What If? Rookie Mock Draft: Round One

Ryan McDowell Posted On April 20, 2016

With the NFL Draft quickly approaching, it seems that everyone and their brother has released a mock draft. But not many of those are full seven round mock drafts. That’s what Dane Brugler, draft analyst for CBS, has done and as I have in the past, I wondered what a dynasty rookie draft might look like if Dane’s projections came true.

1.01 – Ezekiel Elliott, RB

Pick: Round 1, Pick 8

Team: Philadelphia Eagles

There is little intrigue at this point when it comes to the top overall selection in rookie drafts. While there are still some strong minded Laquon Treadwell supporters out there, myself included, former Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott is the heavy favorite to be the top pick in the majority of drafts and unlike most running backs, landing spot doesn’t really matter. The Eagles are one of the teams who have been rumored to be very interested in Elliott and he would replace DeMarco Murray as the team’s starter. There have also been rumors of a Ryan Mathews trade, which could take place if Zeke lands in the City of Brotherly Love.

[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]

1.02 – Josh Doctson, WR

Pick: Round 1, Pick 24

Team: Cincinnati Bengals

Since early in the off-season, the hype surrounding former TCU receiver Josh Doctson has been building and with the NFL viewing several wide receivers in the same range of the late first and early second round, dynasty owners may end up using situation to determine the players’ value. With the wide open depth chart in Cincinnati due to the departure of Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, Doctson could immediately fill the void alongside star AJ Green, though he’d likely be the third option in the passing game, at best.

1.03 – Laquon Treadwell, WR

Pick: Round 1, Pick 23

Team: Minnesota Vikings

If you believe all of the mock drafts that are floating around, it is a near certainty that the Minnesota Vikings will select a wide receiver in the first round. After all, both Charles Johnson and Mike Wallace were huge disappointments last season and the latter is now gone. It also is inevitable that the wideout selected by the Vikes will take a hit in value. While Teddy Bridgewater was once viewed as a high end dynasty asset, his subpar 2015 season has destroyed all thoughts of him as a fantasy impact player. In Minnesota, Treadwell would have the opportunity to become the team’s number one option immediately, with Stefon Diggs sliding to the WR2 role.

1.04 – Corey Coleman, WR

Pick: Round 2, Pick 32

Team: Cleveland Browns

At this point, I want to simply avoid all Cleveland Browns’ players so seeing one of my favorite prospects landing there early in the second round would sting, but it is very possible. With the departure of Travis Benjamin and the unknown status of Josh Gordon, the Browns’ receiver depth chart is barren. They must add multiple players at that position and their second round pick is really their first chance to do that. Corey Coleman was a big playmaker for the explosive Baylor offense and the Browns would hope he can repeat that for them. While he should see plenty of targets in this scenario, it can’t be one Coleman fans are hoping for.

1.05 – Derrick Henry, RB

Pick: Round 2, Pick 44

Team: Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders have been rumored to be looking for running back help all off-season and in Dane’s mock, they find it and then some, selecting Heisman winner Derrick Henry in the second round. Henry’s future in the league has bene called into question, with some thought that he could be too big to effectively play the position in the NFL. There’s also concern about his lack of agility, but pairing him with Latavius Murray could be ideal for both imperfect backs. I would give Henry the edge in this situation and adding him to that young Oakland offense is enough to push him into the top five.

1.06 – Will Fuller, WR

Pick: Round 1, Pick 22

Team: Houston Texans

There have been rumors circulating for the past week or so that Notre Dame’s Will Fuller could actually be the first receiver off the board and that is how Dane sees it as well. While Fuller leapfrogging Treadwell, Doctson and Coleman would be noteworthy, I don’t think it would be enough to cause the same action in rookie drafts, though it would certainly help his dynasty stock overall. Fuller landing in Houston would allow him to claim the WR2 spot early on. We had the same hopes for Jaelen Strong a season ago, but that has not worked out. Fuller possesses the speed that Strong doesn’t and could be a perfect counterpart for DeAndre Hopkins.

