Dynasty Fantasy Football 2022 NFL Draft Impact: A Review of Day Two

Ryan McDowell Posted On April 30, 2022

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After the shocking events of Day One of the 2022 NFL Draft, including trades of AJ Brown and Marquise Brown and the quarterbacks tumbling down the draft boards, dynasty managers were ready for Day Two – that would bring the final piece of the puzzle for the first round of dynasty rookie drafts, and even more surprises.

Here we go!

ROUND TWO

2 (34) – Christian Watson, WR GB

One of the biggest surprises of the first round of the NFL Draft was the Packers not taking a wide receiver to replace Davante Adams. They weren’t going to let the wide receiver run start without them two days in a row, dealing a pair of later second-round picks in exchange for the third pick of the day. Watson had been a riser throughout the pre-draft process, impressing at the Senior Bowl and Combine. He will have a chance to earn immediate playing time catching passes for Aaron Rodgers.

2 (36) – Breece Hall, RB NYJ

The Jets won the first round of the draft, according to most pundits. They kept their hot streak going by selecting the top running back in the draft, in the form of Breece Hall. New York got solid play out of Michael Carter last year, but he was never viewed as an every-down back. Now, he is sure to see his role decline as Hall can do it all. The landing spot here is good enough to keep Hall as the 1.01 in most rookie drafts.

2 (41) – Kenneth Walker III, RB SEA

The Seahawks had many needs to address and many assumed the team could enter a rebuild following the trade of Russell Wilson. That makes the selection of Walker, the bruising running back, even more surprising. Rashaad Penny looked like one of the top backs in the league the final few weeks of the season but now he’ll have to share the backfield with Walker, which hurts the value of both. It’s also a sign that we may never see Chris Carson play again.

2 (43) – Wan’Dale Robinson, WR NYG

This one was a surprise. The Giants grabbed the undersized playmaker from Kentucky, who many expected to be drafted in the third round or later. New York also has a bevy of wide receivers, including last year’s first rounder Kadarius Toney and 2021 free agent signee Kenny Golladay. Toney has reportedly been on the trade block and Robinson has many of the same traits as the former Gator who couldn’t stay on the field for the G-Men. Robinson gets a small boost due to higher than expected draft capital, but the landing spot does not help him.

2 (44) – John Metchie, WR HOU

The Texans have needs all over the field and opted for Alabama’s Metchie in the mid-second round. Even after giving veteran Brandin Cooks a new contract, Houston still has a major need at the receiver position. 2021 rookie Nico Collins showed some promise, but Metchie should find the field early in his career.

2 (50) – Tyquan Thornton, WR NE

The Patriots don’t care about your big boards. They made Thornton (the speedster from Baylor) the next receiver off the board. Thornton got everyone’s attention by blazing a 4.28 40 at the Combine. The Pats don’t typically chase speed demons like other teams but they need help at the receiver position. This is much earlier than most expected Thornton to be drafted, so this will boost his value in dynasty rookie drafts.

2 (52) – George Pickens, WR PIT

The former Georgia star was getting some first-round buzz in recent weeks but then leaks of attitude and off-field issues suggested he could fall. Fall he did, but as they often do, the Steelers used a Day Two selection on a wideout. After losing JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh needed help at wideout. Pickens will likely lose some value due to the fall and the target competition in Pittsburgh, though.

2 (53) – Alec Pierce, WR IND

With Michael Pittman and little else on the depth chart, the Colts had to add some wide receiver help. Pierce enjoyed a breakout season in his final year with the Bearcats. He’s a good deep threat with the upside to turn into more for the Colts – this will help his value and should push him into the second round of rookie drafts.

2 (54) – Skyy Moore, WR KC

Moore was another player who created some first-round chatter. Ultimately, he wasn’t close to being a Day One selection but Moore did get the landing spot dynasty managers wanted, landing with the Chiefs. Kansas City needed help at the position after dealing Tyreek Hill and the team reportedly loved Moore’s game. It will be interesting to see who mans the slot for the Chiefs, Moore or veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster. Moore had creeped up into the mid-first round of dynasty rookie drafts and he could retain that value as part of the Chiefs offense.

2 (55) – Trey McBride, TE ARI

The first tight end selected fell to the late part of Round Two as the Cardinals added some depth to their tight end depth chart with McBride. The Cardinals re-signed both Zach Ertz and Maxx Williams already this off-season, meaning McBride will likely have to wait his turn before seeing a significant role – this will hurt McBride’s value and could push him to the third round.

2 (63) – James Cook, RB BUF

It was well-known that the Bills wanted to add a running back, especially after their failed attempt to sign pass-catching veteran JD McKissic. They lost out on him, but they did get Cook, who some called the best pass-catching back in the class. The Bills leadership has already hinted at using Cook as a wide receiver. This further limits the upside of Devin Singletary but it doesn’t totally kill his value, like a Hall addition would have. This is also a boost for Cook, who could jump into the first round of rookie drafts.

