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.
Yesterday, I shared what a potential first round of a dynasty rookie draft might look like and now here is the second group of 12 rookies.
2.01 – CJ Prosise, RB
Pick: Round 3, Pick 73
Team: Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins have tried harder than any other team to add some running back help, yet have not been successful. They’ve been linked to Alfred Morris, Arian Foster, Chris Johnson and CJ Anderson, among others, yet none have worked out. Currently, second year back Jay Ajayi is expected to be the team’s starter, though the Dolphins don’t seem comfortable with that given Ajayi’s injury history. Landing a quality, do it all back like Prosise would be perfect for Miami and he could immediately be valued over Ajayi.
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2.02 – Devontae Booker, RB
Pick: Round 3, Pick 94
Team: Denver Broncos
I have my concerns about the NFL prospects of former Utah back Devontae Booker, but the Broncos are looking for another runner to pair with CJ Anderson. They also just agreed on a deal to bring back Ronnie Hillman, so this is one pick that may not come to be. Based on what I saw from him in college, I wouldn’t consider Booker a threat to Anderson, until I remember that Denver did everything it could to take the starting role away from him. It makes me wonder why they even brought him back.
2.03 – Hunter Henry, TE
Pick: Round 2, Pick 50
Team: Atlanta Falcons
This has not been thought of as a deep group of rookie tight ends, but the cream of the crop through most of the pre-draft process has been Arkansas’ Hunter Henry, whose value was boosted up by the decisions’ of OJ Howard, Bucky Hodges and Evan Engram to return to school. Atlanta and Green Bay have been viewed as prime landing spots for tight ends for the past couple of seasons and adding Henry to Julio Jones and, according to Dane, Tyler Boyd, would really give Matt Ryan and the Atlanta offense a much needed boost.
2.04 – Pharoh Cooper, WR
Pick: Round 3, Pick 95
Team: Detroit Lions
Former South Carolina all purpose player Pharoh Cooper has taken some hits over the past few months, maybe even more severe than some of the shots he took on the field. As draftniks and analysts have dug deep into Cooper’s game, not all have liked what they saw. Of course, that could have something to do with the troubled season the Gamecocks had in 2015. When I watched Cooper, I saw a player that could do a little bit of everything. Because of that, Cooper has drawn comparisons to Randall Cobb. Like Cobb showed us last year, he might not be cut out to be a true WR1, and I think the same can be said of Cooper, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a productive fantasy scorer. We know the Lions need bodies at the receiver position, following the surprise retirement of superstar Calvin Johnson. While no one is filling the cleats of Johnson, they must have some help for Golden Tate and Marvin Jones. My concern with this potential trio is that I see three WR2 type players and no WR1.
2.05 – Braxton Miller, WR
Pick: Round 3, Pick 76
Team: Tennessee Titans
Much like Cooper, former Ohio State receiver (and quarterback) Braxton Miller has his share of doubters. It’s hard to blame them. After making the transition for quarterback to wideout look easy in the 2015 season’s opening game, Miller was largely held in check the remainder of the season. He had very few plays of over 20 yards and while he could become a successful “gadget” player, I think he will have more value to his NFL team than to fantasy teams. He’s also older than the majority of rookie wideouts and landing with the Titans would present a major challenge for the inexperienced Miller. With Kendall Wright, Dorial Green-Beckham, Rishard Matthews and Delanie Walker all presumably ahead of Miller for targets, he could be 25 years old before he plays a meaningful role for an NFL team.
2.06 – Rashard Higgins, WR
Pick: Round 4, Pick 101
Team: Dallas Cowboys
I really wanted to like wide receiver Rashard Higgins. After all, he put up an unreal season back in 2014 that really put him on the map. While regression was a given considering his 96 receptions for 1,750 yards and 17 touchdowns would’ve been hard to match. Higgins’ 75/1,062/8 line was a bit disappointing though. Higgins followed that up with a poor performance at the NFL Combine, further adding to his doubters. Higgins desperately needs to add some bulk to his frame as he weighs just 190 pounds despite standing 6’2”. In this situation, the good news is The Cowboys are yet another team looking for help behind their stud wideout, Dez Bryant. I don’t necessarily see Higgins as a player who can step right in and contribute, but Dallas would be among the ideal locations for any receiver.