1.07 – Sterling Shepard, WR

Pick: Round 2, Pick 62

Team: Carolina Panthers

Despite their success in 2015, the Carolina Panthers still have some questions when it come to the receiver position. They should have Kelvin Benjamin back and Devin Funchess now has a year under his belt, but there is some redundancy between those two players. Adding a player like Sterling Shepard could add a new dynamic for Cam Newton and that offense. Shepard is viewed as one of the best route runners available in the draft. Like some of the other rookies already mentioned, Shepard would have the opportunity for playing time from day one, which is attractive to dynasty owners when selecting rookies.

1.08 – Michael Thomas, WR

Pick: Round 2, Pick 37

Team: San Francisco 49ers

It was only a year ago that fantasy players wanted every piece of a Chip Kelly offense they could muster. Now, after a massive failure in Philadelphia, Kelly has moved out west and the 49ers offense is in shambles. There is uncertainly at the quarterback position and the wide receiver corps is well below average. Adding Michael Thomas, a big but polished wideout from Ohio State, would help, but this is another team I’m avoiding if at all possible. Even the potential of Thomas being the top pass catcher on the team still can’t move him up much higher than this.

1.09 – Kenneth Dixon, RB

Pick: Round 3, Pick 71

Team: New York Giants

We’ve talked a lot about the gaps many teams have at wide receiver, but there are several teams in desperate need of running backs as well. One of those is the New York Giants, whose three headed system of Shane Vereen–Rashad Jennings–Andre Williams was less than inspiring in 2015. Adding a talented back like Dixon, who can see equal levels of success as a runner as receiver out of the backfield, could replace a couple of those players. This landing spot would boost Dixon’s stock and should secure his spot as a first round rookie pick in dynasty leagues.

1.10 – Tyler Boyd, WR

Pick: Round 3, Pick 81

Team: Atlanta Falcons

Once viewed as a certain top five rookie draft option, the stock of former Pittsburgh receiver Tyler Boyd has been steadily declining over the past year, due to some off-field issues and the perception of a poor statistical season in 2015. Ending up in Atlanta to potentially take the place of Roddy White could repair that value though. Although the Falcons overspent for Sanu, I think they would realize Boyd is the better player in short order.

1.11 – Leonte Carroo, WR

Pick: Round 4, Pick 104

Team: Baltimore Ravens

If you’ve been actively following the dynasty Twitter community, you probably already know former Rutgers receiver Leonte Carroo has been a hot topic for weeks. My expectation has been that the Carroo love has been so strong that he could crack to the top five of rookie drafts, but our own Kevin Obrien recently floated an interesting idea. What if the NFL simply isn’t as high on Carroo as dynasty players are? This happens nearly every year and the true test is how we react to what the NFL is telling us. If Carroo were to fall to the fourth round as Dane predicts, it should certainly affect his dynasty value, though many may completely ignore those signs. While the Ravens’ depth chart is suddenly crowded with a bunch of recognizable names, I’m not sure how high the quality of those players really is. While the drop in the draft could hurt Carroo’s short term value, the overall outlook would still be positive.

1.12 – Jonathan Williams, RB

Pick: Round 4, Pick 135

Team: Dallas Cowboys

Much of the talk this off-season has centered around the Dallas Cowboys and their running back position. While they’ve already added veteran Alfred Morris, it would not be a surprise if they also drafted a rookie and whoever that player is, he’s in store for a value bump. Jonathan Williams, who missed his final season at Arkansas with an injury, is an intriguing player who has seemingly been gaining value of late. Being the lucky rookie to land in Dallas would only add to that and could even push him into the late first round of rookie drafts.

I’ll be back with a “What if?” second round tomorrow!

[/am4show]

Author
Recent Posts

Ryan McDowell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

In addition to his senior leadership role here at DLF, Ryan is also a husband, father of three and PE teacher. Ryan is the commissioner of multiple dynasty leagues, most notably the Kitchen Sink Dynasty Leagues. Here at DLF, Ryan’s focus is on identifying, monitoring and analyzing player value.