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Our writers got together to mock the first round of a dynasty rookie draft. This is for a 12-team, PPR, 2QB/Superflex dynasty fantasy football league. They each provide a pick along with their reasoning for the selection.
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Pick 1.01 – Joe Burrow (QB – CIN)
In a Superflex league, quarterbacks are infinitely more valuable since you have to start two of them. Joe Burrow is the consensus QB1 in this draft, and he just completed the greatest college football season in history for a signal-caller. As much as I like the running back and receiver talent in this draft, finding a quarterback that likely possesses top-15 upside at the position overall, perhaps as soon as 2021, Burrow has to be the pick here. The Bengals have already surrounded him with weapons in Tyler Boyd, A.J. Green, John Ross, and Joe Mixon. The team wisely added Tee Higgins in the draft as well, taking advantage of this heralded receiving class in the event Green doesn’t return after this year. Lastly, HC Zac Taylor is already working on installing LSU concepts into his playbook, giving Burrow an even greater chance to hit the ground running in his first year.
– Paul Ghiglieri (FantasyGhigs)
Pick 1.02 – Tua Tagovailoa (QB – MIA)
When I’m in a 2QB or Superflex rookie draft, I’ll always be the owner that jumps on the quarterbacks when I can. The value that they can bring you from a long-term perspective in 2QB leagues cannot be understated. In a league where you’re required to start two quarterbacks, this pick is a no-brainer for me with Tua Tagovailoa. He’s the future of this Dolphins franchise, and a slam dunk pick as the second overall player off the board. While a stud running back like Clyde Edwards-Helaire or Jonathan Taylor can be an option here, running backs simply don’t have the shelf-life that a stud quarterback has. This Miami offense has nowhere to go but up, and as their clear franchise quarterback of the future, this is an easy pick for me at 1.02.
– Aaron Schill (@aaron_schill)
Pick 1.03 – Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)
I thought that CEH was the first non-QB for me until I was faced with making this pick. I just trust Jonathan Taylor’s skill set more. He is one of the best running back prospects of all time. CEH, while talented, is mostly landing spot. The Colts have one of the best offensive lines in the league and they traded up for Jonathan Taylor. Marlon Mack is no slouch, but he’s a free agent after 2020 and, let’s be honest, Taylor is coming right in and taking Mack’s job. I’d be surprised if Mack touched the ball 50 times this season.
– Jason Katz (@jasonkatz13)
Pick 1.04 – Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB – KC)
With the 4th pick in a 2QB/Superflex draft, I feel comfortable taking any of the big 4 that fall (Tua, Burrow, Taylor, Edwards-Helaire). In this particular situation, it happened to be Clyde Edwards-Helaire. With the way I typically build my superflex dynasty rosters in startups centered around high-end quarterback depth, I actually have Taylor and Edwards-Helaire as my 1.01 and 1.02 in superflex rookie drafts. Of course, this could vary league to league depending on my roster build, but I don’t believe there are going to be many leagues, even in superflex formats, where CEH drops to 1.04 in your upcoming rookie drafts.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire owners will need to be a little patient and temper expectations in year 1, which should be consistent across the board with rookies. Unfortunately for CEH owners, Damien Williams is most likely going to be a little more involved than we would like, but as the season progresses and on the last year of Williams’ contract, this backfield is going to transition to Edwards-Helaire. When your franchise quarterback seemingly puts his stamp of approval and pushes for you to be drafted in the 1st round, there is little concern that Clyde Edwards-Helaire stands to be a centerpiece of this high powered offense for the foreseeable future and offers tremendous upside, especially in PPR formats.
