Off-Season Mock Drafts: Mocking the Mocks

John DiBari

I recently looked at three seven-round NFL mock drafts and discussed the projected landing spots and draft positioning for the incoming rookie class. In this edition of the Off-Season Mock Draft series, I will use that information and evaluate the incoming rookie class based on the hypothetical landing spots from the mock drafts. If more than one of the mock drafts had a particular player landing with a specific team, that’s where I put them. In the event a player was mocked to different teams in each draft, I looked at team needs via several websites and, weighed what was most important for which team and where their draft picks fell, and put what I perceived to be the best player available with that team. Enough of my rambling; let’s see who landed where!

Quarterbacks

In the previous article, I identified the top five quarterbacks in this class based on projected draft capital. While some mock drafts incorporated imaginary trades, I always think you fall down a slippery slope of nonsense with that, so I’m keeping everyone locked in their draft spots. Here is where I see the top quarterbacks landing based on the mock drafts:

Cam Ward – Tennessee Titans, 1.01

I think that during the evaluation process, Ward separates himself from Sanders and becomes the top pick in the draft. While I would go with Travis Hunter and let Will Levis lead me to another 1.01 pick and some kid named Manning next year, the Titans make the move for their QB of the future.

Shedeur Sanders – Cleveland Browns, 1.02

This has dumpster fire of epic proportions written all over it.

Jalen Milroe – New York Giants, late first-early second

Brian Daboll needs to do something. While I don’t think they pull the trigger at 1.03, he could easily be their next pick.

Quinn Ewers – Las Vegas Raiders, day two

As I write this, Pete Carroll was named the Raiders’ head coach. I completed my outline for this piece before the news and think a Carroll-Russell Wilson reunion is now the most likely scenario in Las Vegas. However, they still need a long-term answer under center, so I won’t change anything.

Jaxson Dart – New Orleans Saints, day two

Looking at the teams that need quarterback help, the Jets are the only remaining team with a glaring hole after the above selections were made. They still have Derek Carr, so it isn’t as pressing an issue as some other teams have, but at some point, the Saints have to get out of salary cap hell, and dumping Carr’s contract for a rookie deal will help a lot.

Running Backs

There is a good chancewe get some great landing spots for some excellent running back prospects. This should drive up their prices in rookie and start-up drafts, and rightfully so. We often hype up lesser-than-backs every year because the talent pool is so shallow, and we have to. This year, however, it seems like we’ll see some tremendous values fall in the draft, and dynasty backfields will be centered around players from this draft for years to come.

Ashton Jeanty – Dallas Cowboys, first round

This is where tons of people are projecting Jeanty to land on draft day. There is no need for me to buck the trend here; welcome to Big D.

Kaleb Johnson – Las Vegas Raiders, second round

The Raiders have a dire need at running back. Well, the Raiders have a dire need at several positions, but their running back room is particularly awful. Johnson fills an immediate need and is instantly a top fantasy option.

Omarion Hampton – Denver Broncos, second round

An ascending Denver offense needs a stud running back in Sean Payton’s system. Whoever lands with the Broncos is going to skyrocket up the rankings. For us today, Hampton is the big winner.

TreVeyon Henderson – Los Angeles Chargers, day two

Great player. Great landing spot. Wheels up.

Cam Skattebo – New York Giants, day two

He’s a bit of a polarizing player, but if he can do what he did in his final season at ASU with the Giants, he’ll be productive as part of a one-two punch with Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Quinshon Judkins – Pittsburgh Steelers, day two

Much like his Ohio State teammate Henderson: great player, great landing spot, wheels up.

Raheim Sanders – Jacksonville Jaguars, day two

The Jags are likely moving on from Travis Etienne, leaving Sanders to compete with Tank Bigsby, who is not an insurmountable roadblock.

DJ Giddens – Minnesota Vikings, late day two, early day three

Aaron Jones insurance. Even if Jones returns to Minnesota, he has missed games in the past, and Giddens could be a valuable insurance policy. In the event Jones is playing elsewhere, Giddens will be waiting in the wings for a crack at the starting gig.

