Welcome to Monday Mocks, where I’ll bring you…you guessed it, a new mock draft every Monday during the off-season. In my opinion, drafting is the best part of fantasy football, so I do as much of that as I can. This series will be filled with all types of mocks. We’ll draft startups, rookies, devys, and more.
Not all mock drafts are the same. Recently, I was fortunate enough to host one final dynasty rookie mock draft with the “who’s who” of fantasy content creators. While we all recognize that rookie value will change later this week when players’ landing spots and draft capital are revealed, that’s part of the fun. It’s also important and interesting to recognize which players are gaining or losing value post-draft.
Let’s get to the field who participated in this superflex dynasty rookie mock draft, in the order they selected:
JJ Zachariason, Late Round Fantasy Football
Mike Wright, Fantasy Footballers
Ryan McDowell, Dynasty League Football
ROUND ONE
1.01 – Bijan Robinson, RB (Daigle)
Former Texas running back Bijan Robinson has become one of the most locked-in 1.01 rookie picks of our generation. The only question remaining now is which team lands the do-it-all back on Thursday night. The latest speculation has Robinson hearing his name called somewhere inside the top-ten picks.
Check out John Daigle’s 2023 NFL Mock Draft 1.0
1.02 – Anthony Richardson, QB (BERRY)
In the superflex format, it is very likely that a quarterback will come off the board with this second pick, but which one? Here, Berry opts for Florida’s Anthony Richardson, who brings the most questions among the top signal callers but also the highest upside. If you like to gamble, Richardson is your guys early in the first round.
Check out Matthew Berry’s latest NFL Offseason Roundup
1.03 – CJ Stroud, QB (HARTITZ)
The latest news and speculation surrounding former Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud has not been good. Many mock drafters suggest he could be the odd man out, falling down the board in Round One. The recently released S2 testing results revealed Stroud was significantly below his fellow top quarterbacks, and that has been enough for some to doubt the ball placement specialist.
Check out Ian Hartitz’s The History of Draft Capital
1.04 – Bryce Young, WR (BLOOM)
Now the overwhelming favorite to be the top overall pick, former Heisman winner Bryce Young falls to the 1.04 spot and is the QB3 off the board. If Carolina is indeed his new home, Young will likely play right away with the revamped Panthers offense, which includes Adam Thielen, DJ Chark and Miles Sanders. Just like he did in college, Young will be counted on to do it all in the NFL.
Check out Sigmund Bloom’s Pre-Draft Bloom 100
1.05 – Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR (SILVA)
While there have been doubts and concerns about most other top receivers in this thin class, Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba has seemingly established himself as the rookie WR1 in dynasty leagues. Considering he missed nearly the entire season with a hamstring injury, it has been somewhat surprising to see the confidence dynasty managers have in the former Buckeye. With that said, JSN does represent the end of a tier here with the fifth pick.
Check out Evan Silva’s 2023 NFL Mock Draft 1.0
1.06 – Jahmyr Gibbs, RB (BARRETT)
While Robinson is the no-brainer RB1, former Alabama back Jahmyr Gibbs has a similar tight grasp on the RB2 title. Most are projecting Gibbs to be selected in the early part of the second round. A solid landing spot offering immediate playing time would make him the easy pick in the middle of the first round.
Check out Scott Barrett’s 2023 Pre-NFL Draft Rookie WR Dynasty Rankings
1.07 – Jordan Addison, WR (ZACHARIASON)
A former Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s top receiver, Jordan Addison is projected to be a first-round pick and is in the running to be the WR1 in the class. There are some worries about Addison’s slight frame and his drop in production in 2023, but Addison will have the chance to be an immediate producer in the growing line of undersized wideouts.
Check out JJ Zachariason’s Late Round Prospect Guide
1.08 – Quentin Johnston, WR (CLAY)
Perhaps the most scrutinized of the non-quarterbacks through this pre-draft process, TCU’s Quentin Johnston could be this year’s “hot potato” player. Each year, there seems to be a rookie that receives such negative buzz that it almost becomes embarrassing to actually draft them. If the athletic big man Johnston is this year’s hot potato, take advantage and scoop up the value.
Check out Mike Clay’s 2023 NFL Projection Guide
1.09 – Will Levis, QB (KELLY)
The other polarizing player among the top-twelve is former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. There are plenty of negatives about Levis’ game, especially from this past season, but there’s also a cannon arm and the recent rumors that have made Levis the betting favorite to be Houston’s second-overall pick.
Check out The Ringer’s 2023 NFL Draft Guide
1.10 – Zach Charbonnet, RB (WRIGHT)
There is a relatively large value gap after the RB2 Gibbs down to Zach Charbonnet, who has established himself as the overwhelming favorite to be the rookie RB3 in dynasty drafts. A year ago, Charbonnet went back to school to improve his pass-catching skills and that could pay off with a starting job if he lands with the right team.
Check out The Fantasy Footballers Ultimate Draft Kit
1.11 – Zay Flowers, WR (MCDOWELL)
While most of the rookie wide receiver class has been pulverized through over-analysis the past few months, Zay Flowers has somehow dodged all the barbs. Flowers has not only been a steady riser but is now projected to be a first-rounder and could oven be the first receiver selected on Thursday night. If that happens, expect the Boston College product to crash into the top dynasty rookie receiver tier, if he hasn’t already.
1.12 – Michael Mayer, TE (HRIBAR)
It’s going to become one of the most interesting decisions of rookie drafts this offseason…when to select a tight end? There’s no argument that this tight end class is perhaps the strongest we’ve seen in a decade or more, but the depth of the class could actually push down the value of the collective group. Mayer has long been considered the TE1 in the class but is now being challenged by multiple in his cohort.