– John Bauer (@TheBauerClub)
Pick 1.05 – J.K. Dobbins (RB – BAL)
Though J.K. Dobbins was selected as the fifth running back taken in the 2020 NFL Draft, I will gladly grab him as the third RB off the board in rookie drafts. The Ravens used their second-round pick to make Dobbins the heir apparent to veteran Mark Ingram who cruised to an RB11 finish in PPR leagues just last season at 30-years-old. Dobbins was an absolute stud at Ohio State clearing 1,000 rushing yards in each of the three seasons he played there. He showed a tremendous ability to handle a workhorse role last season carrying the ball 301 times for 2,003 rushing yards and 21 TDs. He finished sixth place in the Heisman Trophy voting thanks to that performance and left Ohio State with the second-most career rushing yards in school history, just above Ezekiel Elliott. The Ravens are in the process of building a new dynasty in Baltimore that will feature a ground-and-pound attack behind reigning MVP Lamar Jackson with Dobbins slated to be the featured RB of the future. They ran the ball 596 times as a team last season — most in the NFL by 98 carries. Dobbins’ combination of raw athletic ability and a premiere landing spot give him plenty of RB1 upside in the near future.
– John Ferguson (@FantasyFerguson)
Pick 1.06 – D’Andre Swift (RB – DET)
With two potential bell-cow running backs still on the board, the only players in consideration were D’Andre Swift and Cam Akers. CeeDee Lamb is my clear top wide receiver in this class, but Swift and Akers are both likely to accrue value in year one, while Lamb has a tougher path to a value increase, so running back was a no-brainer for me in this slot. Swift won out for a few key reasons that give him the edge over Akers, though it’s a modest edge. Swift was drafted early in Round 2, while Akers was drafted late in Round 2, so the slight draft capital edge goes to Swift. However, the Lions selecting Swift at #35 overall is a stronger indictment of their other backs than is the Rams selecting Akers at #52 overall. We are just one year removed from the Rams trading up for Darrell Henderson, while the Lions have now endured two years of solid production marred by injuries from Kerryon Johnson. As such, it’s rational to project Swift for a higher opportunity share in year one than Akers. On top of the touches, Swift has a stronger bell-cow, three-down profile, which requires reading between the lines of his college career. While Swift appeared to be a committee back in college, once he was free of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, Swift was used lightly in Georgia’s easier games, while operating as the engine of the offense against their stronger opponents. With slight edges to Swift in both opportunity and talent/bell-cow upside, the choice was easy in the end.
– Mark Leipold (@LeipoldNFL)
Pick 1.07 – CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL)
I think after the top four, things could begin to look very different from draft to draft. At #7 overall, I love that CeeDee Lamb fell into my lap. For me, this the top WR in the class, and while initially, it seemed like a less than ideal landing spot, I like Lamb’s update in the short and long term. An argument could be made that landing with Dak Prescott might give Lamb the best QB of the WRs drafted in Round 1. Then when you factor in the 166 targets left behind by Randall Cobb and Jason Witten, I think Lamb could be inline for 100+ targets in his rookie season even without eating into Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup’s opportunities. Dynasty owners should be thrilled to land the #1 WR from this class at a discount.
– Kyle August (@kyleFFfellas)
Pick 1.08 – Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN)
I was quietly hoping that J.K. Dobbins would slide to me here with 9th pick, but no such luck. And then when Swift and Lamb went off the board right after he did, I was sort of stumped. In a 2QB/Superflex dynasty draft, my gut wanted QB Justin Herbert, my heart wanted RB Zack Moss, but my brain said, “Just take WR Justin Jefferson, stupid.” The No. 22 overall pick in the NFL Draft, the former LSU standout joins a Vikings offense that already has a very good quarterback, a next-level rushing attack, and-most important of all-an immediate vacancy left open by Stefon Diggs’ departure. (Diggs had 94 targets last year, and those have to go somewhere, right?) Jefferson’s situation is simply perfect. Flanked by top-tier talent Adam Thielen, Jefferson should have a good deal of empty space to work with, and that means targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns are headed his way. Can Jefferson’s size and separation skills give him the edge he needs to play on the outside in the NFL? All signs point to yes. Look for Jefferson to be a rock-solid fantasy asset in 2020 with plenty of WR1 potential in years to come.
