Post-Combine Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: Round Two
Now that the NFL Scouting Combine has come and gone, we are entering the meat of the NFL Draft season. For a few of us, this time of year is almost more exciting than the actual games! It is still extremely early in the season, but I gathered 11 of DLF’s finest and went through a three-round mock draft. The rules of the draft were simple. Three rounds, no trading, take the best fantasy player asset available.
For this mock, we assumed balanced PPR scoring and only a single starting quarterback. I’ll be posting a follow up for those of you who are superflex/2QB people.
Please keep in mind this is very early in the process. Opinions can and will change drastically between now and when rookie drafts actually happen. Here is what we are thinking as of now though.
If you missed round one, you can read it here.
2.01- Zack Moss, RB Utah
2.02 – Denzel Mims, WR Baylor
2.03 – Bryan Edwards, WR South Carolina
2.04 – AJ Dillon, RB Boston College
At the current point in time, I feel like there is a tier drop right near the end of the first round. In this next tier, things are still very fuzzy at this point in the draft process. I think just about any of these players in the second round could go early or late in the round based on personal preference at this point in time.
Moss has one of the best builds of all of the running backs in this class, and he knows how to use it. He is a violent runner who tends to break weak tackling attempts and punishes defenders. He excels near the line and in short-yardage situations while also having plus ability in the passing game. This running style and three-down ability were the main reasons our drafter took him at 2.01. The major concerns with him come down to his athletic profile. The Combine confirmed the lack of big-play ability is due to substandard athleticism, and there are also the injuries to worry about. I see him as the thunder to someone else’s lightning at the next level. By the time the dust settles, I think he’s more of a middle to late second-rounder.
One of the darlings of the Combine, Mims is going to be one of the biggest risers leading up to the draft. It is easy to see what people like when you look at his size and speed, which is what attracted our drafter to him. He was also fairly productive for the Baylor Bears even though the team as a whole was unsteady at times. He is a great athlete who excels at the point of the catch. On the downside, he is very raw, especially when it comes to his routes and using that big frame. Some have also called into question his competitiveness and focus at times, which has resulted in far too many drops. If a team can help him grow, he could be huge.
If you are a fan of breakout age, you have been all over Edwards for several years now. After being productive as a 17-year-old true freshman, he has been on people’s radars. When you add in the big frame and four years of production, you get the mix of potential which attracts drafters, like our own in this mock. Reading all of that might make you wonder a few things, like how come he didn’t enter the draft last year. Injuries were part of the reason as he has struggled with lower-body issues. The other part comes down to the fact that I don’t see him as an alpha. Some do, but I think he’s much more of a complement than “the guy”. Don’t get me wrong, every team needs second and third receivers, but for fantasy, they need to be on high-volume offenses to matter. His draft spot matters more than most.
The final pick of the early second round was AJ Dillon. Highly productive during his time at Boston College, Dillon made some news when he made the controversial decision to forgo his team’s bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft. Regardless of how you feel about that, there is no denying he is a physical beast at the position at six feet tall and nearly 250 pounds. Mix in his 40-yard dash time and you have a massive speed score, which is part of the attraction. He is a no-nonsense rusher who is pretty much going straight downhill. He lacks anything that could be considered elusiveness, and his skill in the passing game is suspect, which means he could be purely a two-down thumper at the next level. Personally, I feel like he’s more of a round three guy.
2.05 – Brandon Aiyuk, WR Arizona State
2.06 – Joe Burrow, QB LSU
2.07 – Eno Benjamin, RB Arizona State
2.08 – Tua Tagovailoa, QB Alabama
The middle of the second round featured the top two quarterbacks and a pair of Sun Devils. Aiyuk is the first of those Sun Devils. After coming out of the JUCO ranks, Aiyuk didn’t do much in 2018 before bursting onto the scene this past year. This limited history of production has some, including our drafter, a little concerned. However, there are enough positives to make him worth a middle second-round pick. He is a natural pass catcher with solid size and speed. He was also a beast with the ball in his hands and as a returner, which should help him see the field sooner rather than later. Where he really needs to improve is in his physicality. He was often bullied by defenders all over the field in both press and man coverage. If he is drafted by the right team, he could be a solid prospect for a few years from now.