Ollie Gordon II – Cleveland Browns, early day three

Nick Chubb is 29 with another catastrophic injury on the record. Jerome Ford isn’t the long-term answer, but Gordon could be.

Dylan Sampson – Washington Commanders, early day three

Austin Ekeler is 29, and Brian Robinson will be 26 shortly after the Super Bowl. The Commanders need depth.

Wide Receivers

Because of the depth of talent at running back, I suspect people are going to secure some tremendous value among this year’s group of wide receivers. I like all of the hypothetical running back landing spots. I can’t say the same for the receivers, and I assume that will be the case in real life, too. The perceived depth of the running back class will push down quite a few of these receivers.

Luther Burden III – Carolina Panthers, first round

Surround Bryce Young with weapons. Mission accomplished.

Tetairoa McMillan – New Orleans Saints, first round

Once the injuries started accumulating in the Big Easy, they had one of the worst receiving corps I’ve ever seen down the stretch. You could add depth later, or you could add arguably the best receiver in the class. Adding McMillan to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed could turn this team’s glaring weakness a month ago into its strength.

Emeka Egbuka – Cincinnati Bengals, first round

Tee Higgins insurance, and an affordable option under team control for five years to play opposite Ja’Marr Chase.

Elic Ayomanor – Tennessee Titans, second round

If they bring in a rookie quarterback to start the draft, they’ll need better weapons for him in Tennessee.

Tre Harris – New England Patriots, second round

The Pats need help in their receiver room. They should go back to the well later in the draft too.

Tai Felton – Cleveland Browns, day two

Twice mocked to Cleveland, Felton will find himself on a team with a significant question mark under center for 2025.

Isaiah Bond – Philadelphia Eagles, late first-early second round

Another Philly draft day steal. Even in the mock drafts, Philly seems to be pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes and grabbing incredible value. Bond will be an amazing third option in this passing attack behind AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith.

Xavier Restrepo – Houston Texans, day two

I was surprised that more receivers weren’t mocked to Houston. I know their problems were primarily injury-related, but they need depth behind the oft-injured Tank Dell and 31-year-old Stefon Diggs. I think this is one of the better landing spots for dynasty receivers.

Tory Horton – Kansas City Chiefs, late second-early third round

The Chiefs receiver bump is incoming.

Jayden Higgins – Las Vegas Raiders, day two

They need all the help they can get. This entire offense needs an overhaul and infusion of skilled weapons.

Matthew Golden – Baltimore Ravens, day two

Baltimore has gotten by for far too long with far too little at receiver, thanks to their tight ends and Lamar Jackson‘s legs. They need more weapons in the passing game and should consider bringing in multiple receivers this off-season.

Jalen Royals – Arizona Cardinals, third round

Even with the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr last season, the Cardinals still need to add to their receiver group. It’s OK, but OK isn’t going to win your division, get you into the playoffs, or win a Superbowl.

Tez Johnson – Los Angeles Rams, day two

The Rams need to start preparing for life without a soon-to-be 32-year-old Cooper Kupp.

Savion Williams – Los Angeles Chargers, day two

One of my favorite players in the class, and he gets a landing spot with the Chargers, who are desperate for playmakers to help Justin Herbert. We saw their shortcomings in the playoffs, and you have to imagine that they’ll address the position in the off-season.

Tight Ends

It is a very top-heavy class, so I’m only looking at the top three for our purposes here. There is absolutely no need to go any deeper at this point.

Tyler Warren – Los Angeles Chargers, first round

There aren’t many bad spots for Warren. The top tight end in the class seems to be fairly franchise-proof (as of now). Any spot would be good, but on a team like the Chargers, who have an immediate need, he should hold that top spot for fantasy throughout rookie draft season.

Colston Loveland – Kansas City Chiefs, first round

The heir to the Travis Kelce throne will get fantasy football peeps in a tizzy on draft day. I could also imagine a reunion with his former college coach with the Chargers as a real possibility. Both spots are an A+ for his long-term dynasty future.