2.07 – Charone Peake, WR
Pick: Round 5, Pick 149
Team: New York Giants
You’re probably starting to notice a them. A LOT of NFL teams have a need at wide receiver. Among those teams are the New York Giants, who have Odell Beckham and not much else. Side note: This team let Rueben Randle walk to a division rival despite their huge need at the position. Much like the Dallas Cowboys and running backs, nearly any receiver landing in New York will see a spike in value and could quickly rise up rookie draft boards. Charone Peake is receiving quite a bit of attention, at least in part due to the recent success of wide receivers coming out of Clemson. With DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins, Martavis Bryant all performing at a high level, attention is on the Tiger program. This, of course, does not guarantee anything for Peake, but playing opposite of Beckham would help his dynasty value.
2.08 – Alex Collins, RB
Pick: Round 3, Pick 84
Team: Washington Redskins
With my general dynasty strategy of devaluing running backs, the prime spot to load up on this position is the mid-late second round of rookie drafts. After all, most of the talented receivers are gone by this point and the depth of veterans at the quarterback and tight end positions often eliminates another group of players from consideration. That leaves second and third tier running backs. None of these players are considered “sure things” but every year, one or two new fantasy starters comes from this range of rookie drafts. With the Redskins loss of Alfred Morris, they will be looking to add a hard running back and Alex Collins, the second Arkansas runner off the board, fits the bill. I don’t see him overtaking Matt Jones, but they should complement each other well.
2.09: Jordan Howard, RB
Pick: Round 4, Pick 106
Team: Chicago Bears
We see a similar situation in Chicago, who are left with second year back Jeremy Langford after letting Matt Forte walk in free agency. While Langford was surprisingly impressive during his rookie season, the team must add another back. Howard is another big man who can run over and through defenders. Also as in Washington, I would expect the more experienced back to retain his job, but Howard could emerge with some surprising value.
2.10 – Paul Perkins, RB
Pick: Round 4, Pick 137
Team: Green Bay Packers
This running back landing spot is not as clear. While Paul Perkins is considered by most to be more talented than some of the players selected ahead of him, ending up behind both Eddie Lacy and James Starks likely put him on the bench for his entire rookie season. The good news for Perkins would be the opportunity that could come in 2017. There are already rumors this could be the final season for Eddie Lacy in Green Bay and veteran James Starks could also be gone following this season. Rostering Perkins would require some patience, but could be very profitable.
2.11 – Jared Goff, QB
Pick: Round 1, Pick 1
Team: Los Angeles Rams
The quarterback value in dynasty leagues is at an all-time low and even a player deemed good enough to be selected at the top overall pick in the NFL Draft could easily fall to the late second round, or even later. In St. Louis, Jared Goff would be the team’s starter, but would have few options in the passing game. Outside of a superflex or 2QB league, there is simply little demand for unproven signal callers.
2.12 – Keyarris Garrett, WR
Pick: Round 5, Pick 162
Team: Kansas City Chiefs
One rookie who has gone from relative unknown to firmly on the dynasty radar is big man Keyarris Garrett. He once was a solid looking option in the third, or even fourth round of rookie drafts, but the hype and attention has been building. That could easily push Garrett to the late second round. I don’t necessarily view Kansas City as a good landing spot, considering Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce will dominate the targets from Alex Smith, but Garrett could easily earn a role as early as his rookie season.
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- Dynasty Statistical Edges: Week Three - September 28, 2023
- Dynasty Blueprint: Week Three - September 27, 2023
- Dynasty Statistical Edges: Week Two - September 21, 2023