With the 18th overall pick, we see our first quarterback. Depending on your scoring, Burrow could go much earlier than this, but I wouldn’t expect him or Tua to last much past this point due to the hype around the position. After having what might have been the best season ever for a college quarterback, Burrow is looking like a lock for the Bengals at the first overall pick. While he doesn’t have elite arm strength, he has virtually everything else. He throws with great anticipation and accuracy, has a high football IQ, can extend plays with his legs, and will throw his receivers open. In addition to the arm strength, the concerns are that he was largely a one-hit wonder. I think he’s the real deal though and could be a QB1 for the next decade-plus if his NFL team puts some weapons around him.
The second Sun Devil of the round, Benjamin just might be the best of the running backs drafted in this round due to his three-down potential. A true bellcow at Arizona State, Benjamin excelled both in the running and passing games. He was best in space and has the ability to make a lot of defenders miss. The problem is that like most others with this ability, he sometimes spends too long trying to set up defenders instead of just taking what is available to him in terms of yardage. He will often improvise as he looks for the big play, which sometimes works and sometimes causes a loss of yardage. With some good coaching, he could turn into a lower-tier bellcow in the NFL. I’ll definitely take that chance in the second round.
Tua needs no introduction as he has been in the national spotlight for the last few years. The supremely productive dual-threat quarterback from Alabama was viewed by some before this season as the most complete quarterback to come out of college since Andrew Luck. He has elite arm talent with the feet to match it. He has the ability to throw from the pocket as well as on the run. The concerns about him come down to how he deals with consistent pressure, as was seen again Clemson in the title games, as well as his size/durability. Everyone knows about the hip surgery, but he also has a history that includes multiple ankle surgeries as well as concussions. The talent is definitely there, but I worry about his ability to be a reliable starter for the next decade-plus. It could be a Randall Cunningham-type of career that keeps us wanting more.
2.09 – KJ Hamler, WR Penn State
2.10 – Tyler Johnson, WR Minnesota
2.11 – Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR Liberty
2.12 – Ke’Shawn Vaughn, RB Vanderbilt
Hamler is a bit of a lightning bug, checking in at only 5’9” and 178 pounds, he immediately brings up past players like Tavon Austin and Marquise Brown. Hamler is going to be an interesting player to watch. I wish he did more at the Combine because I would have loved to see some hard numbers on him because he’s electric on the field, both as a receiver and as a returner. He did rely a bit too much on his athletic ability though, so the routes are lacking a bit. The biggest question remains if he is going to be big enough to produce in the NFL as a receiver. He also needs to work a bit on his hands.
Johnson is a player who I feel is flying way under the radar right now, partially due to his lack of participation in the Combine and him not being invited to the Senior Bowl. Maybe it is just a little bit of a homer streak in me though as he was born and raised in my home state of Minnesota before playing for my own alma mater. He is huge at the point of the catch with great hands and body control that is off the charts. He is also one of the hardest workers on the field with competitiveness to match. The biggest concerns with him are his athletic ceiling. He struggles to separate at times, and I think it is mostly due to not being overly quick or fast. I hope for the best out of the former Gophers, but his upside could be capped. I think where he is taken in the NFL draft will speak volumes.
A small school prospect out of Liberty, Gandy-Golden was extremely productive over his four years. He dominated his competition with his massive frame and solid instincts. My largest concern is that I don’t think he’s that great of an athlete. His Combine numbers were fairly poor, and I worry his production might have just been a result of being a medium fish in a small pond. I also question his competitiveness at times. I understand why some people like him, but I’m personally not that big of a fan. Unless he gets drafted on day two, I’m probably not looking his way.
The final pick of the round, Vaughn brings plus size and speed to the table at the running back position. He was very productive even though his team didn’t have much else in terms of an offense. When I look at him, I see someone who will be consistent and get what is blocked, but I don’t see him creating much for himself or forcing many defenders to miss. He is going to fall forward and should be able to get some tough yards, but he isn’t a huge weapon in the passing game. I think he’s more of a capable backup or committee back than a solid fantasy producer at the next level. As with all running backs, situation is going to be key.
That’s it for the second round. I’ll be back with the final round as well as a superflex spin at the end. Who surprised you and who do you feel like we missed?
- 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
