Past/Present/Future Rookie Pick Value: 2024 Mid 2nd

It’s almost that time of year again: rookie drafts are on the horizon. Rebuilders are full of glee as they hoard their picks, while contenders are scheming how they can pry some of those picks away, and dynasty players everywhere are champing at the bit to draft their favorite prospect.

In this series, the Dynasty League Football team will be taking a look at four pick sections of a dynasty rookie draft to give a comprehensive view of those picks by analyzing consensus picks of the past, the potential options for this year, and what the picks are worth on the trade market. For this series, we’ll be focusing on superflex formats.

Historical Consensus 1-4 Picks

2023

• 2.05 - Josh Downs, WR IND
• 2.06 - Rashee Rice, WR KC
• 2.07 - Roschon Johnson, RB CHI
• 2.08 - Marvin Mims, WR DEN

2022

• 2.05 - Desmond Ridder, QB ATL
• 2.06 - John Metchie, WR HOU
• 2.07 - Isaiah Spiller, RB LAC
• 2.08 - Dameon Pierce, RB HOU

2021

• 2.05 - Rondale Moore, WR ARI
• 2.06 - Michael Carter, RB NYJ (now ARI)
• 2.07 - Kadarius Toney, WR NYG (now KC)
• 2.08 - Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR DET

2020

• 2.05 - Michael Pittman, WR IND
• 2.06 - Brandon Aiyuk, WR SF
• 2.07 - Zack Moss, RB BUF (now IND)
• 2.08 - Laviska Shenault, WR JAC (now CAR)

The mid-second round is an area where you can find some great value. While most of the time the first round tends to go chalk, the second round is where you can find some variance in pick selection. The past few seasons some league winners came from the second round. Last year it was Josh Downs, Rashee Rice, Jayden Reed, Tyjae Spears, and Sam LaPorta, who were all second-round picks in superflex dynasty drafts. The year before that it was Rachaad White, Dameon Pierce, and Trey McBride, with McBride and White crushing it for their owners this season.

There will be players available in the middle of the second round that will be mainstays in your lineup for years to come like Pittman, Aiyuk, St. Brown, Downs, and Rice. The key is to find those treasures and avoid the bums that also inhabit the second round like the Toney’s and Shenault’s of the fantasy world.

I love to target mid-second-round picks in fantasy drafts. These picks tend to be devalued compared to late-first-round and early-second-round selections. It’s a good spot to sell off aging players for younger versions or to grab players you like that might be undervalued by other owners.