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Throughout the off-season, you will see plenty of mock drafts analyzed on this site. While the primary value of mock drafts isn’t realized until August, there is still something to be gained from conducting them at various times leading up to draft season. My first mock was a little over a month ago. A late April/early May mock draft can give you an idea of what players you are targeting while providing you with a baseline to measure price change over the coming months. In June, things are starting to come more into focus. ADPs are still very much in flux, but there shouldn’t be any massive changes between now and draft season barring injuries.
For this mock draft using our free mock draft simulator, I decided to go with the two spot. My May mock was from the nine spot and while I do like to draft from the same slot to gauge how things have changed, I don’t think enough has changed just yet. I am sure I will do another one of these in July or August. I will draft from either the nine or two spot in the next one as a way of evaluating what has changed both in the draft landscape and my own philosophy.
This is for a 12-team, PPR league with one QB, three WRs, two RBs, one TE, and one flex. I removed kickers and defenses because there just isn’t any value in including them, especially this early in the process.
Complete early mock drafts using our free draft simulator 
1.02 Saquon Barkley (RB – NYG)
It’s not unreasonable to select Ezekiel Elliott here, but for me, Saquon Barkley is the clear-cut second best fantasy player behind Christian McCaffrey. Barkley is my pick to finish 2020 as the overall RB1. The Giants’ offensive situation is better this year than it was last year. They’ve improved the offensive line and lest we forget that Barkley is a generational talent and just 23 years old.
There is still concern over somewhat of a committee as Miles Sanders contends with Boston Scott and Doug Pederson’s general preference of using multiple backs. With that being said, Sanders is the primary back on one of the league’s best offenses in a division with a bunch of terrible defenses. Sanders is being viewed as a low RB1, but he comes with significant upside. I am pretty committed to starting all of my drafts with at least two running backs in the first three rounds. I considered going receiver here knowing I would get Leonard Fournette or Clyde Edwards-Helaire at my next pick, but I decided I’m starting triple running back and seeing how this goes.
3.02 Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB – KC)
I actually wanted Fournette, but he went right before me. I considered deviating and taking a wide receiver but stuck to my guns and took a third running back. CEH just has massive upside in the league’s best offense. We saw what Kareem Hunt did as a rookie. We saw Spencer Ware be an RB1 in this offense. CEH is better than Ware and might be better than Hunt, too. There is concern over how much Damien Williams will cut into Edwards-Helaire’s work, but I’m confident that with even a 50% opportunity share, CEH is at least a high-end RB2.
It turns out I believe in T.Y. Hilton. I literally moved him up in my rankings while this mock forced me to decide between Hilton, Courtland Sutton, and D.J. Chark. Hilton is on the wrong side of 30, but he was a lot better than people realize last season. He was at least a high WR2 in four of his first give games before his season was derailed due to injury. Philip Rivers is just about done, but he’s still going to be an upgrade over Jacoby Brissett.
5.02 D.J. Chark (WR – JAX)
It turned out I had my pick of two of the three. Chark is next up. He is a true alpha on a relatively light depth chart. He had a good rapport with Gardner Minshew, who is now locked in as the starter for the foreseeable future. I love Chark’s talent and think he’s in for a big third year.
6.11 Kareem Hunt (RB – CLE)
I was shocked to see Kareem Hunt still here. This is an ADP that I know won’t hold. Hunt will be well into the fifth round by August. Right now though, I will gobble up Hunt, who saw a 54.1% snap share after returning from suspension. Hunt hit double digit fantasy points in his first six games back while averaging 5.6 targets per game. Hunt is the ideal middle round running back selection with standalone RB2 value and elite RB1 upside if something were to happen to Nick Chubb.
In previous years, I was never a Marvin Jones fan. Now, he’s become somewhat of a forgotten man. Jones was a complete dud just five times last season. He was surprisingly reliable. With a healthy Matt Stafford, Jones is a perfect fantasy WR3 at a WR4 cost.
My plan is to wait on tight end, but I already have four running backs and with two picks in quick succession, I can safely take an every-week starter here. Tyler Higbee certainly benefited from Gerald Everett‘s injury, but there’s reason to believe he’s the clear guy entering this season. Higbee eclipsed 100 yards receiving in four straight games and was a TE1 for the final four weeks of the regular season (he was the overall TE1 in Week 17, which does not count).
9.02 Cam Akers (RB – LAR)
I have zero interest in Cam Akers, but as Matt Kelley says, “I don’t hate players, I hate ADPs.” Kelley may not hate players, but Sean McVay certainly does. Sean McVay hates Darrell Henderson, which leads to the inexorable conclusion that Cam Akers will at least be serviceable as the leader of a committee behind a terrible offensive line. He’s my fifth running back. He’ll never last this long in a real draft, but if he does fall this far, he’s a must-draft.
10.11 Matthew Stafford (QB – DET)
Due to his injury, Matthew Stafford’s incredible 2019 season is somewhat forgotten. Stafford finished as a top-half QB1 in five of his first eight games. He was fantastic, and there’s no reason to think he won’t pick up right where he left off. Stafford is my primary late-round quarterback target for this season.
11.02 Curtis Samuel (WR – CAR)
I just can’t quit Curtis Samuel. He is so talented and if not for Kyle Allen being the worst deep-ball passer in NFL history last season (not literally), Samuel would have broken out all over the place. Samuel led the league in unrealized air yards. He’s my WR4. I’d rather him be my WR5, but the difference is negligible. I’ll take the shot.
12.11 Anthony McFarland (RB – PIT)
The more I think about it, the more I believe James Conner is actually going to be the guy this season. However, Conner cannot stay healthy. The Steelers didn’t draft Anthony McFarland for nothing. Benny Snell is one of the least talented running backs to ever play in the NFL and the Steelers have had enough of the Jaylen Samuels experiment. If Conner goes down, McFarland has league-winning upside. I’ll throw that dart.
13.02 N’Keal Harry (WR – NE)
Widely considered the best wide receiver in the 2019 draft class, Harry has become an afterthought following a nothing of a rookie year. He was injured for the first half of the season and then just never got going once he returned. History is certainly working against him as players with his level of production as rookies rarely amount to anything, but as my WR5, I will take a shot on a talented prospect with little target competition beyond Julian Edelman.
14.11 Blake Jarwin (TE – DAL)
With my final pick, I will go pure upside. At this point in 2019, this pick was consistently Darren Waller before the entire world figured it out. My 2020 Waller is Blake Jarwin. Finally free from Jason Witten, Jarwin will have a chance to be the every-down tight end in what should be the best offense in the NFC. There’s a ton of target competition, but there’s also a ton of touchdown upside. Jarwin does have a three-touchdown game on his resume. It’s the last round. He’s worth it.
Final Roster
QB: Matthew Stafford
RB: Saquon Barkley, Miles Sanders, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kareem Hunt, Cam Akers
WR: T.Y. Hilton, D.J. Chark, Marvin Jones, Curtis Samuel, N’Keal Harry
TE: Tyler Higbee, Blake Jarwin
Final Draft Board
Complete early mock drafts using our free draft simulator
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Jason Katz is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive, follow him @jasonkatz13.