Check out Rich Hribar’s 2023 Pre-Draft Fantasy Rookie Rankings
ROUND TWO
2.01 – Josh Downs, WR (DAIGLE)
Former Tar Heel Josh Downs is yet another small receiver in thes class, but you wouldn’t know it based on his play style. He is being overlooked and would be a reasonable pick in the later portion of Round One in dynasty rookie drafts.
2.02 – Jalin Hyatt, WR (BERRY)
The final candidate for this year’s “hot potato” player is the Volunteers’ speedster Jalin Hyatt. Ranked by some as the WR1 in the class, Hyatt was uber-productive in 2022 but with questions about his route running as party of what’s been called a gimmicky Tennessee offense, he’s falling down rookie drafts.
2.03 – Dalton Kincaid, TE (HARTITZ)
I mentioned some challengers to Mayer as the potential TE1 in both the NFL Draft and dynasty rookie drafts. The most likely candidate is Utah’s Dallas Kincaid. Despite being unable to work out for most of the pre-draft process as he recovers from an injury, Kincaid has been locked in as a first-rounder after a productive run for the Utes.
2.04 – Tyjae Spears, RB (BLOOM)
Former Tulane back Tyjae Spears put his name on the dynasty map with an impressive Senior Bowl week. He followed that up with a strong Combine and he began to climb NFL mock drafts as well as dynasty rookie rankings. Now expected to be a Day Two pick, Spears could even climb into the first round of rookie drafts.
2.05 – Hendon Hooker, QB (SILVA)
Former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker is recovering from a late-season ACL tear and will be a 25-year-old rookie. Those two serious and obvious strikes seemingly aren’t enough to keep him out of Round One, as it has become routine for the Vol to show up late in mock drafts. 2023 will be a red shirt season for Hooker, so if you are drafting him, expect to be patient.
2.06 – Marvin Mims, WR (BARRETT)
Former Sooner receiver Marvin Mims was consistently productive throughout his college career, enduring a coaching change and multiple quarterbacks in his three years in Oklahoma. None of that stopped the versatile Mims. All he needs now to lock in some significant dynasty value is Day Two draft capital.
2.07 – Israel Abanikanda, RB (ZACHARIASON)
One of my favorite players to learn about the past few months has been Pitt’s Israel Abanikanda, who enjoyed a breakout season in 2022. With the departure of Kenny Pickett, the Panthers were forced to rely more on their run game and Abanikanda delivered, scoring 20 times on the year.
2.08 – Tank Bigsby, RB (CLAY)
A long-time favorite of the devy community, running back Tank Bigsby has already seen his dynasty value shift greatly before he’s even selected to an NFL team. After a wildly successful start to his college career, Bigsby was valued as a sure-thing future first-round dynasty rookie pick. A pair of somewhat disappointing seasons tanked his value, but it has become obvious that the Auburn program was struggling in all aspects.
2.09 – Devon Achane, RB (KELLY)
Early in the offseason, Devon Achane was being valued as a top-ten rookie pick. He’s since lost some value as dynasty managers begin to question just what his potential role will be in the NFL. He has electric speed and is a solid pass-catcher out of the backfield, but it could be difficult to rely on consistent touches from Achane on Sundays.
2.10 – Kendre Miller, RB (WRIGHT)
After a breakout season, Kendre Miller suffered an injury that kept him out of the college football title game. There has been little word on Miller’s recovery from that injury but it does seem like Miller will miss time to being his career. Obviously, that will hurt his value but it could also make him a bargain in this range of rookie drafts.
2.11 – Cedric Tillman, WR (MCDOWELL)
Another favorite of mine, Tennessee receiver Cedric Tillman was hampered much of last season with an ankle injury, which allowed Hyatt the opportunity to take over that offense. While there are reasons to doubt both Hyatt and Hooker due to the makeup of the unique offense they ran, Tillman is more of a traditional wideout. He does need to improve his route work but is seemingly guaranteed of Day Two draft capital.
2.12 – Roschon Johnson, RB (HRIBAR)
Although he served as a backup to Robinson the past three seasons for the Longhorns, Roschon Johnson should not be discounted. Johnson was able to hone other parts of his game that will help him see the field early in the league, including special teams work, pass-catching and blocking. He’s the obvious pick for the player to have a better NFL career than what we saw in college.
ROUND THREE
3.01 Darnell Washington, TE (DAIGLE)
3.02 Sean Tucker, RB (BERRY)
3.03 Kayshon Boutte, WR (HARTITZ)
3.04 Zach Evans, RB (BLOOM)
3.05 Sam LaPorta, TE (SILVA)
3.06 Tyler Scott, WR (BARRETT)
3.07 Jayden Reed, WR (ZACHARIASON)
3.08 Rashee Rice, WR (CLAY)
3.09 Jonathan Mingo, WR (KELLY)
3.10 DeWayne McBride, RB (WRIGHT)
3.11 Tucker Kraft, TE (MCDOWELL)
3.12 Trey Palmer, WR (HRIBAR)
ROUND FOUR
4.01 AT Perry, WR (DAIGLE)
4.02 Luke Musgrave, TE (BERRY)
4.03 Parker Washington, WR (HARTITZ)
4.04 Luke Schoonmaker, TE (BLOOM)
4.05 Evan Hull, RB (SILVA)
4.06 Kenny McIntosh, RB (BARRETT)
4.07 Chase Brown, RB (ZACHARIASON)
4.08 Nathaniel Dell, WR (CLAY)
4.09 Michael Wilson, WR (KELLY)
4.10 Deuce Vaughn, RB (WRIGHT)
4.11 Xavier Hutchinson, WR (MCDOWELL)
4.12 Puka Nacua WR (HRIBAR)
Draft Day is near! Keep it here all week.
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