Can you smell it? Football is in the air! Even if the games are fairly meaningless right now, they at least signal that the real season is just around the corner! For those of you with late rookie drafts or who are trying to work in a few trades before the season starts, I gathered eleven of DLF’s finest for one last quick mock draft.
For this mock, we assumed standard PPR scoring without any positional bonuses. We also did not allow trades and assumed it was only a one quarterback league.
If you missed the first round of the mock, you can find it here. Let’s take a look at the second round of the mock.
2.01 – JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR PHI
2.02 – Kyler Murray, QB ARI
2.03 – Damien Harris, RB NE
2.04 – Marquise Brown, WR BAL
Depending on your scoring and the preferences in your league, most of these players will be considered in the last part of the first round as well. Most of them have been in that discussion since the draft. The one player who has been slipping a bit is Brown. His slow recovery from his foot injury has continued to push his stock down a little bit. He is one player who I’m staying away from even at this price. Between the injury, his size and the offense he is on, I’m looking elsewhere at this price tag.
JJAW is a player I really like who has been having a great camp. I don’t think he’ll be a consistent fantasy producer as a rookie due to the veteran pass-catchers ahead of him, but he is a great long-term play. He might rise as high as the third receiver for the Eagles, but that means he is the fourth or maybe even fifth target on the team. A lot of the veterans ahead of him are aging and nearing the end of their contracts though, so he could realistically become one of the top targets within a year or two.
Murray is a wild card if we ever saw one. Everyone knows the story about his production and his size. We also need to factor in the first time head coach (Kliff Kingsbury) who is trying to instill a college offense behind an offensive line which was historically bad last year. This experiment in Arizona is going to be explosive, one way or the other – disaster or huge success. If you need a quarterback, it is worth taking a shot on him at this point.
How you feel about Harris is directly tied to how you feel about Sony Michel. If you think Michel has a complete skill set and can carry the load, then you likely aren’t looking too much at Harris. However, if you think Michel is more of a complement to someone else, then Harris in the early second is a great deal. Of the two, I think Michel is the better running back, so I’m staying away from Harris. I think he is going to be the minor part of a committee.
2.05 – Devin Singletary, RB BUF
2.06 – Terry McLaurin, WR WAS
2.07 – Andy Isabella, WR ARI
2.08 – Mecole Hardman, WR KC
With all of the hype coming out of Buffalo, I was expecting Singletary to go a little earlier. I’m happy to see him go more in the middle of the round, because I think that is where he belongs. The hype of him earning the starting role was a bit overstated. While LeSean McCoy is aging and Frank Gore is already ancient, I think they are the combo the Bills are going to roll with this year. Next year, I expect the Bills to bring in some other people to complete with Singletary for a role. He might win that battle, but it is far from certain.
McLaurin is one of the biggest risers of the summer. He wasn’t drafted in our mock before the draft, as a middle third after the draft, and is now in the middle of the second round. His work ethic as well as his chemistry with his college teammate Dwayne Haskins, mixed in with a weak depth chart in Washington, has propelled him into the conversation as a starter. While I don’t think his talent level is good enough to sustain him as a fantasy starter for the next five years, I do think he might be in the perfect storm for early-career production.
Isabella is another high hype player this summer. I do find it interesting that he hasn’t been the most hyped rookie receiver on his own team though. This is partially due to missing some time due to a knee injury. He’ll need to step it up over the next few weeks to earn a spot in three-receiver sets for the mystery offense of the Cardinals. I would have taken a few others ahead of him, but I don’t have any major issues with him in at this point.
Now that Tyreek Hill seems to have avoided any kind of suspension, which is beyond crazy, I was expecting Hardman to fall a lot more in the draft. I think Hardman is more of a return specialist than a receiver at this point in his career. He is raw with a ways to go, but the long term outlook for Hill and the rest of the Chiefs’ receivers is questionable at best. Given the quarterback play they saw last year, Hardman is a long term gamble that might pay off.
2.09 – Darwin Thompson, RB KC
2.10 – Irv Smith Jr., TE MN
2.11 – Miles Boykin, WR BAL
2.12 – Alexander Mattison, RB MN
Thompson wasn’t on the radar of many people a few months ago. However, injuries have given him the opportunity to shine on what might be one of the best offenses in the league. He has looked great so far in camp, which has pushed him up into the second round. I don’t think he is going to see significant playing time this year if everyone stays healthy ahead of him; however, you can never bet on running backs staying healthy. He’s a home run swing that just might pay off!
Smith was rising fast after the draft. Then, Kyle Rudolph signed an extension and some of that shine was taken off Smith. I still think he is worth a pick in the back half of the second round because tight ends always take time to develop. If Rudolph is around for another three years, that really doesn’t impact Smith as much as some think. He can develop and possibly take over as the main tight end in year two or more likely year three. Be patient with him and all tight ends.
Boykin is one of my favorite picks outside the top 20. In fact, if I had to choose between Boykin at the 2.11 or his teammate Brown at the 2.04, I think Boykin is the better value. He has the size and athletic ability to be a starting receiver for the Ravens, and there isn’t a whole lot in front of him on the depth chart. I think he has the potential to start this year at some point with huge upside. He’s a great pick at this point in a draft.
Mattison has been a pretty steady occurrence in the late second and early third ever since the draft. I don’t think he has the talent to be a fantasy RB1, but if he had a starting role he could push towards high-end RB2 production. The question is if he is going to get that chance. He isn’t going to beat out Dalvin Cook, but the injury history is pretty long for the starter. Just about any snap could be the one which gives Mattison his shot.
That’s it for round two. Who do you feel is too high or too low in this mock? Let us know!
- Final 2021 Pre-Draft Rookie Mock: Round Three - April 28, 2021
- Final 2021 Pre-Draft Rookie Mock: Round Two - April 26, 2021
- Final 2021 Pre-Draft Rookie Mock: Round One - April 25, 2021
Kyler and Isabella are bold calls that low IMO… Cards might well give up 45 points every game this season, on defense, but if Kliff’s offensive attempt numbers from college are any indication (as well as Izzy’s profile), these two are more likely to become elite dynasty assets than more than half of those listed in the 13 prior… would love to see a more thorough analysis that balances the potential pitfalls of drafting Kyler highly with the potential league-winning upside (which would you rather have had as a year-2 dynasty player: Corey Davis, Dalvin Cook, Fournette, Brandin Cooks, or Mahomes?)