ROUND THREE

3 (71) – Velus Jones, WR CHI

The Bears needed receiver help after losing Allen Robinson but Jones, who turns 25 soon, feels like a serious reach. JJ Zachariason noted on Twitter following the pick that Jones is actually older than current Bears receiver Darnell Mooney.

3 (73) – Jelani Woods, TE IND

The Colts have not enjoyed much production from their tight end spot in recent years and veteran Jack Doyle called it a career following last season. Woods is an athletic freak, as he showed at the Combine. With this landing spot, he has a chance to overtake McBride as the top tight end in rookie drafts.

3 (74) – Desmond Ridder, QB ATL

The story of Round One was the lack of quarterbacks being selected and that continued on day two as no signal callers were drafted in round two. Finally, the Falcons got their guy in Ridder, who many compared to new Atlanta starter Marcus Mariota. Even after falling to the third round, this is a nice landing spot for Ridder.

3 (80) – Greg Dulcich, TE DEN

The Broncos had a need at the tight end position following the trade of Noah Fant to the Seahawks. Albert Okwuegbunam is a trendy dynasty TE1 but depth is needed and Denver got it with Dulcich. A former walk-on, Dulcich is a well-rounded player who impressed with his athleticism at the Combine. The Denver offense is crowded with Albert O and multiple wideouts lining up to catch passes from new quarterback Russell Wilson. That makes Dulcich a target in the third-round of rookie drafts, if you’re patient enough to wait for him to see a meaningful role.

3 (86) – Malik Willis, QB TEN

Like Ridder, Willis was free falling before the Titans traded up to take a chance on the athletic quarterback from Liberty. Obviously, the pre-draft evaluation of Willis was way off as some expected him to be drafted as early as second overall. Willis was in the conversation to be the 1.01 pick in superflex rookie drafts and even with a solid landing spot, that is out of the question. Superflex managers will be debating if Willis (and Ridder) belong in the first round of rookie drafts.

3 (88) – Jalen Tolbert, WR DAL

Dallas dealt away veteran Amari Cooper and then lost Cedric Wilson in free agency. While they were able to retain Michael Gallup, he’s not likely to be healthy to start the season. Wide receiver went from a position of strength to a need very quickly. Dallas hopes they filled that need with Tolbert, an underrated receiver from South Alabama. Tolbert can play from any receiver spot and is a strong route runner. Already 23 years old, Tolbert could be counted on for immediate playing time in Dallas.

3 (91) – Rachaad White, RB TB

It has already been a wild ride for White’s dynasty value. After being an early favorite, he was being valued as a first round rookie pick based on our ADP data. Projected late-round draft capital began to push White’s ADP down, but expect that to reverse as he earned the important Day Two draft capital and landed in a nice spot – this is bad news for those holding out hope for Ke’Shawn Vaughn.

3 (93) – Tyrion Davis-Price, RB SF

Dynasty managers can always count on the 49ers to draft a running back, no matter what their backfield depth chart looks like. Despite hitting on Elijah Mitchell in the late rounds last season, the Niners surprised many by selecting Davis-Price, a player who was not even on the dynasty radar for most. This landing spot and draft capital will vault him up the board, likely into the second round of rookie drafts.

3 (94) – Matt Corral, QB CAR

The Panthers were considering making a move for Baker Mayfield, but instead traded up for this selection to draft Corral from Mississippi. He was a success in the SEC and offers fantasy upside as a runner. He’ll compete with Sam Darnold for playing time and will likely see work as a rookie.

3 (98) – Brian Robinson, RB WAS

The dynasty community was concerned the Commanders could use an early pick on a running back, which would hurt Antonio Gibson’s value and production. That’s just what happened as Washington adds Robinson, who enjoyed a breakout year for the Crimson Tide. With JD McKissic already there to take targets, Robinson could now steal short-yardage work – this is not ideal for Gibson.

3 (99) – David Bell, WR CLE

After a successful college career, Bell had a rough pre-draft, including a horrible Combine performance – that likely caused a fall but he snuck into the third round and will have the chance to replace Jarvis Landry for the Browns. Bell, thanks to his slow 40 time and lack of athleticism, had drawn comparisons to Landry, so the fit makes sense.

3 (101) – Jeremy Ruckert, TE NYJ

The third tight end drafted goes to the Jets, who take Ohio State’s Ruckert. New York had already added CJ Uzomah and Tyler Conklin this off-season and Ruckert will be used primarily as a blocker. He won’t be worth drafting in most dynasty rookie drafts.

3 (105) – Danny Gray, WR SF

The final pick of the night was yet another wide receiver. The Niners make another surprise pick, taking Gray. San Francisco wide receivers have been in the news as Deebo Samuel has pushed for a trade. The team has insisted Samuel wouldn’t be moved and ultimately, Gray is just a depth pick, at least for now.

On to Day Three!

Day Two Dynasty Rookie Rankings

Breece Hall
Kenneth Walker III
Skyy Moore
Christian Watson
George Pickens
James Cook
Rachaad White
John Metchie
Wan’Dale Robinson
Jalen Tolbert
Brian Robinson
Alec Pierce

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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.