Which rookies are going to be relevant to your fantasy team in 2008?  Let’s have a look…

Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland – McFadden will have to earn the starting job in camp; incumbent Justin Fargas had a fine season, but he should do it.  McFadden may not have the immediate impact that Adrian Peterson did, but he’s got speed that’s absolutely breathtaking, combined with good vision, and very good quickness.  He was pretty durable in college, which is a little surprising given how slight his legs are (we’d prefer to see running backs with tree-trunk thighs).  All in all, he’s one of the best bets for an immediate impact among rookies, and should be at least a decent #2 running back this year, if not more.

Darren McFadden - Oak

Jake Long, OT, Miami – No fantasy stats for Long, of course, but with draft picks Long, Shawn Murphy and Donald Thomas and free agent pickup Justin Smiley, no team did more to upgrade their offensive line than the Miami Dolphins.  There’s some debate as to whether Long is best suited at right or left tackle, but one thing even his biggest detractors will concede is that he’s an absolute road-grader in the running game.  Long’s presence (as well as that of his new line mates) should allow Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to be a first-rate 1-2 punch for the Dolphins if those guys can stay healthy.  With some good health, there’s no reason this team won’t be able to run the ball as well as Jacksonville does. 

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta – Frankly, we thought Ryan was severely overrated, and the Falcons reached on him.  That said, Ryan certainly has the skill set to be a good NFL passer, and he’ll certainly be better than stiffs like Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich and Chris Redman were.  (To be fair, Redman was actually pretty good for Atlanta, but the rest of his career shows that he’s basically a lousy QB who hit a hot streak.)  Long term, he could be a good one.

Derrick Harvey, DE, Jacksonville – The Jags paid a hefty price tag to get Harvey, but he’s a good pass rusher who will fit well into their defense.  Adding Quentin Groves later in the draft will help as well.  The Jags had a good defense that was missing a pass rush.  Now, they’ve added two of the best pass rushers in the draft, and should easily be a top 10 defense.

Jonathan Stewart, RB and Jeff Otah, OT Carolina – Stewart was graded by a few people as a better running back than Darren McFadden, at least before he got hurt.  Look for Stewart to get every shot at grabbing the starting job from the disappointing DeAngelo Williams.  Otah helps to stabilize an offensive line that was on the decline, which will also help Stewart, or Williams, or whoever’s running the ball.  It should also keep Jake Delhomme or Matt Moore upright long enough to find Steve Smith.

Jonathan Stewart - Car

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Pittsburgh – This pick surprised a lot of people, but Willie Parker’s sudden inability to find the end zone, combined with his slight build, meant that eventually, a bigger, stronger back was going to be brought in to The Burgh.  Mendenhall is a good 20 pounds heavier than Parker, and runs with more power.  Look for him to be used inside the five a lot more than Fast Willie.  At worst, Mendenhall should be a useful touchdown vulture and maybe much more.

Felix Jones, RB, Dallas – Marion Barber owners began banging their heads against the wall the moment this was announced.  Barber has everything you need in a feature back.  However, Felix, like another Jones before him (Julius) will cut into Barber’s carries enough to make him a good #2 rather than a respectable #1 RB.  For his part, Jones has excellent speed and great hands, which could cut into Barber’s receptions a bit. 

Dustin Keller, TE, NY Jets – The Jets haven’t had a decent pass-catching tight end in a dog’s age.  Keller is basically an oversized wide receiver (the NFL Network put it bluntly by listing among his weaknesses “Won’t Block”), but that’s just what the Jets’ offense needs.  A pass-catching tight end can be a great asset to a young quarterback, and Kellen Clemens will surely benefit from having a safety valve like Keller.

Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, NY Jets – Gholston should prove to be one of the best individual defenders in this draft class.  He’s an awesome pass rusher who could easily ring up double-digit sacks in his rookie season.  The Jets’ defense will still be terrible, but in IDLs, Gholston presents a potentially good option.

Devin Thomas, WR, Malcolm Kelly, WR and Fred Davis, TE, Washington – Well, new coach Jim Zorn was certainly interested in upgrading the targets in the passing game.  Thomas and Kelly were regarded as two of the top receivers in this year’s class, and more importantly, add an element of size to a smurf-like receiving corps.  Davis gives the Redskins the ability to use some 2 TE sets with Chris Cooley and maybe create some mismatches that way.  None of these guys will help your fantasy team this year, in all likelihood, but they should help Jason Campbell a lot.

DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia – Much like their division rivals, the Eagles picked a guy who’s not going to help your fantasy team right away, but he will help their offense a lot.  Jackson’s a bit small, but fits perfectly into the spread-the-field approach the Eagles figure to utilize: Brian Westbrook, Kevin Curtis, Reggie Brown, Jackson and the newly-acquired Lorenzo Booker give the Eagles a ton of talent in the passing game.  If Donovan McNabb can stay healthy, this offense could be a fantasy goldmine.

Kevin Smith, RB, Detroit – Smith has all the look of a guy who’s ready to snap up a starting job.  He’s got eternal disappointment Tatum Bell in front of him, for one.  For another, Smith was obscenely productive in college.  Sure, that was against largely mediocre competition, but Smith has the goods to be an NFL starter, and we look for the Lions to emphasize the running game more this year than last, now that Mike Martz is out. 

Earl Bennett, WR, Chicago – If you want to see a rookie receiver who will make an immediate impact, this might be the guy.  Bennett is a very smart receiver who knows how to get open and make tough catches.  More to the point, have you seen the guys in front of him in Chicago?  Devin Hester is exciting, but might as well have feet for hands, and the rest of their receivers are just terrible.  A late round pick on Bennett, particularly if he wins a starting job in camp, could pay big dividends.

Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City – Make no mistake: Charles is a backup.  He’s not going to unseat Larry Johnson unless Johnson gets hurt.  However, we were worried about Johnson last year, and he ended up committing assault and battery on fantasy teams far and wide.  Suddenly, one has to be concerned if he’s in an Earl Campbell-like decline.  Charles is, at minimum, a necessary handcuff, and could be a guy who will pay dividends sooner than later.