Past/Present/Future Rookie Pick Value: 2025 Early 2nd
It is 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 will be focusing on Superflex formats.
Historical Consensus Picks 1-4
2024
- 2.01 – Trey Benson, RB ARI
- 2.02 – Adonai Mitchell, WR IND
- 2.03 – Ladd McConkey, WR LAC
- 2.04 – Blake Corum, RB LAR
2023
- 2.01 – Kayshon Boutte, WR NE
- 2.02 – Sean Tucker, RB TB
- 2.03 – Michael Mayer, TE LV
- 2.04 – Josh Downs, WR IND
2022
- 2.01 – Wan’Dale Robinson, WR NYG
- 2.02 – Rachaad White, RB TB
- 2.03 – Malik Willis, QB TEN
- 2.04 – Trey McBride, TE ARI
Looking over these past drafts that typically happened before the NFL Combine, you can see some players who either did not work out at the combine or had bad showings either at the combine or their pro day.
In 2024, the top of the second round was solidified with great combine performances by Trey Benson, Adonai Mitchell, and Ladd McConkey. All three players tested well and made their way into the late first or early second round. Blake Corum was the one player who didn’t test extremely well but had a nice body of work on film that kept him in this range.
In 2023, the pre-draft mock drafts and post-draft mock drafts were vastly different. LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte and Syracuse running back Sean Tucker were big names in the devy community for a couple of years. Boutte ended up with some off-the-field issues and then had a terrible showing at the combine causing him to drop all the way to the sixth round in the NFL Draft. Tucker ended up with some health concerns and was unable to participate in the combine or his pro day. He eventually went undrafted.
In 2022, Rachaad White was a nice surprise for fantasy owners early on. His future in fantasy moving forward is questionable after he lost a lot of workload to Bucky Irving last season. The steal of this draft was Trey McBride, who is now considered a top three tight end in dynasty.
2025 Potential Options
- Elic Ayomanor, WR Stanford
- Colston Loveland, TE Michigan
- Tre Harris, WR Ole Miss
- Isaiah Bond, WR Texas
- Jalen Milroe, QB Alabama
- Jalen Royals, WR Utah State
- Jayden Higgins, WR Iowa State
- Harold Fannin, TE Bowling Green
- Xavier Restrepo, WR Miami
- Savion Williams, WR TCU
- Matthew Golden, WR Texas
- Quinn Ewers, QB Texas
- Jaxson Dart, QB Ole Miss
There is a load of good running backs in the 2025 draft class. But the beginning of the second round seems to be more of a dead spot for running backs. There are a lot more going in the first round and then from the mid-second round to mid-third round in rookie drafts.
The top of the second round seems to be a good spot to grab the second tier of wide receivers in this draft class. Elic Ayomanor, Tre Harris, Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, Jayden Higgins, and Jalen Royals are all players who could be drafted in the late first round to the end of the second round in the April draft.
If tight ends drop in your draft, this is also a good spot to get one. Colston Loveland and Harold Fannin are right there with Tyler Warren at the top of this class.
In superflex leagues, the top of the second round might be a nice place to grab the second tier of quarterbacks who are not drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. Jaxson Dart, Quinn Ewers, and Jalen Milroe all have upside and the ability to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. All of them have their flaws. Keep an eye out on where they go in the NFL Draft. If any of them get drafted in the second or third round, then this will be the spot to grab them.
Trade Value
Knowing what each draft spot or prospect is potentially worth is key in dynasty leagues. It is important to know what these picks or players are worth on the trade market. This will help you to find possible trade scenarios whether you are looking to acquire picks or players. Using the Dynasty League Football Trade Analyzer, here are some potential options each pick could be traded for right now.
2.01 (165.1 Trade Value)
- Jameson Williams, WR DET
- Isiah Pacheco, RB KC
- Anthony Richardson, QB IND
2.02 (158.8 Trade Value)
- Cooper Kupp, WR LAR
- Deebo Samuel, WR WAS
- Mike Evans, WR TB
2.03 (154.2 Trade Value)
- Chris Godwin, WR TB
- Travis Etienne, RB JAC
- David Njoku, TE CLE
2.04 (146.1 Trade Value)
- George Kittle, TE SF
- Davante Adams, WR FA
- David Montgomery, RB DET
The draft picks at the top of the second round in dynasty drafts typically hold solid value. There are some nice win-now players you can get for one of these picks. If you don’t want to wait on a rookie tight end to develop, you could probably get a veteran like George Kittle or David Njoku.
Some running backs could be had here as well. David Montgomery, Travis Etienne, and Isiah Pacheco are some productive backs who could be had instead of trying to decide what rookie might hit in the next few seasons.
The same could be said at wide receiver. Some older but still insanely productive players like Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, Mike Evans, or Chris Godwin could be had for an early second-round pick. You might be able to get a younger receiver like Jameson Williams or Deebo Samuel with the 2.01, but you might have to make it part of a multi-player deal with pick swaps.
Anthony Richardson is a player people hate or still believe in. If you want to acquire him in a superflex league, an early second-round pick might get it done. If you are out on AR, then this might be the time to move him. If he doesn’t succeed this season, his value could absolutely tank.
Dynasty Recommendations
There is definitely some value here. If your team is in win-now mode, there are some players who could be had in a trade that could help put your team over the top. If you are in a rebuild, this might be the area of picks you want to shoot for in trade negotiations.
It’s extremely hard to get people to loosen their grip on first-round picks, but they are more likely to move early second-round picks. This is a great spot to move on from an aging talent and possibly get good value in a player that drops out of the first round.
It’s going to be tough to get a first-round pick for Kupp or Evans these days, but an early second would be nice. If I can move a player like Pacheco for a second right now, I would be stoked. There is a good chance the Chiefs will draft a running back in this draft. I’m not sure Pacheco will even be on the Chiefs in a year.
We are not sure who will drop out of the first round of dynasty drafts, but in a few drafts last year, I was able to get Brian Thomas or Ladd McConkey. That won’t always happen, but when it does, it sure is nice.
- 2025 Rookie Running Backs By ADP: RBs 1-4 - April 21, 2025
- 2025 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Profile: Gunnar Helm, TE Texas - April 20, 2025
- 2025 Rookie Running Backs By ADP: RBs 5-8 - April 17, 2025