– Jim Colombo (@WideRightNBlue)
Pick 1.09 – Cam Akers (RB – LAR)
Even though quarterback was a consideration at this pick, I couldn’t pass up a running back who slides in nicely to a workhorse role. Todd Gurley’s departure opens up 254 touches for the rest of the Rams backfield and I have no doubt Akers will see a large percentage of those vacated totals. The Rams demonstrated their lack of faith in their current backfield by selecting Akers with their first pick in this year’s draft, despite having more pressing needs on the roster. Given they had already traded up for Darrell Henderson in last year’s draft, this move signals that Los Angeles does not have faith in either Henderson or Brown handling a heavy workload. Akers will have to play behind a porous offensive line in Los Angeles, but he has already shown the capability of being effective despite who is blocking in front him. Behind Florida State’s abysmal offensive line, Akers averaged five yards per carry and 3.9 yards after contact; he is adept at churning out extra yardage and shedding tackles. If an oft-injured Todd Gurley can finish as the PPR RB14 in a down year for the rushing offense, I have confidence Akers can become a valuable dynasty asset for the foreseeable future. The opportunity and offensive scheme was too good to pass up this late down the board, so Akers is my pick here.
– Dan Ambrosino (@AmbrosinoNFL)
Pick 1.10 – Jalen Reagor (WR – PHI)
With the 20th overall pick in the draft, the Philadelphia Eagles went with Jalen Reagor over other receivers like Justin Jefferson and Tee Higgins. The Eagles’ wide receiver room is a crowded one, to say the least. With Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, JJ Arcega-Whiteside returning, the Eagles also drafted a pair of speedsters in John Hightower and Quez Watkins in addition to trading for Marquise Goodwin. The Eagles knew they needed to equip Wentz with a plethora of weapons with how last year ended, as he was left with few options due to injuries. While the number of weapons available suggests that Reagor may have trouble seeing the field consistently, his first-round draft investment may prove otherwise. Per @PFF, only 30.7% of Jalen Reagor’s targets were charted as accurate in 2019 – only three other receivers in college football had it worse. He’ll now be catching passes from a guy who has ranked fifth among quarterbacks in on target percentage (76.8%) over the past two seasons (per Sports Info Solutions). Despite what his 4.47 40-yard-dash time shows, Reagor is a burner that will provide a much-needed spark to this Eagles wide receiver corps, and he could have an opportunity to thrive sooner than people expect.
– Sam Hoppen (@SamHoppen)
Pick 1.11 – Jerry Jeudy (WR – DEN)
After being widely regarded as the best receiver going into the 2019 season, the 2018 Biletnikoff Award winner saw his value take a slight hit. Whether that can be attributed to the rise of other elite prospects in the position group of his historically deep 2020 draft class or the increased opportunities required for his start-studded Alabama offense, Jerry Jeudy isn’t nearly as sought after as the dynasty community initially projected him to be. However, with Jeudy still on the board at 1.11, I’m sprinting to the podium with my selection here. With John Elway and the Denver Broncos selecting Jeudy with the 15th overall pick, the former Crimson Tide receiver finds himself in a desirable landing spot in what is quickly becoming a high powered AFC West, with shootout potential for every divisional matchup. Jeudy slides into an offense that is rich with young talent and will become an immediate security blanket for second-year quarterback Drew Lock. I especially like the fit for Jeudy in Denver, as Broncos’ offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur had success with Stefon Diggs from a previous stint in Minnesota, a player who drew many comparisons to Jeudy’s game. After the top quarterbacks and running backs come off the board in Superflex rookie drafts, fire up Jeudy with this landing spot as the number one receiver in this year’s rookie class.
– Rob Searles (@robbob17)
Pick 1.12 – Henry Ruggs III (WR – LV)
I’ll close out Round 1 by selecting Henry Ruggs III, the first wide receiver taken in the 2020 NFL Draft. Ruggs is certainly a “big-play threat” but he’s more than a deep-ball specialist. The Alabama product is certainly capable of stretching the field vertically but he can also use his elite speed on slants and other short crossing routes. It’s the latter skillset that will pair well with Derek Carr early on, as the Raiders’ quarterback has never been one to throw deep down the field. Also in Ruggs’ favor is that he is the clear-cut number one receiver, at least talent-wise. It shouldn’t take long for him to become the focal point of Las Vegas’ outside passing game with Darren Waller holding down the middle of the field. Ruggs’ lack of college production gives reason to be concerned but he has the skillset and opportunity to develop into a number-one wideout.
– Brendan Tuma (@toomuchtuma)
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