent, some scouts and front office executives reportedly view Callaway as undraftable. Even so, the odds are that he will be drafted. He’s a good athlete — physically the receiver to whom he’s most comparable is 2004 first-rounder and two-time 1,000-yard receiver Lee Evans — and there are plenty of decision makers in the league who don’t mind taking risks in the draft when it comes to premium talent. A bigger version of Tyreek Hill — who also scored as a receiver, runner, and kick and punt returner in college — Callaway will probably join Hill as a Day 3 selection with Day 1 talent.
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Matthew Freedman is the Editor-in-Chief of FantasyLabs. He has a dog and sometimes a British accent. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he’s known only as The Labyrinthian.
Photo Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports
