2025 NFL Draft: Rookies Who Landed in the Best Situations for Dynasty Leagues

Now that the NFL Draft is in the books, we finally know two of the most important aspects of the rookie evaluation process, landing spot and draft capital. Today, we’ll look at the players who saw their value increase the most with their landing spots and draft capital over the weekend. Some players should be going up the board based on the rosters they’ll be joining and the investments their teams made in them. Be sure to check back here for the players whose value decreased over the weekend.

We’ll go position by position, highlighting the best landing spots and naming a few honorable mentions.

Quarterback – Jaxson Dart, NYG; Round One, Pick 25

Dart’s college football stats, courtesy of Sports Reference.

Quarterback was the story of the NFL Draft, and the first surprise of Thursday night came when the Giants traded up to get back into the first round and take Dart. The assumption was that the Giants would trade up to take Shedeur Sanders. They took Dart instead, and the epic fall of Sanders officially began. Dart was widely considered the QB3 in this class, so the first-round draft capital was a bit of a surprise. With that kind of investment, the Giants get an extra year of control over Dart and more time to let him develop into a quality NFL quarterback.

The Giants have a crowded quarterback room for 2025, so Dart will be a stash in rookie drafts for this season. Russell Wilson is likely the starter for this season, and Jameis Winston will probably dress as the backup quarterback, leaving Dart to serve as the QB3. Wilson is on a one-year contract, while Winston is on a two-year deal, with a potential out after 2025.

Long-term, this is a great landing spot for Dart, the quarterback who likely needed the most time to develop. When he is ready to start, he’ll have one of the best young wide receivers in the game in Malik Nabers to throw the ball to. The Giants will need to address their underwhelming offensive line for Dart to have any success here. Dart is the QB2 in DLF’s Expert Rookie Rankings. He’s 25th overall in one quarterback and 12th overall in superflex.

QB Honorable Mentions – Cam Ward, TEN; Jalen Milroe, SEA; Tyler Shough, NO

Running Back – RJ Harvey, DEN; Round Two, Pick 28

Harvey’s college football stats, courtesy of Sports Reference.

In this deep and talented running back class, there was always a jumbled tier of players involving Harvey, Kaleb Johnson, Dylan Sampson and Cam Skattebo. The RB5 spot in this class was wide open for the taking, and Harvey’s second-round draft capital and landing spot in Denver mean the spot is his. You could even argue he’s moved up ahead of TreVeyon Henderson and/or Quinshon Judkins.

The Broncos were a favorite landing spot for a first-round running back in mock drafts. With Omarion Hampton on the board, Sean Payton decided to beef up the defense, taking CB Jahdae Barron out of Texas with the 20th pick. They decided to address the position on day two instead, taking Harvey as the fifth running back off the board.

When I wrote the pre-draft profile on Harvey, he was being mocked consistently in the fourth round, so this jump in draft capital is extremely impactful. As a second-round pick, Payton has invested a significant pick in the backfield. He also joins a team with an underwhelming running back room led by Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime. There are plenty of carries for the taking in a Sean Payton backfield, and now Harvey is the favorite to lead the way as early as his rookie season. It was a great draft for running back landing spots, but Harvey has the best. He is the RB6 in DLF’s Expert Rookie Rankings, one spot behind Kaleb Johnson. He’s 12th overall in one quarterback and 14th overall in superflex.

RB Honorable Mentions – Ashton Jeanty, LV; Quinshon Judkins, CLE; Cam Skattebo, NYG; Omarion Hampton, LAC; Kaleb Johnson, PIT

Wide Receiver – Tetairoa McMillan, CAR; Round One, Pick Eight

McMillan’s college football stats, courtesy of Sports Reference.

While the running back landing spots were outstanding, the wide receiver landing spots were a bit underwhelming. Some of the top receivers went to crowded wide receiver rooms or teams that didn’t have a need at their position. Despite all that, there is one receiver whose value was maximized by their landing spot and draft capital, the first one off the board.

McMillan was a top ten pick, going to the Panthers with the eighth overall pick. The Panthers had needs all over the field, but decided to take a true number one receiver to provide weapons for their former number one pick, Bryce Young. McMillan was already the WR1 in dynasty (depending on how you feel about Travis Hunter), but this widens the tier between him and everyone else.

He goes to Charlotte as the primary target in Dave Canales’s offense. Bryce Young is a solid quarterback on the rise after he was benched last season. The team needs Xavier Legette to take a step up this season, but if he does, they have a solid group of pass catchers with Adam Thielen, Jalen Coker, and fellow-rookie Jimmy Horn Jr. He is the WR2 in DLF’s Expert Rookie Rankings, behind Travis Hunter. He’s fourth overall in one quarterback and fifth overall in superflex.

WR Honorable Mentions – Jayden Higgins, HOU; Kyle Williams, NE

Tight Ends – Mason Taylor, NYJ; Round Two, Pick Ten

Taylor’s college football stats, courtesy of Sports Reference.

This is a stacked tight end class, with two tight ends who were certain to be first-round picks. After Loveland and Warren, there was a tight and crowded tier of tight ends in Taylor, Elijah Arroyo, Harold Fannin and Terrance Ferguson. Taylor absolutely had the best landing spot, and he was the first one to go off the board. With the tenth pick in the second round, the Jets got Justin Fields a great weapon in Mason Taylor.

Taylor became the first LSU tight end to ever catch at least 100 passes for at least 100 yards in their Tigers career. He is an all-around tight end who should be able to play in all phases of the offense. He is a solid blocker, with great speed and route-running savvy.

Mason Taylor should start in week one ahead of Jeremy Ruckert and Stone Smartt. He has a chance to be the Jets’ number two target, with a weak wide receiver room behind Garrett Wilson. It’s a perfect spot to optimize Taylor’s fantasy value, and he may end up having the best rookie season of this class. He is the TE3 in DLF’s Expert Rookie Rankings. He’s 18th overall in one quarterback and 19th overall in superflex.

TE Honorable Mentions – Elijah Arroyo, SEA; Terrance Ferguson, LAR; Tyler Warren, IND