Harold Fannin Jr – Indianapolis Colts, second round

I really wanted to get Fannin on the Denver Broncos, but I burned their second-round pick on running back, so excluding imaginary trades, Fannin had to land somewhere else. The Colts have needed a playmaker at tight end since Dallas Clark left.

Mock Draft

Curious to see how a rookie mock draft would play out with these imaginary landing spots? Me too. I solicited some friends in the industry via X, including Scott Connor and Matt Walker, to help me with a mock draft. It was set up as a 12-team, superflex, tight end premium (TEP), PPR league. Let’s see how it went.

word image 1504652 1

Without seeing any other rookie mocks yet, this went as close as I would have imagined going into it. Sanders probably doesn’t fall to 1.06 most of the time, but he’s a bit polarizing as a prospect, and landing in Cleveland doesn’t do him any favors. I also don’t think Henderson goes 1.02 if he’s not a Charger. Bond might have been overdrafted as a WR3 in Philly, as all the receivers after him are likely projected as their teams’ first or second option in the passing game.

word image 1504652 2

The second round saw a trio of QBs. I think, in reality, their draft capital is going to have a significant impact on where they go in drafts. I’ve heard the Giants really like Jaxson Dart. If they trade up to grab him at the end of the first round, He could easily be a top-12 dynasty pick, but if he goes to the Saints late in round three, 2.10 might be a bit of a reach.

I was surprised to see only two running backs in the second round and only seven of the top 12. I thought the backs in this exercise all had landing spots that made them worthy of being selected in the top 24. If Tyler Warren gets a “bad” spot in the NFL draft, I could see Loveland jumping over him in drafts if he finds himself in Kansas City or with his former college coach with the Chargers.

Without any rookie ADP data out there, I hope you found this a fun read. At the very least, it gets the gears turning as we imagine the incoming class as part of various NFL rosters and how they could fit within certain schemes. There really weren’t many poor landing spots in the NFL mocks or this fantasy draft based on them, but we know, in reality, several players will get buried on rosters come draft day in April. I look forward to seeing how these mock drafts stack up against reality over the next three to six months.

John DiBari
Latest posts by John DiBari (see all)

I recently looked at three seven-round NFL mock drafts and discussed the projected landing spots and draft positioning for the incoming rookie class. In this edition of the Off-Season Mock Draft series, I will use that information and evaluate the incoming rookie class based on the hypothetical landing spots from the mock drafts. If more than one of the mock drafts had a particular player landing with a specific team, that’s where I put them. In the event a player was mocked to different teams in each draft, I looked at team needs via several websites and, weighed what was most important for which team and where their draft picks fell, and put what I perceived to be the best player available with that team. Enough of my rambling; let’s see who landed where!

Quarterbacks

In the previous article, I identified the top five quarterbacks in this class based on projected draft capital. While some mock drafts incorporated imaginary trades, I always think you fall down a slippery slope of nonsense with that, so I’m keeping everyone locked in their draft spots. Here is where I see the top quarterbacks landing based on the mock drafts:

Cam Ward – Tennessee Titans, 1.01

I think that during the evaluation process, Ward separates himself from Sanders and becomes the top pick in the draft. While I would go with Travis Hunter and let Will Levis lead me to another 1.01 pick and some kid named Manning next year, the Titans make the move for their QB of the future.

Shedeur Sanders – Cleveland Browns, 1.02

This has dumpster fire of epic proportions written all over it.

Jalen Milroe – New York Giants, late first-early second

Brian Daboll needs to do something. While I don’t think they pull the trigger at 1.03, he could easily be their next pick.

Quinn Ewers – Las Vegas Raiders, day two

As I write this, Pete Carroll was named the Raiders’ head coach. I completed my outline for this piece before the news and think a Carroll-Russell Wilson reunion is now the most likely scenario in Las Vegas. However, they still need a long-term answer under center, so I won’t change anything.

Jaxson Dart – New Orleans Saints, day two

Looking at the teams that need quarterback help, the Jets are the only remaining team with a glaring hole after the above selections were made. They still have Derek Carr, so it isn’t as pressing an issue as some other teams have, but at some point, the Saints have to get out of salary cap hell, and dumping Carr’s contract for a rookie deal will help a lot.

