Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Drafts: A View from the 1.05

For many dynasty players, the highlight of the off-season is the annual rookie draft, and we are now mere days away from many of those drafts kicking off. Once our respective dynasty teams are eliminated from contention (and sometimes even before), we tend to turn our attention to the incoming rookie class, and delusions of grandeur take over. In fact, dynasty players spend nearly the entire off-season preparing for how they will use their draft picks or if they will use them at all.

In this twelve-part series, I’ll use the latest data available here at Dynasty League Football, namely our April superflex Rookie ADP and the Dynasty Trade Finder, to ensure you are as prepared as possible when your draft begins. Based on our most recent ADP data, I’ll suggest the player you could be soon adding to your team, and if you don’t like that, I’ll also include a potential pivot option. In addition, I’ll include options based on the updated 1QB rookie ADP for those who play in that format. Finally, using the Dynasty Trade Finder, I will examine some recent trades that have taken place with each specific draft pick.

We all know the first round of rookie drafts includes the players we’ve been hearing about for months, if not years, but difference-makers can be found in the second round and beyond, as well. Because of that, I’ll also address the other picks that accompany each respective first-round draft slot.

ROOKIE SELECTION 1.05

THE PICK: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB ALABAMA

Gibbs is an excellent running back prospect. He started his college career at Georgia Tech, where he instantly saw playing time as an 18-year-old true freshman.

Chart courtesy of Sports Reference CFB

Like other prospects in this class, his freshman year saw some disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, Georgia Tech only played ten games that year, and Gibbs participated in seven of those.

However, despite the limited playtime, he still led the running backs in carries, just ahead of Jordan Mason. Quarterback Jeff Sims led the team in carries, but despite his rushing skills, he still dumped off to Gibbs. For most college running back prospects, 24 receptions for 303 yards and three touchdowns would be an impressive receiving line for their best season, let alone as a true freshman in seven games.