The 2021 NFL Draft has plenty of underrated players who can contribute in your fantasy football league. One of those is UCLA’s Demetric Felton.
You can view my previous rookie profile here.
The 2021 NFL Draft is not going to compare to the 2020 loaded running back class. After the big three of Najee Harris, Travis Etienne, and Javonte Williams, many believe there is not much to be excited about. While I think there might not be plenty of feature backs, there are plenty of talented players that could have an instant impact in the NFL.
You may not start these players every week in fantasy football expecting 20+ carries, but you could easily slide them into FLEX positions throughout the season. This is true especially in dynasty. There just isn’t as many talented players on the waiver wire during the season; and getting rookies is the best way of claiming new young talent for the future of your team. One of these under the radar rookies to watch out for is Demetric Felton out of UCLA.
Waiting for His Chance
Demetric Felton was 3-star prospect in California. He played sparingly his first two years with under 300 total yards combined. In 2019, he was the main backup to Josh Kelley who was drafted by the LA Chargers in the 4th round in the NFL Draft in 2020.
In his Junior year, Felton had minimal impact on the ground. Despite that, he really made an impact out of the backfield as a pass-catcher with 55 receptions, 594 yards and 4 TDs. Even with this production, only 2 of his targets were more than 10 yards down the field. In the shortened 2020 season, Felton played in 6 games and totaled over 800 total yards and 8 TDs.
Through his 4 college years, Felton does not stand out with analytics or overall production. He did not have a break out age or a great dominator rating. But the times he did touch the ball, he showed promise and how versatile he can be. On 25% of his runs, Felton forced a missed tackle by a defender.
NFL & Fantasy Football Outlook
At UCLA, Felton had 99 receptions in college, he only lined up out wide at receiver 36 times in 2019 and 2020. Being 5’9 and 189 lbs, most scouts don’t peg Felton as a 3-down back in the NFL. So when Felton received an invite to the Senior Bowl, he decided to practice as a wide receiver. This decision paid off, as he was able to show his great route running skills in one-on-one drills against some of the top Senior DB’s in practice.
Felton showed good speed in and out of breaks and was able to fool defenders with double moves. He was also able to display his excellent hands, making tough catches near the boundary and over other defenders. In the actual Senior Bowl he showed his elusiveness scoring on a 10-yard touchdown pass.
WFT rookie star @AntonioGibson14 repped exclusively at RB in Senior Bowl after playing mostly WR at Memphis & his draft stock 📈 multiple rounds. This year @UCLAFootball RB Demetric Felton worked at WR and was electric. @demetricfelton7 will be an immediate contributor in NFL.💰 pic.twitter.com/VsYIdRDUM1
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 11, 2021
In college, Felton was a slasher and showed great toughness inside the tackles and running outside. One thing I loved about him was that unlike other smaller backs, he wouldn’t run out of bounds to avoid contact. Instead, he would cut back or even throw a shoulder or a stiff arm to gain extra yards. Felton was very patient following his blocks and was shifty enough to avoid tacklers and keeping his legs moving to run through arm tackles.
On 25% of Felton’s runs, he caused a missed tackle and had over 3 yards after contact per attempt. Although he is elusive and shows power for his size, he has difficulty with is his vision on cut-back runs. He also has trouble proving his power if he is met early in the backfield. While he does not have elite speed he shows great burst and quickness on tape and can stop and accelerate very well in the open field.
What will help Felton’s stock is his versatility. Being able to be deployed in the backfield, in the slot, or out wide as a receiver is a big mismatch for offenses. Some examples of players that have shown the importance of a role like this are James White and Nyheim Hines.
With most teams no longer using one workhorse at running back, trying to diversify the backfield with players that have different styles is becoming the norm. The NFL has become more wide open, so it is all about getting matchups with athletes open in space. I think that is one of Felton’s best traits and he will get drafted in the mid rounds in fantasy football drafts because of that.
Felton needs to go to a team that will not try and run him in traditional ways. Some teams that would be interesting to see Felton drafted to would be Jacksonville, the Las Vegas Raiders, or Tampa Bay.
In terms of fantasy football value, Felton is an interesting stash and can be probably taken in 4th round of rookie drafts; or picked up off the waiver wire afterward. He may never be a fantasy football star, but in dynasty, championships can be won by evaluating and finding underrated players that you can plug in because of injuries or other unforeseen circumstances.
One of my favorite comps in this draft is Demetric Felton to Nyheim Hines. Hines is probably a little bit more explosive but both are former wide receivers transitioned to running back. Strong runners despite size, home run speed, pass catchers, and love the spin move pic.twitter.com/BINCvVqsXi
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) March 14, 2021
Brandon Haye
Brandon grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and works as a health insurance data analyst. He has no children, but two fur babies - Squirt and Brownie. He and his wife, Katie, spend their time playing poker and enjoying time with their pups. Brandon is a huge Michigan Wolverine and Jacksonville Jaguars fan. He at one time was in 77 fantasy leagues and loves the game of football. Brandon started writing for The Leauge Winners in 2021.