Running Backs

There is a good chancewe get some great landing spots for some excellent running back prospects. This should drive up their prices in rookie and start-up drafts, and rightfully so. We often hype up lesser-than-backs every year because the talent pool is so shallow, and we have to. This year, however, it seems like we’ll see some tremendous values fall in the draft, and dynasty backfields will be centered around players from this draft for years to come.

Ashton Jeanty – Dallas Cowboys, first round

This is where tons of people are projecting Jeanty to land on draft day. There is no need for me to buck the trend here; welcome to Big D.

Kaleb Johnson – Las Vegas Raiders, second round

The Raiders have a dire need at running back. Well, the Raiders have a dire need at several positions, but their running back room is particularly awful. Johnson fills an immediate need and is instantly a top fantasy option.

Omarion Hampton – Denver Broncos, second round

An ascending Denver offense needs a stud running back in Sean Payton’s system. Whoever lands with the Broncos is going to skyrocket up the rankings. For us today, Hampton is the big winner.

TreVeyon Henderson – Los Angeles Chargers, day two

Great player. Great landing spot. Wheels up.

Cam Skattebo – New York Giants, day two

He’s a bit of a polarizing player, but if he can do what he did in his final season at ASU with the Giants, he’ll be productive as part of a one-two punch with Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Quinshon Judkins – Pittsburgh Steelers, day two

Much like his Ohio State teammate Henderson: great player, great landing spot, wheels up.

Raheim Sanders – Jacksonville Jaguars, day two

The Jags are likely moving on from Travis Etienne, leaving Sanders to compete with Tank Bigsby, who is not an insurmountable roadblock.

DJ Giddens – Minnesota Vikings, late day two, early day three

Aaron Jones insurance. Even if Jones returns to Minnesota, he has missed games in the past, and Giddens could be a valuable insurance policy. In the event Jones is playing elsewhere, Giddens will be waiting in the wings for a crack at the starting gig.

Ollie Gordon II – Cleveland Browns, early day three

Nick Chubb is 29 with another catastrophic injury on the record. Jerome Ford isn’t the long-term answer, but Gordon could be.

Dylan Sampson – Washington Commanders, early day three

Austin Ekeler is 29, and Brian Robinson will be 26 shortly after the Super Bowl. The Commanders need depth.

Wide Receivers

Because of the depth of talent at running back, I suspect people are going to secure some tremendous value among this year’s group of wide receivers. I like all of the hypothetical running back landing spots. I can’t say the same for the receivers, and I assume that will be the case in real life, too. The perceived depth of the running back class will push down quite a few of these receivers.

Luther Burden III – Carolina Panthers, first round

Surround Bryce Young with weapons. Mission accomplished.

Tetairoa McMillan – New Orleans Saints, first round

Once the injuries started accumulating in the Big Easy, they had one of the worst receiving corps I’ve ever seen down the stretch. You could add depth later, or you could add arguably the best receiver in the class. Adding McMillan to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed could turn this team’s glaring weakness a month ago into its strength.

Emeka Egbuka – Cincinnati Bengals, first round

Tee Higgins insurance, and an affordable option under team control for five years to play opposite Ja’Marr Chase.

Elic Ayomanor – Tennessee Titans, second round

If they bring in a rookie quarterback to start the draft, they’ll need better weapons for him in Tennessee.

Tre Harris – New England Patriots, second round

The Pats need help in their receiver room. They should go back to the well later in the draft too.

Tai Felton – Cleveland Browns, day two

Twice mocked to Cleveland, Felton will find himself on a team with a significant question mark under center for 2025.

Isaiah Bond – Philadelphia Eagles, late first-early second round

Another Philly draft day steal. Even in the mock drafts, Philly seems to be pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes and grabbing incredible value. Bond will be an amazing third option in this passing attack behind AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith.

Xavier Restrepo – Houston Texans, day two

I was surprised that more receivers weren’t mocked to Houston. I know their problems were primarily injury-related, but they need depth behind the oft-injured Tank Dell and 31-year-old Stefon Diggs. I think this is one of the better landing spots for dynasty receivers.

