2022 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft
The NFL Draft has come and gone. All the hype, analysis and speculation is over and we now know who went where and can project what the future may hold for these young men. There will be no more talk of sub-par 40 times or small hands as we finally get to fully evaluate this year’s rookie class.
This is the first of what will be countless mock drafts here at DLF covering the entire off-season. We were lucky enough to have some DLF Team members together in Arizona during the draft, so this one (and the Superflex one we’ll post here soon) were both performed right after the draft, in person. The participants were Ryan McDowell, Dan Meylor, Matt Price, Ken Kelly, Eric Dickens, and Brian Malone. Without any further delay, here were the results of our two-round knee-jerk reaction mock draft, performed on Sunday.
ROUND ONE
1.01 = Breece Hall, RB NYJ
For context, nobody in the room would have taken anyone other than Hall with the 1.01. This class is clearly rich in receiving talent, but young running backs always have value. While there will be concerns about how his workload will look with Michael Carter still in town, Hall is simply a superior talent. There will be some growing pains here, but Hall is already a top 15-20 dynasty asset before taking a single snap for the Jets.
1.02 = Treylon Burks, WR TEN
1.03 = Jameson Williams, WR DET
1.04 = Drake London, WR ATL
1.05 = Garrett Wilson, WR NYJ
1.06 = Kenneth Walker III, RB SEA
And now it get’s really interesting. We’ve seen Walker go as high as second overall and as low as sixth overall (as he did here). However, these four receivers are almost dead even on the board and could go in nearly any order. Chris Olave could even be included on this list, but seems to be behind these four receivers as well. Treylon Burks is likely the best bet for immediate production after the Titans moved on from AJ Brown after failing to meet his contract demands. He’s nearly guaranteed to be a target hog for the Titans. If you’re looking for upside, it’s hard to pass on Jameson Williams. Had he not torn his ACL, he would have likely been a top five or six selection in the NFL Draft. Drake London had the highest draft capital used on him and was dominant at times for USC last season. The Falcons need weapons and, much like Burks, he’s going to be on the field immediately. Garrett Wilson is a high upside player who should fit in nicely with the Jets. He was the WR1 on many teams draft boards. Kenneth Walker III is the wild card this year. Rashaad Penny was amazing down the stretch last season, but he’s never shown long-term consistency or the ability to stay healthy. Walker could be a starter this season or used sparingly – nobody really knows for sure, including Seattle. On the plus side, Penny is a free agent again after this season and is likely to move on.
1.07 = Skyy Moore, WR KC
1.08 = Christian Watson, WR GB
1.09 = Chris Olave, WR NO
1.10 = Jahan Dotson, WR WAS
1.11 = George Pickens, WR PIT
If you need receiver help, this was the draft to get it. This second tier of receivers has several who could turn out to be amazing values in rookie drafts. Skyy Moore hit the lottery when he was taken by the Chiefs. With Travis Kelce getting older and JuJu Smith-Schuster on a short-term deal, Moore is in line for a massive opportunity in the next couple of years. Christian Watson scored what many believe was the best landing spot when the Packers traded up to get him at the top of round two. Aaron Rodgers is notorious for being tough on rookies, but he just may not have a choice with Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling playing elsewhere. Chris Olave is likely the safest bet in this group. I was personally surprised Moore and Watson went ahead of him (Olave went ahead of both in the 2QB version, showing how close it is), but it’s also hard to not “shoot for the moon” in rookie drafts. Olave is a safe pick, but there are questions about Jameis Winston and what the Saints will look like in a post-Sean Payton era. Jahan Dotson (can’t wait to call him Josh Doctson a million times on accident) was a shocking pick in the middle of round one, but Washington is clearly in love with him. If he can fit in with Terry McLaurin and continue to develop, there’s a lot to like here. George Pickens rounds out this sub-group in round one as a player with tantalizing upside on a team known for hitting pretty consistently on non-first round wide receiver talent. Dynasty managers will need to be patient here, though. In the end, these five are close, though it’s going to be rare to see any of them infiltrate the top six picks in a rookie draft.
1.12 = Rachaad White, RB TB
White rounds out round one. Over the next few months, this is going to be interesting to watch. As rookie fever hits homes across the country, we’re going to see running backs like Brian Robinson, Dameon Pierce, Tyler Allgeier and Zamir White all start to creep up rankings and be taken higher in mock drafts. As people start to dream about hitting on the next sleeper running back, it’s just going to happen naturally. With that said, it’s going to be fun to see if White keeps this spot ahead of all the other perceived second tier running backs.
ROUND TWO
2.01 = David Bell, WR CLE
2.02 = James Cook, RB BUF
2.03 = John Metchie, WR HOU
2.04 = Dameon Pierce, RB HOU
The first group contains some players who have solid opportunities. The Browns suddenly need receivers to step up after moving on from Jarvis Landry and David Bell is a solid choice. He had a terrible combine performance that included a 4.65 40 that just tanked his draft stock. Still, he was very productive in college and Cleveland could have a steal with him. James Cook seems to be locked in as a backup or change of pace back at the moment, but Devin Singletary has disappointed us before. John Metchie is yet another receiver coming off injury and is one of my personal favorite second round prospects. He has the pedigree and skillset to make a difference opposite Brandin Cooks. Dameon Pierce is going to be the player I believe moves up the most in rookie drafts this off-season. With just Marlon Mack and Rex Burkhead ahead of him on the depth chart, the opportunity to win a starting job is there for him on day one.
2.05 = Jalen Tolbert, WR DAL
2.06 = Zamir White, RB LV
2.07 = Alec Pierce, WR IND
2.08 = Wan’Dale Robinson, WR NYG
This group is fun because it includes some serious high ceiling and low floor prospects. Jalen Tolbert could emerge quickly in Dallas after they moved on from both Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson. Zamir White could be the starter for Las Vegas as early as 2023 if they let Josh Jacobs walk after the season. Alec Pierce landed in a solid spot with the Colts and is also one of the second round prospects I really like. We then have the swiss army knife in Wan’Dale Robinson, an exceptional athlete who will need a team to be creative to get him the ball. The Giants are not known for being creative. At all. Hopefully a new Head Coach changes that.
2.09 = Trey McBride, TE ARI
2.10 = Brian Robinson, RB WAS
2.11 = Tyler Allgeier, RB ATL
2.12 = Isaiah Spiller, RB LAC
The last group in round two features three running backs and our TE1. Trey McBride will likely come along slowly playing behind Zach Ertz, but you really have to love his long-term potential. Brian Robinson is likely going to push Antonio Gibson for touches, but doesn’t seem like a realistic threat to take his job. Tyler Allgeier is the other player I believe is going to be fast riser as dynasty owners try to throw running back darts. With Mike Davis being waived, there’s a real opportunity for him to rise to the top of the depth chart on what looks to be a pretty awful Falcons team. We finish with the biggest draft value loser in Isaiah Spiller, who looks to be more of a threat to Josh Kelley than to Austin Ekeler. It’s a really tough break for Spiller, who tumbled down draft boards over the weekend.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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- 2024 Rookie Bust Mock Draft (Pre-Draft Edition): Round Two - April 21, 2024
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