Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson had to be doing backflips in the war room when Johnathan Franklin fell to the bottom of the fourth round. Once the UCLA product was within their grasp, even after picking up Eddie Lacy in the second round, the Packers decided to trade up for Franklin.
The additions of these two young running backs provides Green Bay with some top of the line young talent in the backfield that it hasn't boasted in nearly a decade. Needless to say, they are going to help Aaron Rodgers out a great deal.
Through a fantasy lens, Franklin could be an intriguing option for fantasy owners looking at the bargain bin when drafts roll around. That's what this article is going to focus on.
College Stats | Year | Rush | Yards | AVG | Rec | Yards | TD |
| 2009 | 126 | 566 | 4.5 | 6 | 57 | 5 |
| 2010 | 214 | 1,127 | 5.3 | 10 | 63 | 8 |
| 2011 | 166 | 976 | 5.9 | 9 | 74 | 6 |
| 2012 | 282 | 1,734 | 6.1 | 33 | 323 | 15 |
Through solely a fantasy perspective, Franklin is a better option than Lacy in both standard re-draft leagues and dynasty leagues. He projects to be a three-down running back moving forward and could provide mid-tier RB2 numbers, even as a rookie in 2013. That being said, Lacy should take some short-yardage and red-zone rush attempts from Franklin. The Alabama product is stronger at the point of contact and can gain those extra yards that are needed to have a successful running game.
In essence, it could be a similar situation as the one we saw in San Diego with Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert in 2011 as well as Matt Forte and Michael Bush in Chicago last year.
This may limit Franklin's fantasy value early in his career.
According to My Fantasy League, Franklin's ADP in dynasty leagues is 27.08, which is just ahead of Marcus Lattimore of the San Francisco 49ers. On average, Franklin is the fifth rookie running back off the board in those types of leagues.
Now that represents value. There is no way that someone like Montee Ball, who touched the ball over 250 more times than Franklin over the past two seasons, should have a higher ADP.
As is the case in most dynasty league drafts, it is all about getting value for the following year. More importantly, it's about being able to pick up rookies who have the ability to produce long term. As it relates to Franklin, he will be the most productive long-term running back of this draft class outside of a healthy Marcus Lattimore.
That tells you all you need to know at this point. Expect stellar production from Franklin in 2013 with an uptick in performance the following season.
2013 Stat Projections: 224 attempts, 1,008 rushing yards, 35 receptions, 321 yards and seven touchdowns.