Tory Horton – Kansas City Chiefs, late second-early third round

The Chiefs receiver bump is incoming.

Jayden Higgins – Las Vegas Raiders, day two

They need all the help they can get. This entire offense needs an overhaul and infusion of skilled weapons.

Matthew Golden – Baltimore Ravens, day two

Baltimore has gotten by for far too long with far too little at receiver, thanks to their tight ends and Lamar Jackson‘s legs. They need more weapons in the passing game and should consider bringing in multiple receivers this off-season.

Jalen Royals – Arizona Cardinals, third round

Even with the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr last season, the Cardinals still need to add to their receiver group. It’s OK, but OK isn’t going to win your division, get you into the playoffs, or win a Superbowl.

Tez Johnson – Los Angeles Rams, day two

The Rams need to start preparing for life without a soon-to-be 32-year-old Cooper Kupp.

Savion Williams – Los Angeles Chargers, day two

One of my favorite players in the class, and he gets a landing spot with the Chargers, who are desperate for playmakers to help Justin Herbert. We saw their shortcomings in the playoffs, and you have to imagine that they’ll address the position in the off-season.

Tight Ends

It is a very top-heavy class, so I’m only looking at the top three for our purposes here. There is absolutely no need to go any deeper at this point.

Tyler Warren – Los Angeles Chargers, first round

There aren’t many bad spots for Warren. The top tight end in the class seems to be fairly franchise-proof (as of now). Any spot would be good, but on a team like the Chargers, who have an immediate need, he should hold that top spot for fantasy throughout rookie draft season.

Colston Loveland – Kansas City Chiefs, first round

The heir to the Travis Kelce throne will get fantasy football peeps in a tizzy on draft day. I could also imagine a reunion with his former college coach with the Chargers as a real possibility. Both spots are an A+ for his long-term dynasty future.

Harold Fannin Jr – Indianapolis Colts, second round

I really wanted to get Fannin on the Denver Broncos, but I burned their second-round pick on running back, so excluding imaginary trades, Fannin had to land somewhere else. The Colts have needed a playmaker at tight end since Dallas Clark left.

Mock Draft

Curious to see how a rookie mock draft would play out with these imaginary landing spots? Me too. I solicited some friends in the industry via X, including Scott Connor and Matt Walker, to help me with a mock draft. It was set up as a 12-team, superflex, tight end premium (TEP), PPR league. Let’s see how it went.

word image 1504652 1

Without seeing any other rookie mocks yet, this went as close as I would have imagined going into it. Sanders probably doesn’t fall to 1.06 most of the time, but he’s a bit polarizing as a prospect, and landing in Cleveland doesn’t do him any favors. I also don’t think Henderson goes 1.02 if he’s not a Charger. Bond might have been overdrafted as a WR3 in Philly, as all the receivers after him are likely projected as their teams’ first or second option in the passing game.

word image 1504652 2

The second round saw a trio of QBs. I think, in reality, their draft capital is going to have a significant impact on where they go in drafts. I’ve heard the Giants really like Jaxson Dart. If they trade up to grab him at the end of the first round, He could easily be a top-12 dynasty pick, but if he goes to the Saints late in round three, 2.10 might be a bit of a reach.

I was surprised to see only two running backs in the second round and only seven of the top 12. I thought the backs in this exercise all had landing spots that made them worthy of being selected in the top 24. If Tyler Warren gets a “bad” spot in the NFL draft, I could see Loveland jumping over him in drafts if he finds himself in Kansas City or with his former college coach with the Chargers.

Without any rookie ADP data out there, I hope you found this a fun read. At the very least, it gets the gears turning as we imagine the incoming class as part of various NFL rosters and how they could fit within certain schemes. There really weren’t many poor landing spots in the NFL mocks or this fantasy draft based on them, but we know, in reality, several players will get buried on rosters come draft day in April. I look forward to seeing how these mock drafts stack up against reality over the next three to six months.

John DiBari
Latest posts by John DiBari (see all)