A Glimpse into the Dynasty Future

Kyle Holden

Draft picks are the currency of dynasty football leagues. They are always in demand and adding them to trade discussions is probably the easiest way to get deals done. Almost every team wants to acquire draft picks, no matter what point of the year it is.

Because of their popularity, it is important to look ahead at future draft classes and compare them against the younger players already in the NFL. Dynasty League Football’s Cornerstone Rankings are a tremendous resource for this and are my favorite rankings we have to offer.

Below is a preview of my Cornerstone Rankings. It depicts how the top of the 2019 class compares to the 2017 and 2018 classes.

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

image1

#9 – N’Keal Harry, WR Arizona State

As of now, Harry is my clear top player from the 2019 class. I really like his combination of size, smooth running style, catch radius, and ability to pick up yards after the catch. He ranks just after the top six running backs from the 2017 class and ahead of every player in the 2018 class besides Saquon Barkley.

#16 – A.J. Brown, WR Ole Miss

Brown begins a run of players from the 2019 class here in the 16th slot. He comes in just behind a trio of standouts from the 2017 class, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Evan Engram, and Deshaun Watson. He is not the fastest receiver, but he catches the ball well and is great at picking up yards after the catch with some nice moves in the open field.

#17 – David Montgomery, RB Iowa State

David Montgomery’s elusiveness is off the charts. He is my top running back from the 2019 class, coming in after Sony Michel, Derrius Guice, and Nick Chubb but before Rashaad Penny, Kerryon Johnson, and Ronald Jones.

#18 – Bryan Edwards, WR South Carolina

Edwards is currently my third-ranked receiver from the 2019 class. He plays with tenacity and a “my-ball” mentality that helps him succeed in contested catch situations. If he can develop his route-running to run some crisper routes he could rise up my rankings.

#19 – Kelvin Harmon, WR North Carolina State

Harmon rounds out this mini-tier of four players from the 2019 class. He is another tall receiver who excels at contested catches down the field. He needs to improve on catching the ball away from his body, but he is a player I really enjoy watching.

#30 – Dekaylin Metcalf, WR Ole Miss

A lot of people have Metcalf ranked up with the other receivers listed above. He is an athletic freak with great size and excels in the red zone. However, I worry he will not be able to rely on his athleticism as much in the NFL. I still think he is a solid receiver, but he sits a tier below the players listed above for now. He comes in just behind Chris Godwin and Cooper Kupp in my Cornerstone rankings.

#31 – Damien Harris, RB Alabama

Harris is my second-ranked running back in the 2019 class, just behind Ronald Jones and Dekaylin Metcalf. He has a great all-around skill set, including vision and speed, but I am not sure if he has as much upside as the players I have listed ahead of him. I do think he has a solid floor as an NFL player though.

#38 – Noah Fant, TE Iowa

Fant looks like a special prospect. His athleticism is off the charts, including a 42.1” vertical. The only tight ends from the 2017-2019 classes I have ranked ahead of him are Evan Engram and David Njoku. If you cannot tell, I am really excited for Fant’s outlook in the NFL.

The Cornerstone Rankings are a great resource to use when draft picks, devy players, rookies, and sophomores are involved in the same trade. They help predict how the incoming class of college players will stack up against the young players in the NFL. Below are some strategies I use my Cornerstone Rankings for. I encourage everyone who plays in devy leagues or is familiar with college football players to create their own form of the Cornerstone Rankings and try some of the strategies listed below.

1. Trades involving NFL players and future picks

Predicting the order of future rookie draft picks is risky, but this is still a strategy that can pay off. For instance, one of my top running backs in the 2019 class is Damien Harris, who I have as my seventh overall dynasty prospect in the 2019 class and 31st among the 2017-2019 classes. He sits just behind second-year players Cooper Kupp and David Njoku. This tells me if I am trading Kupp or Njoku for 2019 picks, I am going to need to be fairly certain the pick will be the 1.07 or better.

This strategy also works in reverse. If I own a pick I project to be in the 1.08-1.10 range, I would be comfortable dealing it for a player like Kupp or Njoku. Sometimes this strategy opens your eyes about your own player evaluations. Off the top of my head, I value Njoku as a late first round pick, but looking at my Cornerstone Rankings I should be willing to give up a pick as high as 1.08 or 1.09.

This strategy seems to work better with projected late firsts because no matter how well a dynasty team performs the worst pick it can earn in a twelve team league is the 1.12. Let us take a look at my eleventh-rated 2019 prospect, Bryce Love. He ranks just behind Michael Gallup and O.J. Howard. This tells me I should be comfortable dealing Gallup or Howard for any 2019 first round pick. At the very worst, it ends up being the 1.12 and those players rank close to my 12th-best rookie anyway. If the pick ends up being somewhere in the mid-first range, I have a great chance of winning the trade.

2. Trades involving NFL players and devy players

Trades involving NFL players and devy players, instead of draft picks, are usually less risky because the players are already set instead of relying on the order of draft picks. Using the first example above, I would be comfortable trading Damien Harris if I received Cooper Kupp or a player higher in my rankings. I usually place a slight premium on the veteran side in deals like this because devy players usually carry more risk since they have not played a down in the NFL yet.

3. Finding tiers among the devy players

As you look through rankings, try to find large gaps between devy players. The key here is to use some sort of consensus rankings, as they give a better idea of how rookie average draft position might play out in upcoming rookie drafts. Just because you might have a tier break after the top five players does not necessarily mean they will be valued the same way by the consensus come draft time.

Using DLF’s Cornerstone Rankings, Bryan Edwards is currently the sixth-ranked player from the projected 2019 class and 30th among the 2017-2019 classes. The next ranked player from the 2019 class, Bryce Love, is ranked all the way down at 39th overall among the 2017-2019 classes. A lot can change from now until the 2019 NFL Draft, but these rankings suggest I should try to acquire projected top-six picks as there looks to be a tier break after the top six guys right now. Because rankings can change so quickly, this is a strategy I usually like to keep in the back of my mind until we get closer to the NFL draft.

4. Analyzing upcoming drafts

As I look ahead to future draft classes, I like to envision which years might be best to address my team needs. For instance, two years ago I had a rebuilding team that was weak at pretty much every position besides wide receiver. As a result, I created a two-year plan for how to improve my team.

In year one (2017), I knew the following 2018 class was projected to be strong at running back and potentially have a few elite quarterback prospects. As a result, I made sure I drafted a couple tight ends (Evan Engram and Jonnu Smith) from last year’s elite tight end class. I knew my team was not ready to compete, so I was okay only drafting only one running back (Dalvin Cook) and waiting for another in 2018. My team was not ready to compete yet, but it was on the right path.

This year, I drafted a second running back (Sony Michel) and addressed my quarterback need by grabbing Josh Rosen in the back end of round two. Looking ahead at the next few draft classes, I could potentially grab a promising wide receiver in the 2019 class and an elite running back in the 2020 class as my current set of backs starts to age a bit. This would round out my squad nicely. Because of my preparation outlined above, as well as some nice veteran additions over the years, my team is starting to turn into a contender.

Thanks for reading. I hope this article inspires you to create your own version of our Cornerstone Rankings. It is another tool you can use to your advantage in both trades and team analysis. As always, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @TheDevyDude if you have any questions.

[/am4show]

kyle holden
Latest posts by Kyle Holden (see all)